1. Writing an Objective Summary
English 3

2. Bellringer In your notebook…
Write the word and the part of speech. You don’t have to write the sentence.
Use a dictionary to find a DEFINITION that makes sense in the provided sentence.
Then use a thesaurus to identify one SYNONYM and one ANTONYM.
You may use your phone if you like. I think the best dictionary thesaurus app / website is Merriam-Webster (merriam-webster.com)
Objective (adj) : As a reporter, it is important to be an objective writer by eliminating emotions and opinion’s from one’s work.
Affluent (adj): “I came upon her late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neighborhood in an otherwise [poor] section of Chicago” (Staples, para. 1)
We’ll have a quiz when we’ve learned 20 words.

3. Bellringer In your notebook…
Write the word and the part of speech. You don’t have to write the sentence.
Use a dictionary to find a DEFINITION that makes sense in the provided sentence.
Then use a thesaurus to identify one SYNONYM and one ANTONYM.
You may use your phone if you like. I think the best dictionary thesaurus app / website is Merriam-Webster (merriam-webster.com)
Unwieldy (adj): “…I first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d come into—the ability to alter public space in ugly ways” (Staples, para. 1).
Valiant (adj): “We, as men, … are to be valiant in the face of hostile forces” (Staples, para. 8).
We’ll have a quiz when we’ve learned 20 words.

4. “Just Walk on By” by Brent Staples Read and make ten annotations.
When I annotate, what do I write?
Ask a QUESTION
Give an OPINION
Make a CONNECTION between two parts of a text, to yourself, or to the real world.
Circle UNKNOWN words or phrases
Underline IMPORTANT ideas, symbols, or figurative language
Make notes about the TONE or MOOD
RELATE to other things you’ve read, seen, or heard
Mark INTERESTING WORDS and PHRASES

5. Breaking Down the Metaphor
Early in the passage, Staples claims that “where fear and weapons meet – and they often do in urban America – there is always the possibility of death.”
At the end of the passage, he compares whistling classical music while walking at night to “the cowbell that hikers wear when they know they are in bear country.”
What does his metaphor mean?
What is the significance of the title?

6. How to Determine the Central Idea of a Text
Copy down any titles, headings, bold words, etc. from the text. This helps us focus on important information the author probably wanted us to notice.

7. How to Determine the Central Idea of a Text
The author __________________ ….
Use one of the following power verbs to write about the author’s purpose: persuade, demonstrate, describe, explain, discuss, list, explore, illustrate, examine, teach, compare.
What is the author’s purpose in writing?
Does the author’s want to persuade the audience to believe something?
To teach the audience about a specific topic?
To describe a certain place?
To explain how to do something?
To compare or contrast things?
To describe cause and effect?
Or something else?

8. How to Determine the Central Idea of a Text
3. How is the text structured?
Chronological Order
Compare and Contrast
Cause and Effect
Order of Importance
Definition and Example
Process (How To)
List of items
Spatial/Location
Problem and Solution

9. How to Determine the Central Idea of a Text
4. What are the three most important points the author makes? The goal here is NOT to list actual details from the text (Level 1/Literal Reading) but to INTERPRET what those details should MEAN to the reader (Level 2/Interpretive Reading). 5. So what is the central idea? Purpose + Three Main Points

10. How to Write an Objective Summary
Once you have determined the central idea of a text, you can write an objective summary.
Name it. Identify the title of the text and author.
Verb it. Include the central idea to end the sentence.
This should all be written as one sentence.

11. How to Write an Objective Summary
Include 3-5 essential details from the text.
Choose 1-2 essential details from the beginning, 1-2 from the middle, and 1-2 from the end.
Leave out supporting or minor details.
Restate the information in your own words. DO NOT COPY FROM THE TEXT. You are not citing textual evidence, but instead writing about the text in your own words.
Do not include any opinions or personal feelings. Think back to the definition of “objective” from your bellringer.

12. How to Write an Objective Summary
Organize your information in the same way as the author did.
When you write your details as sentences, use any necessary transitions to make your ideas flow together logically for the reader.