Is it okay to use exact sentences from the text in my summary?

You may use a key word or short phrase if it is the clearest way to express an idea, but most of your summary should be in your own words. Copying long sentences verbatim is not summarizing—it is just copying. When you restate the text in your own words, you show that you understand the ideas, not just that you can find and paste information.

How long should a summary be?

A summary is typically much shorter than the original text—often about one-third the length or less, depending on how long and detailed the original is. For a one-page article, a good summary might be 3-5 sentences. For a longer text, it might be a paragraph or two. The length depends on how much support the central idea needs, not on a strict word count. Ask yourself: Have I included the central idea and the key supporting details in the clearest, most concise way possible?

What if the text has more than one main idea?

In Grade 6, you are focusing on texts with one clear central idea. If you encounter a text that seems to have multiple main ideas, look more carefully. Often those ideas are all supporting one larger, umbrella idea. For example, a text might discuss three different ways plants adapt to drought—but the central idea is probably 'Plants have different strategies for surviving drought.' Your summary would mention all three strategies as supporting details under that one central idea.

Do I have to write my conclusion using the exact phrase 'This shows that'?

No. 'This shows that' is one helpful way to introduce a conclusion, but you can also use similar phrases like 'As a result,' 'This illustrates that,' 'Therefore,' or 'Ultimately.' The key is that your concluding sentence restates the relationship between the supporting details and the central idea without adding new information or your own opinion. Choose whichever phrase sounds most natural in your summary.

M6ELA-3.2

Summarizing Informational Text

Learn how to write objective summaries of informational texts by identifying the central idea and supporting details while excluding personal opinions.

What you'll do in this lesson

A voice-first session with the Crimsora tutor on Summarizing Informational Text, then targeted practice and FRQs — with the tutor adapting to where you get stuck.

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What this lesson covers

A summary is a shorter version of a text that captures its most important information. When you summarize an informational text, your job is to pull out the central idea—the main point the author is making—and the details that prove it. The tricky part? You have to leave out everything else, including what you personally think or feel about the topic. This lesson teaches you how to write summaries that stick to the facts and the author's message, not your own reactions.

What Makes a Good Objective Summary

An objective summary states facts and information from the text without adding your own opinions or feelings. Imagine you're a reporter gathering just the essential information—you're not saying whether the topic is interesting or exciting, you're not explaining why you care, and you're not adding your own conclusions. Your job is to tell the reader what the author said and why the author thinks it's important. A good summary includes the central idea of the text (which identifies the main point) and the key supporting details that explain or prove that idea. It leaves out minor examples, repeated information, and anything that doesn't directly support the main message. The summary should be much shorter than the original text, usually no more than one-third the length, and it should use your own words, not exact quotes pasted in.

How to Identify What Belongs in Your Summary

Start by asking: What is the author's central idea? Once you know that, ask: Which details does the author use to support this idea? Those are the details that belong in your summary. Everything else—interesting side stories, extra examples, descriptions that add flavor but not meaning, and your own thoughts—should stay out. Think of it like packing a suitcase: you're bringing only what you absolutely need for the trip. If a detail doesn't help explain or prove the central idea, it's not a necessity. As you read, highlight or underline the central idea and mark the sentences that back it up. Then ignore the rest. This active reading makes it much easier to write a clean summary when you're done.

The Role of Personal Reaction

One of the biggest mistakes students make when summarizing is mixing in their own opinions and reactions. You might think the text is fascinating, unfair, sad, or boring—but none of that belongs in an objective summary. The summary is not the place to write 'I found this interesting' or 'I think the author made a mistake' or 'This made me feel angry.' Those reactions are important to your thinking, and your teacher might ask you to discuss them separately, but they have no place in a summary. Keep your summary focused entirely on what the text says and why, not on your response to it. If you catch yourself writing 'In my opinion' or 'I believe' in your summary, stop and delete it. Replace it with what the text actually states.

Ending Your Summary With a 'This Shows That' Conclusion

A strong summary doesn't just list facts and stop. It ties the supporting details back to the central idea with a quiet conclusion. A phrase like 'This shows that' or 'As a result' or 'This illustrates that' helps you connect the evidence to the main point in a natural way. For example, if the central idea is 'Desert plants have adapted to survive with little water,' and your details explain specific adaptations, you might close with: 'This shows that desert plants have developed special features to live in dry climates.' The conclusion doesn't introduce new information or add your judgment. Instead, it restates the relationship between the details and the central idea, reminding the reader why those details matter. This final sentence makes your summary complete and helps the reader see the big picture clearly.

Key terms

Objective summary.: A restatement of the most important information in a text using only the facts and supporting details from the text, without the writer's opinions or personal reactions.
Central idea.: The main point or most important message that an author is communicating in a text.
Supporting details.: Specific facts, examples, or evidence in a text that explain or prove the central idea.
Relevant.: Connected to the main topic or central idea; directly related to the purpose.
Extraneous.: Not necessary or related to the main idea; extra information that can be left out.
Synthesis.: Combining information from different parts of a text to understand how ideas connect to the central message.

Worked example

Read the following paragraph and write an objective summary, including a conclusion introduced by 'This shows that' or a similar phrase:

Honey bees communicate through a special dance. When a bee finds a good source of pollen, it returns to the hive and performs a dance to tell the other bees where to find the flowers. The dance is quite beautiful to watch, with the bee moving in a figure-eight pattern. The angle of the dance shows the direction of the flowers relative to the sun. The distance the bee travels in the dance tells the other bees how far away the flowers are. Scientists have studied this dance for over a hundred years and find it remarkable. Thanks to this 'waggle dance,' hundreds of bees can find the same flower patch and bring back pollen efficiently.

First, identify the central idea: Honey bees use a special dance to communicate the location of pollen sources to other bees. Next, find the supporting details: (1) the bee performs a figure-eight dance, (2) the angle shows direction relative to the sun, and (3) the distance traveled shows how far away the flowers are. Notice what to leave out: The fact that the dance is beautiful to watch is your reaction, not a necessary detail. The statement that scientists have studied it for a hundred years doesn't support the central idea about how the dance works. Now write your summary: 'Honey bees communicate the location of pollen through a special dance. The angle of the dance indicates the direction of the flowers relative to the sun, while the distance the bee travels in the dance shows how far away the flowers are. This shows that bees use the waggle dance as a precise system for sharing information about food sources.' Notice how the summary includes only the central idea and the three supporting details, uses simpler language than the original, and ends with a conclusion that ties the details back to the main point.

Practice questions

Which of the following should NOT be included in an objective summary?

The central idea of the text
Key supporting details from the text
Your personal opinions about the topic
Evidence from the text that proves the main idea

Answer: Your personal opinions about the topic

An objective summary must include the central idea, key supporting details, and supporting evidence. Personal opinions, reactions, and conclusions are the writer's own thoughts, not the author's message, so they do not belong in a summary. Summaries are meant to be factual and focused on what the text actually says.

You are summarizing a paragraph about the migration patterns of monarch butterflies. The paragraph mentions that monarchs travel thousands of miles, explains that they use the sun as a compass, gives an interesting fact that a single monarch can live up to eight months, and describes how their wings have special markings. Which of these details would most likely belong in a summary of the central idea 'Monarchs navigate migration using the sun'?

The fact that they live up to eight months
The distance they travel (thousands of miles)
That their wings have special markings
The interesting nature of their lifecycle

Answer: The distance they travel (thousands of miles)

If the central idea is about how monarchs navigate using the sun, then the detail about distance traveled supports that idea because it shows the scale of what they accomplish. The lifespan, while interesting, doesn't explain navigation. Wing markings relate to appearance, not navigation. Only the distance connects to why the sun compass is important—it helps them find their way over such vast distances.

Write an objective summary of this text: 'Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems that support thousands of species. They are built by tiny animals called coral polyps that produce hard skeletons. These skeletons stack up over time to form the reef structure. Coral reefs provide food and shelter for fish, sea turtles, and many other organisms. The colors and shapes of coral are stunning, and I think visiting a reef would be an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, rising ocean temperatures are bleaching and destroying reefs around the world.' Your summary should be 2-3 sentences and include a conclusion starting with 'This shows that' or similar.

Answer: A strong answer would resemble: 'Coral reefs are ecosystems built by tiny animals called coral polyps whose hard skeletons form the reef structure over time. These reefs provide food and shelter for thousands of species, including fish and sea turtles. This shows that coral reefs are essential habitats that depend on a stable ocean environment.'

This summary includes the central idea (coral reefs are important ecosystems built by polyps), the supporting details (how the skeleton structure forms and what species rely on reefs), and a restating conclusion. It leaves out personal reactions ('I think it would be unforgettable') and information not directly supporting the main idea (the colors and shapes, the fact that reefs are being destroyed). The conclusion ties the supporting details back to the central idea without introducing new information.

FAQ

Is it okay to use exact sentences from the text in my summary?: You may use a key word or short phrase if it is the clearest way to express an idea, but most of your summary should be in your own words. Copying long sentences verbatim is not summarizing—it is just copying. When you restate the text in your own words, you show that you understand the ideas, not just that you can find and paste information.
How long should a summary be?: A summary is typically much shorter than the original text—often about one-third the length or less, depending on how long and detailed the original is. For a one-page article, a good summary might be 3-5 sentences. For a longer text, it might be a paragraph or two. The length depends on how much support the central idea needs, not on a strict word count. Ask yourself: Have I included the central idea and the key supporting details in the clearest, most concise way possible?
What if the text has more than one main idea?: In Grade 6, you are focusing on texts with one clear central idea. If you encounter a text that seems to have multiple main ideas, look more carefully. Often those ideas are all supporting one larger, umbrella idea. For example, a text might discuss three different ways plants adapt to drought—but the central idea is probably 'Plants have different strategies for surviving drought.' Your summary would mention all three strategies as supporting details under that one central idea.
Do I have to write my conclusion using the exact phrase 'This shows that'?: No. 'This shows that' is one helpful way to introduce a conclusion, but you can also use similar phrases like 'As a result,' 'This illustrates that,' 'Therefore,' or 'Ultimately.' The key is that your concluding sentence restates the relationship between the supporting details and the central idea without adding new information or your own opinion. Choose whichever phrase sounds most natural in your summary.

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