Grade 8 English Language Arts | FL B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.8.R.3.2
ELA.8.R.3.2: Summarize texts accurately, including visual information as appropriate, distinguishing central ideas from supporting details and including an analysis of the development of these ideas and details.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
| Term | Definition | Student-Friendly Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Based on facts, without personal feelings or opinions | Just the facts - no opinions, no "I think," no judgments |
| Subjective | Based on personal feelings, opinions, or interpretations | Includes opinions, feelings, or personal reactions |
| Central Idea | The main point or most important concept in a text | The BIG idea the whole text is really about |
| Supporting Details | Information that explains, proves, or elaborates on the central idea | The facts, examples, and evidence that back up the main point |
| Summary | A brief statement of main points without added interpretation | A short version that captures WHAT the text says |
| Analysis | Examination of how or why something works or means something | Explaining HOW the text works or WHY it's effective |
| Summary (WHAT) | Analysis (HOW/WHY) |
|---|---|
| "The article discusses climate change impacts on coral reefs." | "The author uses statistics effectively to alarm readers." |
| "In the story, Marcus decides to help his neighbor." | "Marcus's decision shows the theme that kindness matters more than possessions." |
| Reports what happened or what was said | Interprets meaning or evaluates techniques |
| Day | Focus | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Objective vs. Subjective | Practice identifying opinion words; rewrite subjective statements objectively. Use Concept Worksheet. |
| 2 | Identifying Central Ideas | Practice finding main ideas in paragraphs and longer texts. Distinguish from details. |
| 3 | Summary vs. Analysis | Compare summary statements to analytical statements; identify which is which. |
| 4 | Writing Summaries | Practice writing objective summaries of complex texts. Complete Practice Worksheet. |
| 5 | Assessment | Administer FAST Format Quiz. Review and reteach as needed. |
Train students to spot opinion indicators that make writing subjective:
Opinion signals: "I think," "I believe," "obviously," "clearly," "unfortunately," "amazingly," "boring," "interesting"
Have students highlight these words in sample summaries and rewrite without them.
For narrative texts, use this structure:
Somebody: Who is the main character?
Wanted: What did they want?
But: What conflict arose?
So: What did they do?
Then: What was the result?
This keeps summaries focused on plot without opinions.
Teach students to find central ideas by asking:
1. What is this text MOSTLY about? (not just the topic)
2. What point is the author making about this topic?
3. What message connects all the details?
Central idea = Topic + What the author says about it
A good rule: Summary should be 10-25% of the original length.
If it's too long, students included too many details.
If it's too short, they may have missed central ideas.
Practice condensing without losing essential meaning.
Correction: Summary captures the CENTRAL ideas, not all ideas. Minor details and examples should be omitted in favor of main points.
Correction: Objective summaries avoid "I" statements entirely. Instead of "I think the author argues...", write "The author argues..."
Correction: Summary = WHAT the text says. Analysis = HOW/WHY it works. Summary: "The article explains causes of pollution." Analysis: "The author uses statistics to persuade readers."
Correction: Value judgments are opinions. "The character made a good choice" is subjective. "The character chose to help" is objective.
On the FAST assessment, objective summary questions at Grade 8 typically ask students to:
Key Strategy: Teach students to eliminate answer choices that contain opinion words or personal judgments - these are NOT objective summaries.