Unit Plan 7 (Grade 8 ELA): Central Idea and Objective Summary
Grade 8 ELA unit: students learn to determine central ideas in informational texts, write concise and objective summaries, and paraphrase key ideas from audio or video sources. Emphasis on citing precise evidence, avoiding opinion, and clearly tracking how ideas develop across sections.
Focus: Determining central idea; summarizing without opinion; listening to paraphrase
Grade Level: 8
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading—Informational; Speaking/Listening—Comprehension)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
This week trains students to extract the central idea from complex informational texts and to craft objective summaries that are concise, accurate, and free of opinion. Students also practice listening to short talks/podcasts and paraphrasing key ideas, integrating evidence precisely from what they read or hear.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Distinguish topic vs. central idea and track how key details refine the central idea across paragraphs (RI.8.2).
- Write objective summaries that capture the central idea and most important supporting points without evaluation or commentary (RI.8.2).
- Cite and integrate strong, specific evidence (section headers, key sentences, data points) to justify the stated central idea (RI.8.1).
- Analyze and paraphrase information presented orally or in multimedia, summarizing the main ideas and supporting evidence (SL.8.2).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 8
- RI.8.2: Determine a text’s central idea and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary.
- RI.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from it.
- SL.8.2: Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation; summarize the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can state a central idea as a complete sentence about the author’s message (not just the topic).
- I can show where the text develops that idea (key paragraphs/sections) and how.
- My objective summary includes only essential points, no opinions or minor details.
- I can paraphrase the main ideas from a short audio/video accurately and briefly.