Reading and Writing Skills

Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

LESSON 7.1
The Main Idea and Supporting Details in a Paragraph

Introduction 1

Objective 2

DepEd Competency 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 3
Paragraph 3
A Well-Organized Paragraph 4

Key Points 7

Check Your Understanding 8

Let’s Step Up! 10

Photo Credits 11

Bibliography 11
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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Lesson 7.1
The Main Idea and Supporting Details
in a Paragraph

Fig. 1. A single idea is not enough to express our message; well-written details will further
elaborate our point.

Introduction
Do you have a person or people in your life who will support you in your decisions no
matter what? What do you think will happen if they all disappear? The same principle
applies to paragraphs. When there are no supporting details, a paragraph becomes
disorganized with no unity in it.

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Objective
In this lesson, you should be able to analyze a given text in terms of its
organization.

DepEd Competency
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to evaluate a written text based on
its properties (organization, coherence, cohesion, language use, and mechanics)
(EN11/12RWS-IIIgh-4.1).

Warm-Up

Quick Writes

Materials
● Pen
● Paper

Procedure
1. In five minutes, answer the guide questions.
2. Share your answer in class.

Guide Questions
1. What concepts or ideas can you relate to “paragraphs”?
2. How are paragraphs organized?

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Learn about It

Vocabulary
coherent
in order, logical, well-organized
(adjective)

cohesive
unity of ideas in a paragraph
(adjective)

cognitive
a mental process like reading and understanding
(noun)

a courtyard or open area connected to a house used for

patio (noun)
relaxation and dining

plant or synthetic fiber used for weaving baskets and

wicker (noun)
furniture

Essential Question
Why should a paragraph follow a particular organization?

Paragraph
A paragraph is a group of sentences. A good paragraph has the following: (1) a single main
idea, (2) a topic sentence, and (3) supporting details that further explain or elaborate on
the main idea.

The main idea is the main point or central idea in the paragraph. It is stated in the topic
sentence, which can be found in the beginning, middle, or end of the paragraph. Then, the
main idea is elaborated, supported, or explained by supporting details or supporting ideas
in the paragraph.

Examine how the main idea below is supported by other sentences in the paragraph.

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Main Idea: Exercise helps improve one’s life.

Supporting Details:
1. Exercise helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by improving blood
circulation.
2. Daily exercise helps burn fats and keep weight under control.
3. It helps improve and or maintain your good cholesterol level.
4. It prevents depression.
5. It helps boost the flow of blood to the brain, resulting in an improvement in the
cognitive functions of an individual.

A Well-Organized Paragraph
Below are examples of well-organized paragraphs:

The Keys to Physical Fitness

Many people who want to be physically fit try the fad diets they see in
infomercial exercise programs and depend on miracle fat-burning
supplements without much success. This is because all of these are
unrealistic about what it really takes to become physically fit. These are
the real steps to fitness. The first step is strength training. Strength
training builds muscle, which helps increase energy levels and improve
posture. In addition to building muscle strength through strength training,
regular cardiovascular exercise such as running, walking, or cycling is
essential. Cardiovascular training burns fat and strengthens the heart. But
regular exercise will only be effective if people pay attention to diet and
nutrition. A diet that avoids sugars, junk foods, and high-fat meats and is
high in fruits, grains, and low-fat meats will provide the body with the
energy it needs without weight gain. As much as we might wish it, the
“secret” of physical fitness can’t be found in a bottle. Being physically fit

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

is a matter of regular exercise and good eating habits.

The topic sentence of the paragraph (set in boldface), which also contains the main idea,
can be found at the end such as in the example above. It reveals the purpose of the
paragraph: to inform the readers that becoming physically fit takes regular exercise and
good eating habits. Also, it summarizes the thought of the entire paragraph.

The supporting details (underlined) are stated in the sentences that precede the topic
sentence. The supporting details elaborate and explain how to exercise effectively and how
to observe a proper diet in order to be physically fit.

Time to Get Tough with Drunk Drivers

Drunk driving is a serious crime, and drunk drivers cause serious

accidents. It threatens not only the safety of others but also the safety of
the offender. It also has the potential for serious consequences. it may
cause a multitude of accidents, especially when it happens on a busy road
with lots of cars or in a place with a lot of people. When it happens, the
cars become weapons, and drunk driving becomes a form of assault. If
people choose to drink and drive, then they should pay the price of their
actions since the victims of accidents still suffer long after these drivers
have “paid their debt to society.” The law should be changed so that all
drinking and driving would result in jail time and vehicles would be
confiscated. Then perhaps more people would think twice about drinking
and driving.

The topic sentence of the paragraph (set in boldface) can be found in the beginning. It
prepares the readers for the supporting details which elaborate on how drunk driving
becomes a serious crime and how it causes serious accidents (underlined in the text).

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

My New Career

The morning of my big job interview started out like any other. I woke up
with a good night’s sleep, and I am determined and confident in
getting a new job as an assistant for Fern Moving and Storage. The
night before the interview, I tried moving the furniture from one end of
the house to the other. My mother thought I was crazy. I felt stronger, like
a bull waiting to get out of its cage. I started seeing the furniture around
me in a new light as I sit at the kitchen table while eating a sandwich. The
hide-a-bed in the living room was a huge finger-eating monster, opening,
and closing, snapping at me. Looking out onto the covered patio, the
wicker furniture was floating, almost drifting by itself to the front door.
Then and there I knew that moving furniture was my calling. Walking to
the front door, I gave the hide-a-bed a good stiff kick.

The main idea of a narrative paragraph is the central theme or topic for which the events
happen. It can be stated or implied in the text. In this case, the central idea of the paragraph
is the narrator’s big job interview as an assistant for a company, which is stated in the
second sentence. Then the sentence is followed by the details about the morning that the
narrator woke up.

My First Apartment

My first apartment was a third-floor walk-up on a busy street in Manila.

The building was a faded brown characterless box. My apartment was
down a dimly lit narrow hallway covered in worn fifties-style dark green
carpeting. When I say apartment, I really mean room, because there was
just one small square room with a tiny bathroom. The air was humid and
musty. One small window provides a perfect view of the brown stucco wall
of the building next door. A small avocado-colored stove and fridge
highlighted the kitchen, which consisted of a few shabby painted wood

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

cupboards that projected into the room. Along one wall was an older pale
blue sofa, which was also my bed. A small red card table with two chairs
served as my kitchen and dining room table. A few feet away, several large
cardboard moving boxes contained all of my clothes and personal
possessions.

The subject of the text above is the writer’s first apartment. In the description (underlined),
he or she paints the apartment as small and old. The dominant impression the reader can
get is that an apartment is an unpleasant place for living. The main idea or the central
theme or topic in this paragraph is not stated in the topic sentence but it is implied. The
main idea of a descriptive paragraph, usually implied, is the dominant impression that the
reader gets from the manner the subject is being described. The supporting ideas are the
descriptive details surrounding the subject.

Let’s Check In
What is the difference between the main idea and the supporting details?

Key Points

● The main idea of a paragraph is stated in the topic sentence, which can be found in
the beginning, middle, or end of the paragraph. Then the supporting details explain
it further.
● Cohesion refers to the unity of ideas in a paragraph. Every supporting detail in a
paragraph supports the main idea (the topic sentence).
● Coherence is the quality of being logical and well-organized. The details of a
coherent paragraph follow a certain logical order; the connections between the ideas
are reinforced by transitional devices.

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Check Your Understanding

Put a check (✔) before the statement that could be a supporting detail to
the main idea below.

Topic sentence: Traumatic brain injury is caused by a variety of situations, most of

which are accidental in nature.

____ 1. Open head injury is usually caused by a bullet wound, which penetrates the
skull.

____ 2. The most common types of brain injury are open head injury, closed head injury,
deceleration injuries, tumors, and infections.

____ 3. The severity of the post-traumatic amnesia experienced by a patient with brain
injuries will depend on the severity of the brain injury.

____ 4. Elderly and young adults are the age groups that are at the highest risk for TBI.

____ 5. The top three causes of brain injury are car accidents, firearm injuries, and
falling from high places.

Write a paragraph using any of the topics. Underline the main idea or topic
sentence.

● The Filipino value you admire the most

● Disaster risk reduction and preparedness

● The influence of social media on Filipino youth’s daily lives

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Criteria Does Not Nearly Meets Meets Exceeds Score
Meet Expectations Expectations Expectations
Expectations 2 3 4
1

Content The content is The content is The content is The content is

(50%) unclear and somewhat sufficiently very clear and
unsupported clear and clear and well-supported
Clear and
with textual supported supported with textual
evident focus evidence. with textual with textual evidence.
on the topic evidence. evidence.

Organiza- The The The The progression of

tion (25%) progression of progression of progression of ideas is
ideas is ideas is ideas is well-organized.
Logical
disorganized. somewhat organized. Transitions are
progression of Transitions are organized. Transitions are clear and
details/ unclear, Transitions are sufficiently effective, leading
events; clear making the text somewhat clear, leading to full and easy
transitions almost clear, leading to full understanding.
impossible to to vague understanding.
between ideas
understand. understanding
.

Language There are four There are two There is one There are no
(25%) or more to three language error. language errors.
language language
Spelling,
errors. errors.
mechanics,
grammar, and
word usage

Total Score =

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Let’s Step Up!

Choose a topic sentence from the list below. Write five (5) supporting details that are
connected to the topic sentence.
1. Keratin has many benefits.
2. The Philippine Constitution upholds human rights.
3. Reading makes your mind sharper.

Criteria Does Not Meet Nearly Meets Meets Exceeds Score

Expectations Expectations Expectations Expectations
1 2 3 4

Content The content is The content is The content is The content is

(50%) unclear and somewhat sufficiently very clear and
Clear and evident
unsupported clear and clear and well-supporte
focus on the
with textual supported with supported d with textual
topic
evidence. textual with textual evidence.
evidence. evidence.

Organiza- The The progression The The

tion (25%) progression of of ideas is progression of progression of
ideas is somewhat ideas is ideas is
Logical
disorganized. organized. organized. well-organize
progression of
Transitions are Transitions are Transitions are d. Transitions
details/ events;
unclear, somewhat sufficiently are clear and
clear making the clear, leading clear, leading effective,
transitions text almost to vague to full leading to full
between ideas impossible to understanding. understanding. and easy
understand. understanding.

Language There are four There are two There is one There are no
(25%) or more to three language error. language
language language errors.
Spelling,
errors. errors.
mechanics,
grammar, and

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

word usage

Total Score =

Photo Credits
Fig 1. Male Student with Laptop Reading Note via Content Illustration Bank.

Bibliography

n.d. "What is a paragraph?" Learn American English Online. Accessed September 26, 2018.
https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Write_in_English/WL6_paragraphs.html.

Academic Writing Resources. “Transitional Devices.” Accessed September 19, 2018.

http://write-site.athabascau.ca/transitional-devices.php.

Behrens, Laurence, and Leonard J. Rosen. 2005. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum.
New York: Longman.

Bigauskas, Ray. 2008. “Thinking and Writing: A Guide to Paragraphs and Essays.” Accessed
September 19, 2018. http://rbigausk.disted.camosun.bc.ca/think_write.htm.

Forlini, Gary, Mary Beth Bauer, Lawrence Biener, Linda Capo, Karen Moore Kenyon, Darla H.
Shaw, and Zenobia Verner. 1990. Prentice Hall Grammar and Composition 1. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall.

NewsUSA. 2016. “How to Cool Down A/C Summer Bills.” Accessed September 18, 2018.
http://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/newsusa/how-to-cool-down-summer-ac-bills/.

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Grade 11 • Unit 7: The Organization of a Well-Written Text

Purdue Online Writing Lab. “Transitional Devices.” Accessed September 19, 2018.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/transitions_and_transitional_
devices/transitional_devices.html.

University of Washington Faculty. 2016. “Patterns of Organization.” Accessed September 19,

2018. http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/impo.html.

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