Finding Main Ideas and Supporting Details

What is main idea?

 Main idea is the main point of a speech or a piece of writing.
 The most important or central thought of a paragraph or larger section of text,
which tells the readers what the text is about.
 The “big point” or the most important idea that the writer is communicating to the
reader.
 Identifying main idea

Identifying the main idea of a text is one of the most important reading strategies used by good
readers. Identifying the main idea will help you understand and remember
what you read. Ask yourself these two questions to find the main idea.

1. “Who or what is the reading about?” The answer will be the topic. The topic is the word
or phrase that tells what the reading is about.
2. “What does the author want me to know about the topic?” The answer to this
question is the main idea.
 Finding the topic and main idea of a paragraph
Most English writing is organized into paragraphs. A paragraph is a group of
sentences that are related to each other because they are all about the same
general topic. The main idea of the paragraph is the author’s most important
point about the topic. Sometimes the author states the main idea in one
sentence called the topic sentence.
 
The topic sentence is often in the first sentence of a paragraph,
but it can also be the last sentence or a sentence in the
middle
  of the paragraph.
The main idea must be general enough to hold all of these ideas
together. Thus, the main idea of a passage is:
 An assertion about the subjects.
 The general idea that controls or holds together the paragraph
or passage.
How to find main idea of a passage?

 Identify the topic  Read the passage through completely then try to
identify the topic.
 Look at the first and last sentences of the passage  Authors often put the
main idea in or near either the first or last sentence of the
passage.
 Look for repetition  If you read through a paragraph and you have
no idea how to summarize it because there is so much information,
start looking for repeated words, phrases, or related ideas.
 Examples

“The students had fun on their field trip.  They

Visited  the Marine Museum.  They were able
to tour a tug boat and they bought souvenirs
in the gift shop.  After the tours they ate a
picnic lunch in the park and played with their
friends.”
What is the main idea?

Can anyone mention it?

 This is the main idea:

  “The students had fun on their field trip”

Every year, hundreds of children prepare to compete in the
Scripps Spelling Bee. Along with their family members,these
would-be competitors memorize thousands of dictionary
entries. They are hoping to win as much as $52,000.
Of course, they are also hoping for bragging rights!
 What is the main idea?
Every year, hundreds of children prepare to compete in the Scripps
Spelling Bee
Dictionaries are full of information about words. There are thousands of words
listed in a dictionary. The dictionary tells you how to spell and pronounce each
word correctly and also tells you the meaning of each word. Many words in
English have more than one meaning, and the dictionary gives you all the
meanings. The dictionary also gives you the part of speech (noun,verb,
adjective,and so on) of each word.
Ask: “Who or what is the paragraph about?”
Dictionaries
Answer : __________________

Ask: “What does the author want me to know about the topic?”
Answer : ___________________
Dictionaries are full of information
about words
 Supporting Details

One or more detail sentences which support,

prove, provide more information, examples, or
give examples.
 SHARPEN READING SKILLS
Efficient readers use various strategies before, as,and after they read to help
themselves understand and remember information.

Following are several common prereading strategies that good readers use
to prepare to read a text. Before you begin to read, you should quickly
perform several interrelated tasks:

1) Look over the text.

2) Think about what you already know about the topic.
3) Make predictions about the content.
4) Determine a purpose for reading.
Preview
Before you read, you should quickly look over, or preview, the material. If you are going to read an
article or a textbook chapter, you should read the title and
subtitle, section headings, words in bold print or italics, and introductions.

Active your background knowledge

You will understand what you read better if you connect the information with
what you already know. The information you already know about a topic is called your background
knowledge.

Predict
After you have previewed an article and thought about what you already know
about the topic, you will be able to make predictions, or guesses, about what you are going to
read.

Set a purpose
Before you read, it is helpful to set a purpose for reading. Having a purpose
gives you a reason to read. It helps you read the text with a specific goal in mind.
 BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION
When you read, look for clues to understand the author’s meaning. What is this
passage about? What is this writer saying? What is his or her
message? at times, it may seem like authors are trying to hide their meaning
from you. Be a good detective when you read. Open your eyes and ask the right
questions. In other words, read carefully and actively.

Getting the essential information

What are the facts
A fact is:
•Something that we know for certain to have happened
•Something that we know for certain to be true
•Something that we know for certain to exist
 EXERCISE
On Friday, October 21, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Judith Reynolds, owner of The Cupcake
Factory, arrived at her establishment to find that it had been robbed and vandalized overnight. The
front
window of the shop at 128 Broad Street was broken, and chairs and tables were overtuned
throughout the café area. Additionally, the cash register had been pried open and emptied of
money. The
thieves attempted to open the safe as well, but were unsuccessful. Ms. Reynolds used her
cell phone to report the crime to the police. She also phoned the proprietor of Primo Pizza, located
at 130 Broad Street, as she noticed that the door or that restaurant showed signs of forced entry.
The police department is asking anyone with information to call 555-2323.

Questions :
1. What happened to The Cupcake Factory?
2. When was the crime discovered?
3. Where did it happen?
4. What was stolen?
5. Who called the police?
6. What other businesses were affected?
On Friday, October 21, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Judith Reynolds, owner of The Cupcake Factory, arrived
at her establishment to find that it had been robbed and vandalized overnight. The front window of the shop at
128 Broad Street was broken, and chairs and tables were overtuned throughout the café area. Additionally,
the cash register had been pried open and emptied of money. The thieves attempted to open the safe as well,
but were unsuccessful. Ms. Reynolds used her cell phone to report the crime to the police. She also phoned
the proprietor of Primo Pizza, located at 130 Broad Street, as she noticed that the door or that restaurant
showed signs of forced entry. The police department is asking anyone with information to call 555-2323.

Questions :
1. What happened to The Cupcake Factory?
2. When was the crime discovered?
3. Where did it happen?
4. What was stolen?
5. Who called the police?
6. What other businesses were affected?
It was robbed and vandalized
At 8:30 a.m. on Friday, octover 21.
128 Broad Street
Money from the cash register
Judith Reynolds, owner of The Cupcake Factory
Possibly Primo Pizza
Today’s postal service is more efficient and reliable than ever before. Mail that used to
take months to move by horse and foot now moves around the country in days or hours
by truck, train, and plane. First-class mail usually moves from New York City to Los
Angeles in three days or less. If your letter or package is urgent, the U.S. Postal
Service offers Priority Mail and Express Mail services. Priority Mail is guaranted to go
anywhere in the United States in two days or less. Express Mail will get your package
there overnight.

Questions :
1. Who or what is this passage about?
2. How was mail transported in the past?
3. How is mail transported now?
4. How long does first-class mail take?
5. How long does Priority Mail take?
6. How long does Express Mail take?
Today’s postal service is more efficient and reliable than ever before. Mail that used to take
months to move by horse and foot now moves around the country in days or hours by truck,
train, and plane. First-class mail usually moves from New York City to Los Angeles in three
days or less. If your letter or package is urgent, the U.S. Postal Service offers Priority Mail and
Express Mail services. Priority Mail is guaranted to go anywhere in the United States in two
days or less. Express Mail will get your package there overnight.

Questions :
1. Who or what is this passage about? The U.S. Postal Service
2. How was mail transported in the past? By horse and foot
3. How is mail transported now? By truck, train, and plane
4. How long does first-class mail take? Three days or less
5. How long does Priority Mail take? Two days or less
6. How long does Express Mail take? Overnight
 D
D
Thank you
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