This document discusses identifying the topic, main idea, and supporting details of a text. It defines the topic as the broad theme of the text. The main idea is the most important idea in a paragraph, often stated in the first sentence. Supporting details can be major or minor and provide information to support the main idea by explaining how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how many. To understand a paragraph, readers must first identify its topic and then determine the main idea and supporting details.

1. LESSON 3
Identifying Topics,
Main Ideas,
and
Supporting Details

2. Understanding the topic, the
gist, or the larger conceptual
framework of a textbook
chapter, an article, a
paragraph, a sentence or a
passage is a sophisticated
reading task.

3. Is the broad, general
theme or message.
TOPIC

4. What is Main Idea?
The main idea is the most
important idea of a paragraph.
A main idea is often stated in
the first sentence of a paragraph.
The main idea is what the
paragraph is all about!

5. DETAILS
Major and minor,
support the main idea
by telling how, what,
when, where, why, how
much, or how many.

6. Identifying the Topic
The first thing you must be
able to do to get at the
main idea of a paragraph is
to identify the topic the
subject of the paragraph.

8. Getting the Main Idea
A paragraph is a group
of sentence related to a
particular topic, or
central theme.

9. Expository Paragraph
Is made up of
supporting sentences,
which help to explain or
prove the main idea.

10. Introductory
Providing information
about someone who is
about to speak, perform,
or something that is
about to begin.

11. Transitional
Paragraphs are usually
short: their sole function is
to tie together what you
have read so far and what is
to come- to set the stage
for succeeding ideas of the
chapter or section.

12. Summarizing
Paragraphs are used
to restate briefly the
main ideas of the
chapter or section.

13. Alert