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Main idea and supporting details.pptx
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- 2. Main Idea • • • Themain ideais the “big point” or the most importantidea that the writer is communicating to the reader. Often the reader can find the main idea just by looking atthe title. For example, apassagetitled: “Why Students Should HaveLess Homework” will include reasons for that idea.
- 3. • Readthis shortparagraph: Engineers create wealth for society.So, tennis is agame and the resources of the earth are scarce. Haveyou gone mad?Thusthe only solution is to educate the public on being socially responsible. DID THIS MAKESENSE????? What’s thePoint?
- 4. • It didn’thave aMAINIDEA! • We would go crazy if texts were written like this all thetime. • It was difficult to understand because it was made of different ideas that did not link. There wasno commonthread. • Thegood news is that normal passages have main ideas! OFCOURSE NOT!
- 5. MainIdea • Main Idea- is like the heart of the text or aparagraph. • It is the controllingidea. • All the other supporting details in the text or within aparagraph should tellus more about the mainidea.
- 6. Ask Yourself…. WHOor WHAT isthis passage about?”
- 7. TheTopic Sentence • • Many paragraphshave topic sentences that indicate themain idea. Find the topic sentence inthis paragraph: Homelesspeople have many problems. In winter, it’s hardto stay warm and itgets too hot in summer. It’s also hard to keep things safe without ahome. Worst is the lack of privacy.
- 8. SupportingDetails • Supporting detailsprove the value of the main idea. What are they here? Homelesspeople have many problems. In winter, it’s hard to stay warm and it gets too hot in summer. It’s also hard to keep things safe without a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.
- 9. SupportingDetails Homelesspeoplehavemany problems. In winter,it’s hard to staywarm andit getstoo hot in summer. It’s alsohard to keepthings safewithout a home. Worst isthe lackof privacy. Thesupporting details are in bold. Thereare THREEpoints to support the topic sentence/main idea.
- 10. • Sometimes, aparagraphhasastated main idea usually in the topic sentence. This meansthe paragraph “says” what the main ideais. • Sometimes, aparagraph doesn’t have astated main idea, but hasan “implied” main idea. This meansthat you need to state the main idea in your own words becauseitdoesn’t actually “say” it in theparagraph. • Let’s take alook at twoexamples… Stated andImplied Main Idea
- 11. “The students hadfun on their field trip. They visited the Marine Museum. Theywere 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 withtheir friends.” Theunderlined portion of the sentenceis the main idea and is stated for thereader.
- 12. “Samantha, I can’teat or sleep when you are gone. I need to hear your soothing voiceand seeyour lovely smile. I missthat special way you sing. Pleasecomehome soon.” In this paragraph, the main idea isn’tstated. However, by reading the paragraph, thereader candetermine the main idea: Theauthor missesSamantha.
- 13. Toomuch information… • Allof the sentences in aparagraphshould support the main idea of that paragraph. • Information that does not support the main idea does not belong in thesameparagraph. • Takea lookat the example onthe next slide. Findthe “extra” information that doesnot supportthe main idea…
- 14. “Maria offered tohelp her mother clean the house. Shevacuumed the living room and dusted the furniture. Shepicked up the toys in the playroom. Sheate a ham sandwich for lunch. Then,shemopped the kitchen floor.” Whichsentencedoesnot supportthe mainidea?
- 15. “Maria offered tohelp her mother clean the house. Shevacuumed the living room and dusted the furniture. Shepicked up thetoys in the playroom. Sheateahamsandwichfor lunch. Then,shemopped the kitchen floor.” Whichsentencedoesnot supportthe mainidea?
- 16. Findthe sentencethat doesnot supportthemain idea… “Winter provides the opportunity for many outdoor activities. Many people enjoy ice skating on apond. Swimming in the pond in summer canalso be fun. Skiingcan be a thrilling experience too. After anew snowfall, you can even build asnowman!”
- 17. Findthe sentencethat doesnot supportthemain idea… “Winter provides the opportunity for many outdoor activities. Many people enjoy ice skating on apond. Swimminginthepondin summer canalsobe fun. Skiingcan be a thrilling experience too. After anew snowfall, you can even build asnowman!”
- 18. Youtry it… “The rainforest is home to many creatures. Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest. Butterflies and anteaters also live inthe rain forest.” What isthe main idea? A)Sloths and tapirs are othercreatures that live in therain forest. B) Therain forest is home to manycreatures. C)Monkeys, toucans and macawslive in the rainforest.
- 19. Youtry it… “The rainforest is home to many creatures. Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest. Butterflies and anteaters also live inthe rain forest.” What isthe main idea? A)Sloths and tapirs are othercreatures that live in therain forest. B) The rain forest is home to many creatures. C)Monkeys, toucans and macawslive in the rainforest.
- 20. Tryanother… “Soccer players learnmany skills when playing soccer.Soccerplayers learn how to dribble and passthe ball. Theyalso learn how to control the ball sothey can eventually score. Most importantly, soccerplayers learn how to work together with their teammates.” What isthe main idea? A)Theyalso learn how to controlthe ball sothey can eventually score. B) Soccerplayers learn how to dribble. C)Soccerplayers learn many skills when playingsoccer.
- 21. Tryanother… “Soccer players learnmany skills when playing soccer.Soccerplayers learn how to dribble and passthe ball. Theyalso learn how to control the ball sothey can eventually score. Most importantly, soccerplayers learn how to work together with their teammates.” What isthe main idea? A)Theyalso learn how to controlthe ball sothey can eventually score. B) Soccerplayers learn how to dribble. C) Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.
- 22. Let’sdoone more… “Swimming isone thing that can be done atthe beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can bea lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Somepeople simply like to sunbathe.” What is the implied mainidea?
- 23. Let’sdoone more… “Swimming isone thing that can be done atthe beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can bea lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Somepeople simply like to sunbathe.” There are many fun things to do at the beach. What is the implied mainidea?