MAIN IDEA & Supporting Details

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42SJTk2XSi4

Main IdeaDefinition: The most important idea that the writer is communicating to the reader; it is the big point.

❖ Often the reader can find the main idea just by looking at the title.

❖ It is the controlling idea that is supported by all other sentences in the text.

What’s the Main Idea?Read this short paragraph:

Engineers create wealth for society. So,

tennis is a game and the resources of the

earth are scarce. Have you gone mad? Thus

the only solution is to educate the public on

being socially responsible.

Ask yourself….

WHAT or WHO is this passage about?

Topic SentenceDefinition: A sentence that expresses the main idea of the paragraph in which it occurs.

❖ Find the topic sentence:Homeless people have many

problems. In winter, it’s hard tostay warm and it gets too hot insummer. It’s also hard to keepthings safe without a home.They also have a lack of privacy.

Topic SentenceDefinition: A sentence that expresses the main idea of the paragraph in which it occurs.

❖ Find the topic sentence:Homeless people 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. They also have a lack of privacy.

Supporting DetailsDefinition: Sentences that provide details and help develop the main idea.

❖ Find the supporting details:Homeless people 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. They also have a lack of privacy.

Supporting DetailsDefinition: Sentences that provide details and help develop the main idea.

❖ Find the supporting details:Homeless people 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. They also have a lack of privacy.

Graphic OrganizerMain Idea:

Supporting Detail:Supporting Detail: Supporting Detail:

Graphic OrganizerMain Idea:Homeless people have many problems.

Supporting Detail:They also have a lack of privacy.

Supporting Detail:In winter, it’s hard to stay warm and it gets too hot in summer.

Supporting Detail:It’s also hard to keep things safe without a home.

Types of Main Ideas

1. Stated - Main idea is stated in the topic sentence.

2. Implied - Main idea must be stated in your own words because it is not clearly written in the text.

Example #1❖ Find the main idea:

Picking out the next movie or TV show to watch on Netflix is always hard. And if you're watching with someone else, things get even trickier. You have to cross reference each other's tastes and eliminate movies the other has already watched. It's just a disaster and it takes FOREVER.

Example #1❖ Find the main idea:

Picking out the next movie or TV show to watch on Netflix is always hard. And if you're watching with someone else, things get even trickier. You have to cross reference each other's tastes and eliminate movies the other has already watched. It's just a disaster and it takes FOREVER.

Main idea is STATED in the first sentence.

Example #2❖ Find the main idea:

Snapchat is already the app of choice for goofy selfies and videos of random dogs you see on the street. Now, with a brand-new feature, it'll also become the place to play around with emojis on video. TechCrunch reports that Snapchat has introduced 3D stickers, emoji-like icons that you can add to your video snaps.

Example #2❖ Find the main idea:

Snapchat is already the app of choice for goofy selfies and videos of random dogs you see on the street. Now, with a brand-new feature, it'll also become the place to play around with emojis on video. TechCrunch reports that Snapchat has introduced 3D stickers, emoji-like icons that you can add to your video snaps.

Main idea is IMPLIED that Snapchat added a new 3D emoji feature.

Too much information…❖ All of the sentences in a

paragraph should support the main idea of that paragraph.

❖ Information that does not support the main idea does not belong in the same paragraph.

What doesn’t belong?

Too much information…

❖ Find the sentence that does not support the main idea:Malik offered to help his mother

clean the house. He vacuumed the living room and dusted the furniture. Malik picked up the toys in the living room. He ate a ham sandwich for lunch. Then, he mopped the kitchen floor.

What doesn’t belong?

Too much information…

❖ Find the sentence that does not support the main idea:Malik offered to help his mother

clean the house. He vacuumed the living room and dusted the furniture. Malik picked up the toys in the living room. He ate a ham sandwich for lunch. Then, he mopped the kitchen floor.

What doesn’t belong?

Too much information…❖ Find the sentence that does not

support the main idea:Winter provides the opportunity

for many outdoor activities. Many people enjoy ice skating on a pond. Swimming in the pond in summer can also be fun. Skiing can be a thrilling experience too. After a new snowfall, you can even build a snowman.

What doesn’t belong?

Too much information…❖ Find the sentence that does not

support the main idea:Winter provides the opportunity

for many outdoor activities. Many people enjoy ice skating on a pond. Swimming in the pond in summer can also be fun. Skiing can be a thrilling experience too. After a new snowfall, you can even build a snowman.

What doesn’t belong?

Time to play the...UMBRELLA GAME!

* If your sentence is BOLD, it is a main idea. If it is not bold, it is a supporting detail.

Match your sentence to the other sentences in the same paragraph. When your group has found all the sentences

in your paragraph, grab the umbrella.

Too much information…

1. Read each text passage. 2. Create a title for each passage. 3. Clearly explain the main idea of the

paragraph in one sentence.

Practice

Too much information…

An appropriate title: _______________________

1. Before you put on that Angry Birds costume and exhaust yourself roving from door to door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on the tradition in which you are taking part. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts, so they celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bonfires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be candy fueled costume ball that we know today.

Main Idea: ____________________________

Practice #1

You should know the history of Halloween.

Origin of Halloween

Too much information…

An appropriate title: _______________________

2. When one hears the term "reality" applied to a television show, one might expect that the events portrayed occurred naturally or, at the least, were not scripted, but this is not always the case. Many reality shows occur in unreal environments, like rented mansions occupied by film crews. Such living environments do not reflect what most people understand to be "reality." Worse, there have been accusations that events not captured on film were later restaged by producers. Worse still, some involved in the production of "reality" television claim that the participants were urged to act out storylines premeditated by producers. With such accusations floating around, it's no wonder many people take reality TV to be about as real as the sitcom.

Main Idea: ____________________________

Practice #2

Reality television isn’t always real.

UN-Reality Television

Too much information…

An appropriate title: _______________________

3. It is estimated that over twenty million pounds of candy corn are sold in the US each year. Brach's, the top manufacturer, sells enough candy corn to circle the earth 4.25 times if each piece were laid end to end. That's a lot of candy corn, but that's nothing compared to Tootsie Roll production. Over 64 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day! But even Tootsie Rolls have got nothing on the candy industry's staple product, chocolate. Confectioners manufacture over twenty billion pounds of chocolate in the United States each year. Now that's a mouthful!

Main Idea: ____________________________

Practice #3

The United States produces a lot of candy.

American Sweet Tooth

Too much information…

An appropriate title: _______________________

4. Screech! When a driver pushes on the brake pedal, it initiates a process that causes the vehicle to stop in motion. You literally trust automotive braking systems with your life every time you get into a vehicle or cross at a busy intersection, but how does this process work? It begins when the pedal is pushed. At this moment brake fluid is released into the area where the breaking mechanisms are. As the fluid collects, this creates a leverage, which causes a friction to be applied. If the breaking system is functioning properly, this friction will create a force that will cause the wheels to stop and allow you to reach your destination safely.

Main Idea: ____________________________

Practice #4

A car’s breaking system is an important process.

Give Me a Break

Too much information…

An appropriate title: _______________________

5. There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but perhaps no stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few venomous mammals. Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs that incapacitates victims with excruciating pain. Stranger still, the platypus is the only mammal that uses electroreception. What this means is that the platypus uses its bill to sense the electricity produced by the muscular movements of its prey. The platypus neither sees, hears, nor smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through electroreception. Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young. The platypus is an odd creature indeed.

Main Idea: ____________________________

Practice #5

A platypus is a strange animal.

Platypus: Strange Mammal

Too much information…What is the main idea?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM4Xe6Dlp0Y

Too much information…

1. What is the main idea? 2. Does the speaker give good

supporting details? Why or why not?Write your answer on your Exit Ticket.

Exit Ticket

Too much information…

Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example you can take an interest test, do some research on your own about a career, try volunteer work in the field in which you are interested, or "job-shadow", in which you spend a day with a person who is working in a field that interests you. These are just a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career.

Write the main idea on your Exit Ticket.

Exit Ticket