Grade 5 Unit 3 Week 2

Skill/Strategy: Main Idea/SummarizingEssential Questions: How does identifying the most essential information in a text help me to find the main idea? How do I use processes, events and/or major points to summarize non-fiction text as a whole?

Review: The main idea is the most important idea about a topic. Details are small pieces of information that tell more about the main idea. The main can sometimes be found in the beginning, middle, or end of a section. Other times, it is not stated and readers must put it in their own words. Summarizing can help you find the main idea of a selection. Writing a summary can help your organize the information.

Reading Street, Grade 5, Unit 3, p. 288

Part A: Reread (or preview) p. 291, They Called it the Renaissance. (Read it to students.) Post the questions below (out of order). Ask students to decide which question is answered by each paragraph as you read it. Then, model how to turn the first question into a Main Idea statement. Ask students to turn the subsequent questions into Main Idea statements. As a group, gather the Main Idea statements together to write a summary.

When were the Middle Ages?

What caused the change from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?

What occupations were important during the Renaissance?

Why did people fight during the Renaissance?

Part B: Practice finding the topic and creating a main idea sentence using the attached passages. Emphasize that the topic is just a word or two, while the main idea is a whole sentence. Demonstrate with the first two passages. Emphasize eliminating unimportant details and combining details into one sentence.

3. Steel is

important metal used for cars used for buildings used to make cans used to make machines

(sample) Steel is an important metal that is used to make cars, machines and buildings.

4. The cactus is/has

in the desert

thick skin to keep water in

many different kinds

sometimes 50 feet tall

(sample) The cactus is a desert plant with thick skin that helps it store water.

5. Pirates

attacked and robbed ships were mostly active from 1550-1850 had a black flag with skull and crossbones on

their ships stole treasure but rarely hurt people

(sample) Pirates from 1550-1850 attacked ships for

6. Acorns

come from oak trees are the seed for new oak trees do not always become trees need good soil, sun and water

(sample) Acorns come from oak trees and grow into new oak trees if they have the right soil, sun, and

treasure, but did not usually hurt people. water.

Part C: Remind students that the main idea makes an important point about the topic and has at least one supporting detail.

Turn to the page number listed. Then, choose the details that support the main idea. You may have more than one answer for each main idea. Cross out the details that do NOT support the main idea. (note that I could not color in the correct ones, but they are the ones that are not crossed out.) If time, ask students to create a main idea statement by combining the main idea with one of the supporting details.

1. (page 297) Leonardo was different.o He wrote backwards.o He liked to ask questions. (Redirect to the text to show why this one is not a supporting detail.) o He was born on April 15, 1452.o He did not eat meat.

2. (p. 300-301) Leonardo wanted to make the best horse he could.o He visited the stables to study horses.o He juggled and told riddles.o He visited statues of horses.o He measured horses and drew pictures of different parts of horses.o He took charge of entertainment at the palace.

3. (p. 304) The clay horse was ruined.o Leonardo was beginning a new project.o The metal was needed to build a canon.o The French archers shot many arrows into the clay horse.o The rain turned the clay into a pile of mud.

4. (p. 306 ) Leonardo was so disappointed that he never got to build his bronze horse.o He still wanted to build a flying machine.o He thought he did not do anything great because he did not build his horse.o Michelangelo, his rival, made fun of him.o His beard grew very long. o He was depressed.

Part A – Building Main Idea Statements

When were the Middle Ages?

What caused the change from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance?

What occupations were important during the Renaissance?

Why did people fight during the Renaissance?

Part B – Main Idea Sample Passages

EXAMPLE 1

1. A very important food for a large number of people is bread. Bread is made from many different kinds of grains. Americans eat bread mostly made from wheat. Bread is important to us because it is a good source of energy.

What is the topic? ____________________

What is the passage telling you about the topic?

(topic) ____________ is…

Bread is made from different grains.

Bread is important because it gives us energy.

Can you combine these into one sentence?

Bread is made of from different grains, and it gives you energy.

EXAMPLE 2

2. Fruits are important in our diet because of the vitamins and minerals they contain. Fruits are eaten in a number of ways. Fruits can be eaten fresh, canned, frozen, or dried. Fruits are made into jellies and jams. Fruit juices can be canned or frozen.

What is the topic? _____________________

What is the passage telling you about the topic?

(topic) ______________ are…

Which sentence says the same thing with fewer words?

Fruits can be eaten fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and as jellies, jams, or juice.

Fruits can be eaten in many ways.

This gives us 2 important details about the topic:

Fruits contain important vitamins and minerals.

Fruits can be eaten in many ways.

Combine these into one sentence.

o Fruits contain important vitamins and minerals, and they can be eaten in many ways.

Part B – Main Idea Passages

3. Steel is a very important metal which is used for many things. In the United States, the automobile industry uses the most steel. Steel is used in putting up buildings. Cans and containers are made from steel. Steel is used to make farm and factory machines.

What is the topic? ___________________

What does the passage tell you about the topic?

(topic) __________ is

o

o

o

o

o

Cross out 1 fact that is not as important. Put the rest of the details together into one sentence:

4. One of the most welcome sights in the desert is the cactus. The cactus is a plant that can store large amounts of water. It has a thick, tough skin to keep the water in. There are many kinds of cacti. Some grow as tall as 50 feet.

What is the topic? __________________

What does the passage tell you about the topic?

(topic) _________________ is/has

o

o

o

o

Cross out 2 facts that are not as important. Put the last 2 details together into one sentence.

4. Pirates were robbers who attacked and robbed ships. There are still a few pirates in the world today, but most pirates lived between 1550 and 1850. Many pirate ships flew a black flag with a skill and crossbones on it. Pirates were interested in treasure and rarely hurt anyone.

What is the topic? ________________

What does the passage tell you about the topic?

(topic) ______________

o

o

o

o

Cross out a fact that is not as important. Then put the other details together in a sentence.

5. Every fall, each oak tree drops a great quantity of acorns. Acorns are the seeds for new oak trees. Not all acorns become oak trees. Actually, only a few are lucky enough to grow into trees. These lucky acorns find good soil and the right amount of sun and water.

What is the topic? _______________

What does the passage tell you about the topic?

(topic) ________________

o

o

o

o

Cross out a fact that is not as important. Then put the other details together in a sentence.

Name ___________________________________ Date ________________________________ Part C – Main Idea and Supporting Detail

Turn to the page number listed. Then, choose the details that support the main idea. You may have more than one answer for each main idea. Cross out the details that do NOT support the main idea.

1. (page 297) Leonardo was different.

o He wrote backwards.

o He liked to ask questions.

o He was born on April 15, 1452.

o He did not eat meat.

2. (p. 300-301) Leonardo wanted to make the best horse he could.

o He visited the stables to study horses.

o He juggled and told riddles.

o He visited statues of horses.

o He measured horses and drew pictures of different parts of horses.

o He took charge of entertainment at the palace.

3. (p. 304) The clay horse was ruined.

o Leonardo was beginning a new project.

o The metal was needed to build a canon.

o The French archers shot many arrows into the clay horse.

o The rain turned the clay into a pile of mud.

4. (p. 306 ) Leonardo was so disappointed that he never got to build his bronze horse.

o He still wanted to build a flying machine.

o He thought he did not do anything great because he did not build his horse.

o Michelangelo, his rival, made fun of him.

o His beard grew very long.

o He was depressed.

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