Main Ideas and Supporting Details Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository text GETTING STARTED LEARNING OBJECTIVES In this lesson, the student will determine the main idea of a text identify details that support the main idea of a text Tell students to think about why it is important to figure out a text s main idea and to find the supporting details Guide them to understand that knowing which details are most important can help them find out what a passage is about and learn more about a story or an article s main idea TAP STUDENTS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Tell students they will be working on a lesson about main ideas and details Review with students what a main idea and supporting detail is (A main idea is what an article or story is mostly about A supporting detail is a piece of information that tells more about a story or an article s main idea) Then ask students about the difference between main ideas and detail statements (A main idea tells what the whole story or paragraph is all about A detail just tells one piece of information about the main idea) Ask students to consider that not every detail in a passage is important to understand the main idea of the passage Part of understanding a passage s main idea is distinguishing which details best support it from details that do not support the main idea or are unimportant to the outcome of the story To illustrate this point, write the following sentences on the board: Last week, James learned how to knit He learned from his teacher He knitted a scarf for his mom The scarf was red Ask students to identify the sentence that states the main idea ( Last week, James learned how to knit ) Next, ask students to name two details that support the main idea (He learned from his teacher and he knitted a scarf for his mom) Finally, ask students to identify the detail among the sentences that is unimportant to the main idea (The color of the scarf does not matter to the main idea) Using the Interactive Whiteboard You can project each lesson page on the IWB to enhance instruction Here are some general suggestions for each part of the lesson Introduction: Use the highlighter tool to draw attention to each vocabulary word Modeled Instruction: As you guide students through the process of answering the question that follows the reading passage, have them use the pen tool to fill in missing text or to follow directions for circling and underlining text Guided Practice: Encourage students to use the IWB tools to highlight, circle, or underline key words and details that will help them answer the questions that follow the reading passage 1
Introduction Read and discuss the introduction on page 1 with students to familiarize them with finding the main idea and supporting details in a passage Identify a story and a nonfiction text that the class has recently read and enjoyed With student help, identify each passage s main idea and supporting details Then, use the passages as examples as you discuss the points below You may wish to use an overhead projector or interactive whiteboard (IWB) to display the passages In addition, you may want to encourage students to identify the main idea and supporting details in various passages in their own books Main Idea Does the author tell you the main idea? In the article, does the author say what the passage is mostly about? In the story, does the author tell you the big thing or things that happen? Tell students that authors of nonfiction texts often organize their writing by stating a main idea at the beginning of a paragraph or section and then providing details to support it In fiction texts, the main idea includes the main parts of the plot, or the story s big events Details Why did the author put these details in the passage? What do the details tell you more about? Explain that details come in different shapes and sizes Some details are things that happened in a story Other details are facts in an article When an author includes many facts, he or she is usually supporting an idea about a topic Order of Events Which events happened first? Which happened next? Which happened last? Tell students that some details tell about the order of events in a story or article Explain that being able to put the events in order can help readers better understand how one event leads to the next Main Ideas and Supporting Details Introduction In this lesson, you will learn how to find the main idea of a passage The main idea is what an article or story is mostly about You will also learn about details Supporting details tell more about a passage s main idea Imagine you tell a friend, I just a read a story about a robot who saves the world Guess what? You ve just told your friend the story s main idea All passages have a main idea and details The main idea is the big idea of the passage The details are the smaller ideas that support the big idea Some details in stories tell you what happens For example, a boy takes his kite to the park That is a detail Other details tell you what things look like, where things happen, and who does what You can also look at the details to figure out which events happen first, next, and last Many details in articles are facts Facts are bits of information California is called the Golden State That s a fact Look at these charts to help you think about details in fiction and nonfiction The chart on the left shows supporting details for an article The chart on the right shows supporting details for a story Sharks are dangerous (nonfiction main idea) Lisa wins a contest (fiction main idea) Supporting Details Supporting Details They are hunters She makes a painting They can swim very fast She enters it into a contest They are hard to see in water The judge says that she is the winner 1 Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository text 2
Modeled Instruction Read the story on page 2 with students and guide them as they answer the comprehension question that follows Before the Reading Modeled Instruction Read this story Then fill in the blanks to answer the question below The Deck Tell students they are going to read a story about a girl and her father Encourage students to pay close attention to the main idea of the story Tell them to look for details and events that support the main idea During Reading Read the story aloud with students or have them read it silently Remind students that they are looking for the main idea and most important details in the story After Reading Read the question that follows the story Guide students through the process used to answer the question Pause as students follow directions and fill in missing information Then discuss each response Next, direct students to answer the related Try It question Read the question aloud with students Then have students, individually or in pairs, write the answer Last, discuss the answer as a class Using the Interactive Whiteboard Draw the graphic organizer below on the IWB Then ask students to help you classify details from the passage as supporting details or unimportant details Supporting Details Unimportant Details 1 Every Saturday, Sara helps her dad One week, she carried a bag of groceries from the car Another week, Dad was washing windows Sara gladly helped But this week was different This week, her dad was building a deck 2 Sara s dad used a saw to cut long boards Sara was afraid of the electric saw Dad also loudly drilled holes But Sara was afraid of the electric drill Then Sara s dad gave her a small hammer He pounded a nail to show her how Then Sara did it It worked! This is going to be the best deck! she said proudly What is this story mostly about? Circle the title of the story Look for details in the story that tell about the title 1 This Saturday, Sara s dad is building a deck 2 In paragraph 2, Sara helps her dad by pounding nails with a hammer 3 The main action in the story is that Sara and her dad work together to build a deck ANSWER: This story is mostly about how Sara helps her dad build a deck TRY IT Reread the story to answer the question What detail from the story shows that Sara is happy to help her dad build a deck? Responses will vary 2 3
Modeled Instruction Read the passage on page 3 with students and guide them as they answer the comprehension question that follows Modeled Instruction Read this passage Then follow the instructions to answer the question below Before the Reading Tell students they are going to read a passage about walking Encourage students to pay close attention to the passage s main idea and important details Walking for Exercise Walking is very good for you Walking for 30 minutes every day will help keep you healthy Walking makes your heart strong It helps keep you at a healthy weight Walking can also help you sleep better Did you know that walking can even help make you happy? Walk for 30 minutes a day it is a healthy idea! During Reading Read the passage aloud with students or have them read it silently Remind students that a passage s main idea is what the passage as a whole is mainly about, and that details from the passage only address a portion of the passage Which sentence from the passage tells the main idea of this passage? A Walking is very good for you B Walking makes your heart strong C It helps keep you at a healthy weight D Walking can also help you sleep better After Reading Read the question that follows the passage Guide students through the process used to answer the question Pause as students follow directions and fill in missing information Then discuss each response Next, direct students to answer the related Try It question Read the question aloud with students Then have students, individually or in pairs, write the answer Last, discuss the answer as a class Using the Interactive Whiteboard Using the pen tool, draw a web graphic organizer on the IWB, with one circle in the middle and two or three circles extending out from the middle Ask students to call out the main idea of the passage they just read Write this in the middle circle Then ask students to call out details from the passage that support the main idea Write these details in the extended circles Which sentence from the passage tells the main idea of this passage? Remember that the main idea tells what a passage is mostly about You are looking for the choice that covers the big idea of the passage Underline three details in the passage that support the big idea Now find the sentence that tells what the passage is mostly about Circle it ANSWER: The main idea of the passage is walking is very good for you TRY IT Reread the passage to answer the question According to the passage, how often, and for how long, should you walk? Responses will vary 3 4
Guided Practice Have each student read the article on page 4 Then have them answer the three multiple-choice questions on page 5 and provide supporting details Guided Practice Think About It Read the article Use each Think About It to guide your reading Before Reading Point out the Think About It questions next to the passage Explain to students that these questions will help them better understand what the article is mostly about TIP: Point out the proper names in the passage: Walt Whitman, Andrew Jackson, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and New York Tell students that these are the names of people and places in the passage Read each aloud, and have students repeat it Briefly explain each name and place Read the title first It helps you learn about the important ideas in a passage Who is the article about? What are you learning about this person? Walt Whitman: Poet of America 1 Walt Whitman is an important person in American history He was born in New York in 1819 He had six brothers Three of them were named for American presidents (Those presidents were Andrew Jackson, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson) But it was young Walt, not his brothers, who became an important American 2 Walt was not a president He was a poet In 1855, he wrote a book of poems called Leaves of Grass The poems were not like most other poems at the time They were long, and they didn t always rhyme 3 Leaves of Grass was about the many different places in America, from the mountains to the plains It was about the many different people in America, too, from the farmers to the shopkeepers It was about being yourself Leaves of Grass was about being American During Reading Have students read the article independently, using the Think About It questions to guide their reading After Reading Have students answer the multiple-choice questions that follow the article Make sure students understand that they should provide details from the selection to support their answers Point out the Hints There is one for each question Tell students that the hints provide clues that will help them respond to the questions Remind students to look back at the passage for supporting details For the Pair/Share activity, have students discuss their answers with a partner Encourage students to share the details from the passage that they used to support their answers Follow up with a whole-class discussion of answers and supporting details What happened in America while Walt was alive? 4 Walt lived during a hard time for America During the Civil War, the North fought the South Walt worked as a nurse in an Army hospital, but he still kept writing He helped sick and wounded soldiers write letters to their loved ones Walt also wrote a poem to honor President Abraham Lincoln He added this and other poems to Leaves of Grass 5 Walt died in 1892 By then, the Civil War was over America was one country again And the most American of its poets was the New Yorker Walt Whitman 4 5
Guided Practice ANSWERS AND SUPPORTING DETAILS FOR DISCUSSION With the class, discuss each answer, the supporting details, and the reasons that those details support the answer Guided Practice 1 Supporting Details: The first sentence in the paragraph states the main idea of the paragraph, and even of the passage as a whole Each of the other sentences from the paragraph states a detail about Walt Whitman s life 2 Supporting Details: Paragraph 2 is mostly about how Walt Whitman s poetry differed from that of other poets The facts that his poems were very long and didn t always rhyme support that main idea The fact that Walt Whitman was not a president is a transition sentence and unimportant to the main idea of the paragraph 3 Supporting Details: The main idea of paragraph 4 is that Walt Whitman kept writing, even during the war Since the paragraph is about Walt Whitman, not the war, the statement that the Civil War was a hard time for America is not the main idea of the paragraph Mini-Lesson: On the board or interactive whiteboard, draw a web graphic organizer 1 Have students read a short passage about a person s life, a news event, or a historical period Project the passage if you are using an IWB 2 Guide students as they fill in the web Have them write the main idea in the middle circle of the web and fill in the outer circles with details that support the main idea 3 If a detail is unimportant to the main idea, ask Does this detail support the main idea? or Is this detail important to the story? Hints Look at the first paragraph Which sentence gives the most important information? Look at the second paragraph What is it mostly about? Look at the fourth paragraph Then read the answer choices again Which choices are only details? PAIR SHARE With your partner, share and discuss your answers and supporting details Use the Hints to answer the questions below Circle the correct answers and provide supporting details from the passage 1 Which of the following sentences from paragraph 1 states the main idea? A Walt Whitman is an important person in American history B He had six brothers C Three of them were named for American presidents D Those presidents were Andrew Jackson, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson Supporting Details: Responses will vary 2 What is the main idea of paragraph 2? A The poems in Leaves of Grass didn t always rhyme B Walt Whitman was not a president C The poems in Leaves of Grass were very long D Walt Whitman was a different kind of poet Supporting Details: Responses will vary 3 What is the main idea of paragraph 4? A Walt Whitman was a nurse during the Civil War B The Civil War was a hard time for America C Walt Whitman kept writing, even during the Civil War D During the Civil War, the North fought the South Supporting Details: Responses will vary 5 To assign students more practice on this topic, please visit the Queue tab in i-ready 6