Central Idea
What is central idea?
What are context clues?
What is a summary?
What is theme?
The moral or lesson of the story.
What "equation" did we learn to find central idea?
Subject + Author's position
What might "timid" mean giving the context provided in the following sentence? The kitten was timid at first, hiding under the couch whenever someone entered the room.
Shy, quiet
Fill in the blank and explain what this plot rule means: Only details that ________ the story forward should be included in a summary.
Propel. Only include details that help the story move forward.
What is the most important rule about writing a theme?
It must be universal, meaning that it can be applied to multiple stories.
What is the central idea of Frederick Douglass's Excerpt 1?
Slave do not know their birthday, age, or often their parents which is dehumanizing.
What might the word "arid" mean given the context provided in the following sentence? The arid desert stretched for miles, with hardly any plants or water in sight.
Dry or barren
Which detail would you not include in a summary of the following passage? Jason trained every day after school to get better at basketball. He practiced his shots, ran laps, and listened to his coach’s advice. His favorite snack after practice was a peanut butter sandwich. He won most improved at the end of the season.
Jason's favorite snack.
Write a theme for the following passage: Even though Mia failed her first piano recital, she kept practicing every day. A few months later, she performed again—this time with confidence and skill.
Hard work and persistence can lead to success.
What is the central idea of the following passage? Lena loves to help her neighbors. Every Saturday, she walks dogs for the people who can’t do it themselves. Sometimes, she also brings groceries to an elderly woman down the street. Lena says helping others makes her feel happy. Her neighbors are thankful for her kindness and often thank her with smiles and warm words.
Lena loves to help her neighbors and does kind things for them.
What might the word "famished" mean given the context provided in the following sentence? After hours of hiking, the campers were famished and quickly ate everything they had packed.
Starving, very hungry
Which detail would you not include while writing a summary of the following passage? Maya spent weeks preparing for the science fair. She carefully recorded her experiment results in a notebook and created colorful charts to show her findings. On the day of the fair, she wore her favorite blue sweater and brought homemade cookies to share with her classmates. She won first place in the science fair.
That she wore her favorite blue sweater and made cookies.
Write a theme for the following passage: Tyler noticed a new student sitting alone at lunch, so he invited him to join his group. Over time, they became close friends.
Kindness and inclusion can lead to meaningful friendships.
What is the central idea of the following paragraph? Many people think video games are just for fun, but they can also help players learn important skills. Some games teach strategy, problem-solving, and even teamwork. For example, in a game where players must build a city, they need to plan carefully and manage resources. Other games require players to work together to win, which can improve communication. While it's still important to limit screen time, video games can be more helpful than some people realize.
Video games can teach useful skills like problem-solving and teamwork.
What might the word "meticulous" mean given the context provided in the following sentence? She was so meticulous about her painting that she used a tiny brush to perfect every detail.
Showing great attention to detail
Write a two sentence summary for the following passage: Every winter, the Johnson family volunteers at the local animal shelter. They help by walking the dogs, cleaning cages, and making sure the animals are fed. The family also collects blankets and pet food from their neighbors to donate. They believe that taking care of animals is an important way to give back to the community.
The Johnson family volunteers for a local animal shelter every winter where they walk dogs, clean cages, and help feed animals. They also collect items to donate from their neighbors.
No, it's not a theme because it has a character's name in it which makes it not universal. A better theme would be: Good things come to those who are kind to others.