Summaries + Main Ideas
What is a main idea?
A main idea is the most important thought from a passage that gives the gist of what it's talking about.
You can use context clues!
What does it mean to compare and contrast two things?
Compare means to find what's the same between the things, and contrast means to find what's different between the things.
What is the theme of a passage?
A theme is the message or lesson to be learned from the passage.
What are the four points of view we studied?
first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, third person objective
If I'm reading Holes by Louis Sachar and I've finished chapters 1 through 4, what is the way I should summarize my reading that we've been doing in class?
You can make a summary timeline with one summary for each chapter.
How do we make an inference?
We use details and clues in the passage to make a conclusion or prediction about something not directly stated in the text.
What two things make up a setting?
a place and a time
Use context clues:
We have rather LOFTY expectations for you, son. You will attend college. You will become rich and famous. You will be elected president of the United States before you turn forty.
Which word is a synonym of “lofty”?
a. high
b. shaky
c. small
d. lowly
a. high
What is the same and what is different between third person limited, third person omniscient, and third person objective?
All have a narrator who is NOT a character in the story. Limited shows us the thoughts of ONE character, omniscient shows us the thoughts of ALL characters, and objective shows us the thoughts of NONE of the characters.
The rain began early in the morning. It fell as hard drops, one after another. The sky was full of dark purple clouds. Thunder began as a soft rumble and became louder and louder. Lightning crashed every few minutes, making the sky a brilliant white.
What is the main idea? Circle the correct answer.
A. The farms needed the rain.
B. The thunder hurt the people’s ears.
C. Lightning made the sky bright.
D. The storm was very strong.
D. The storm was very strong.
What are the types of context clues? (For example, if I'm trying to figure out the meaning of a word, what kinds of things would I look for in the surrounding text?)
You can look for definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and examples.
Are the following two different settings?
New York City in 1850
New York City in 2019
Yes, they are in different time periods!
What is the theme of the passage?
In his sophomore year of high school, Michael Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the coach believed that Jordan was too short to play at that level, so Jordan was cut from the team. Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat him. In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He trained vigorously and grew another four inches the following summer. When he finally made the varsity squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history.
If you have a dream or a goal, work hard consistently to make it happen!
What point of view is this passage?
Jenny woke up quickly, her alarm clock buzzing loudly. She was worried that she was going to be late to school, so she quickly got dressed and ran downstairs. Her parents always made her breakfast before she went to school, but the kitchen was strangely empty. Jenny felt confused, wondering where everyone was. She checked the calendar on her phone. It was a Saturday!
third person limited
Hurricanes are large storms. They begin over the ocean. They gather heat and energy from the water. Hurricanes move slowly to land as they grow stronger. Hurricanes are dangerous because of their size. They are also dangerous because of high winds and big waves. Hurricanes can bring flooding, power outages, and tornadoes.
What is the main idea of the passage?
a. Hurricanes are summer storms.
b. Hurricanes are one type of storm.
c. Hurricanes are large, dangerous storms.
d. Hurricanes are just like tornadoes and floods.
c. Hurricanes are large, dangerous storms.
Use context clues:
The news story was based on a letter that was a FABRICATION. Now the reporter who wrote the story is in big trouble. Will anyone believe him again?
A fabrication is __________.
a. made of cloth
b. full of long words
c. funny
d. fake
d. fake
Compare (3 things) and contrast (3 things) the following items:
computers and books
Compare: have information, have stories, used in school
Contrast: computers are interactive, computers need electricity, books are printed
Use context clues:
Sunshine said, “Amber, why are you making such a big deal about Robert’s hair? Yes, he did dye it purple. It is rather unusual for a guy to have purple hair. On the other hand, it’s not exactly going to change the course of world history. It’s really quite a TRIVIAL matter.”
What does “trivial” mean?
a. strange
b. unimportant
c. disgusting
d. dangerous
b. unimportant
What point of view is this passage?
It was a sunny morning at school and Elijah walked into class. He was wearing his brand-new glasses, and he hoped that his friends would think that they were just as cool as he thought they were! Elijah sat down next to Miguel and Destiny, waiting for them to notice. "Nice glasses!" Miguel exclaimed when he saw Elijah. "Looking good!" Destiny assured him. Elijah smiled, knowing it was going to be a good day.
third person limited
One way to stay healthy is to exercise. Exercise helps you feel better, lose weight, and grow stronger. Taking a walk is a form of exercise. It helps you go outside and get fresh air. Playing a sport is another form of exercise. This is a fun way to be active. Taking classes at a gym is a way to be healthy and fit. There are many types of exercise you can do to improve your health.
What is the main idea of the passage?
a. Choose a fun way to exercise.
b. There are many types of exercise.
c. If you are not happy, exercise will fix it.
d. There are many ways to make yourself feel better
b. There are many types of exercise.
Use context clues:
Cristina walked into the ice cream store, excited to try the MYRIAD flavors available. There was chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, rocky road, strawberry, and even lavender-flavored ice cream! There were almost too many options to choose from!
Which word is a synonym of “myriad”?
a. simple
b. countless
c. tasty
d. fun
b. countless
Mark was afraid of heights, and he wasn’t too sure‐footed. But he was unable to resist a dare, which was how he had found himself here – in really big trouble! Afraid to look either up or down, he felt above his head for the next branch, but there was nothing. He felt around for his next foothold, but everything felt to weak and flimsy. He had to be near the top. There was nowhere else to go. Reluctantly, his heart pounding, and his lunch threatening to come back up, Mark opened his eyes and looked down to see Adam – the size of an ant – waving at him. Was that the thumb’s up? He was so high up, Mark couldn’t be sure.
What's the setting?
A tree
Use context clues:
If your plan fails, we’ll have to find someone who can DEVISE a better one.
"Devise" means
a. design
b. dislike
c. appliance
d. ruin
a. design
What point of view is this passage?
Computer science is the study of computers and how to create software for them. This includes learning how to write code in a programming language. There are a lot of resources online to learn how to code. When students get to college, they can choose to major in computer science. Jobs for computer science pay very well: the average salary for a computer scientist (or software engineer, as they're called) can range from $88,000 to $151,000 per year!
third person objective