Main Idea Mania
The central point the author wants to communicate
What is main idea?
A fact, example, or piece of information that explains or proves the main idea.
What is a suporting detail?
3 types of expository structure
What are "Sequence/Process, Compare/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Chronological, Problem/Solution, or Fact/Opinion"?
Elements like headings, captions, or charts that help readers understand or locate information in a text are called...
What are text features?
The information, facts, or examples that support a claim or main idea.
What is evidence?
Identify the main idea of this paragraph:
"Every morning, students are encouraged to eat breakfast at school. Research shows that students who eat breakfast focus better in class and perform better on tests."
What is "Eating breakfast at school helps students focus and do better academically"?
Give one example of a detail that supports this main idea:
"Dogs make great pets because they are loyal and friendly."
What is "Dogs are loyal," or, "Dogs are friendly"?
Identify the structure in this paragraph:
"First, gather your ingredients. Next, mix the dry ingredients. Finally, bake the mixture for 30 minutes."
What is "Sequence/Process"?
Two examples of text features are...
Any two of the following:
What are headings, captions, charts, graphs, bolded text, bullet points?
2 types of evidence
Any two of the following:
What are statistics, expert quotes, examples, research findings?
One can quickly find the main idea by...
What is "Look at the first and last sentences, repeated ideas, and what the paragraph mostly talks about"?
Facts can be proven true or false; opinions are beliefs or feelings that cannot be proven.
How do facts differ from opinions?
When an author wants to show similarities and differences between two or more things, which helps the reader understand them better, he/she might use...
What is the compare and contrast text structure?
Explain how captions help readers.
What is by explaining images or diagrams, helping the reader understand the information being shown?
The reason authors use statistics...
What is to provide factual, numerical support that strengthens their argument or claim?
The main idea is important because...
What is "It helps readers understand the author’s purpose and what the text is mostly about"?
Identify 2 supporting details in this passage:
"Recycling helps the environment by reducing waste and saving energy. Communities that recycle regularly produce less landfill trash."
What are "Recycling reduces waste," and, "Recycling saves energy"?
Find 2 signal words for cause/effect:
"Because the storm caused flooding, many streets were closed."
What are because and caused?
Analyze how a chart supports understanding in this passage:
"A chart shows the number of students participating in different sports: 50 in soccer, 30 in basketball, and 20 in swimming."
What is "The chart visually displays the numbers, making it easier to compare participation across sports"?
Identify evidence in this short passage:
"According to a 2023 study, students who exercise for 30 minutes a day improve their focus by 25%."
What is "30 minutes of exercise improves focus by 25%"? (statistic from the study)
Which sentence BEST states the main idea:
Paragraph:
"Many communities are expanding their public parks. New playgrounds are being built, walking trails are being repaired, and city leaders are planning more outdoor spaces so families can spend time together and stay active."
Options:
A. Walking trails are being repaired.
B. Public parks are being expanded for families.
C. New playgrounds are being built in some areas.
D. City leaders want to add more outdoor spaces.
What is "B. Public parks are being expanded for families"?
Which TWO details from the list below would BEST support the main idea,
"School gardens help students learn important skills"?
Options (select 2):
A. Students water and measure plant growth weekly.
B. Some students prefer to eat lunch inside.
C. Gardening teaches responsibility and patience.
D. Gardens require at least 6 hours of sunlight.
E. Students visit the garden only during summer.
What are "A. Students water and measure plant growth weekly, and, "C. Gardening teaches responsibility and patience"?
A paragraph explains how video games can improve hand–eye coordination and then explains how they can also cause sleep loss.
The text structure being used is...
Look at the list of text features below. Which ONE would be most helpful for a reader who wants to quickly locate information about climate change effects in a long article?
A. Glossary
B. Sidebar
C. Table of Contents
D. Caption
E. Timeline
What is "C. Table of Contents"?
A student claims that “reading every day improves vocabulary.”
Which piece of evidence BEST supports the claim?
A. “My cousin reads every night before bed.”
B. “Reading is one of my favorite hobbies.”
C. “Studies show daily reading increases vocabulary growth by 15% per year.”
D. “Some students do not like nonfiction books.”
What is "C. Studies show daily reading increases vocabulary growth by 15% per year"?