Finding Main Idea
Main idea strategies
Supporting Details
100
Tommy ran down the street chasing his dog. “Bobby! Bobby!” he yelled. He knew he should have checked the gate before letting Bobby into the back yard. His mother has told him a hundred times. How had he forgotten? If he had closed it, Bobby would still be in the back yard. What is the main idea?
Tommy forgot to close the gate.
100
Name a strategy to help you find main idea.
Ask yourself: What is discussed throughout the whole selection? What subject spreads across the whole text?
100
What should the supporting details all have in common?
They all relate and directly support the main idea.
200
Tim and his family went fishing today. They stopped on the way to the lake and bought all of their favorite snacks. When they got to the lake, they ate and then started fishing. Tim caught four fish, and his brother caught three. They laughed and gave each other a high-five every time they caught a fish. The whole family had a great time. Maybe they would go fishing again soon. What is the main idea?
The family had a great time.
200
Why must you pay close attention to details?
Because not every detail is related to the main idea.
200
How do you find the main idea using the supporting details?
Find what point or topic they all add up to.
300
It is estimated that over twenty million pounds of candy corn are sold in the US each year. Brach’s, the top manufacturer, sells enough candy corn to circle th e earth 4.25 times if each piece were laid end to end. That’s a lot of candy corn, but that’s nothing compared to Tootsie Roll production. Over 64 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day! But even Tootsie Rolls have got nothing on the candy industry’s staple product, chocolate. Confectioners manufacture over twenty billion pounds of chocolate in the United States each year. What is the main idea?
The united states manufactures millions of sweets every year.
300
in what part of the passage are you most likely to find the main idea?
Most main ideas are stated or suggested early on in a reading. Pay close attention to the first third of any passage, article, or chapter. That’s where you are likely to get the best statement or clearest expression of the main idea.
300
What question(s) should you ask yourself while reading to determine the supporting details?
Are all the details related to the topic? How do they relate? What pattern do they create?
400
There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but perhaps no stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few venomous mamma ls. Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs that incapacitates victims with excruciating pa in. Stranger still, the platypus is the only mammal that uses electroreception. What this means is that the platypus us es its bill to sense the electricity produced by the muscular movements of its prey. Th e platypus neither sees, hears, nor smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through electroreception. Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal that lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young. The platypus is an odd creature indeed. What is the main idea?
The platypus is a very strange animal.
400
Why should you look at captions, pictures and subheadings?
They usually all have some kind relation to the main topic of the passage.
400
How do the supporting details relate to the main idea
The supporting details give the main idea a list of facts to fall back on if questioned.
500
A penny for your thoughts? If it’s a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars. In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for World War II, so the 1943 copper penny is ultra-rare. Another rarity is the 1955 double die penny. These pennies were mistakenly double stamped, so they have overlapping dates and letters. If it’s not been circulated, it’d easily fetch $25,000 at an auction. Now that’s a pretty penny. What is the main idea?
Pennies from 1943 and 1955 are extremely rare and valuable.
500
What should the main idea take into consideration?
The main idea must take into consideration all the major points of the passage, if it doesn't than it is not the overall central idea.
500
How do you know if a detail is not a supporting one?
If it doesn't help develop the idea of the passage or can be removed without affecting the overall passage.
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