Main Idea
What is the definition of Main Idea?
Main Idea is what the story is mostly about.
April By anonymous
Two little clouds one April day Went sailing across the sky. They went so fast that they bumped their heads, And both began to cry.
The big round sun came out and said, “Oh, never mind, my dears, I’ll send all my sunbeams down To dry your fallen tears.”
How many stanzas are in the poem April?
2
The tortoise and the hare were going to have a race. The hare knew he was faster than the tortoise. After the race had begun, the hare decided he was fast enough he could take a break and catch up to the tortoise later. The tortoise, even though he was slow, kept trying his hardest to win the race. When the hare tried to catch up and beat the tortoise it was too late. He had waited too long to try to win the race and the tortoise beat him.
What moral for this story?
Slow and steady wins the race. You do not need to rush. (Teachers have final say)
What is the definition of a noun?
Person, Place, Thing, or Idea
What does each letter in the RACE strategy stand for?
Restate the Question
Answer the Question
Cite your evidence
Explain your response
What is the Main Idea?
Many people throw out their garbage without thinking about where it ends up. Often it is dumped in the ocean and the animals in the ocean try to eat garbage. Often, they get sick or die. Turtles eat plastic bags. Fish and birds get tangled in soda can rings, and dolphins and seals choke on bottles.
Trash is dangerous to ocean animals.
NEW YORK CITY
New York City is like a jungle.
No, it is a jungle.
It’s always jumping with excitement.
Because of the noise, half the city is deaf.
Still, the city cares about its crazy customers.
Brands, light, cabs, style: it’s all there.
This city is great – always something to do.
“B E E P” “B E E E E P” get out of the way!
When I arrived in New York, I was ready for chaos-
Instead I found rhythm.
"Wait until you visit a place before you judge it,” is the author’s expression of?
The theme of the poem.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing everyday corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew.
What is the moral of this story?
Work now and play later.
"They took our children *and* the canned goods *and* pasta." -The Kings of Summer
And is an example of what?
Conjunction
What does the prefix semi- mean?
half
What is the Main Idea?
Jane was asked to write a poem. It would be in their class paper. Since April is “Keep America Beautiful” month, Jane wrote a poem about trash. She wanted people to stop throwing trash on the ground. Every day, she saw litter on the side of the road. She even saw bags of trash dumped into a stream near her house. She hated seeing all of it. She hoped her poem would get people excited about cleaning up. It inspired her!
Although trash is disgusting, it inspired Jane to try to get people to work together in cleaning it up by writing a poem about it
That guy is as nutty as a fruitcake. This is an example of...
Simile
What does it mean when the theme is implicit or implied?
The reader has to make an inference or educated guess about the theme.
"I have always depended *on* the kindness of strangers." -A Streetcar Named Desire
On is an example of what?
Preposition
What type of figurative language should not be taken for the literal meaning?
Idiom
What is the Main Idea?
A satellite is a spacecraft that orbits the Earth. Scientists use satellites to look at the universe. They use them to look into the oceans too. Spies use them to find secret information. We may use satellites to talk on the phone and we sometimes use them to watch T.V. Satellites are also used by G.P.S. receivers that tell us where we are located on the earth.
The story is about satellites.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
What kind of poem is this?
Sonnet
Consider the passage and theme.
Devin kept a low profile in school. He attended classes and talked with his friends in the hall, but few knew him well. He rarely raised his hand in class and never spoke out of turn. Even in band class, he refused to draw attention to himself. Though he had earned the honor of first-chair saxophone, he did not reveal his passion for his instrument to his classmates.
Then, sophomore year, Devin joined the marching band despite his fear of public scrutiny. The night of the first football game, his palms were sweating and his heart was racing as the band marched onto the field. But as soon as he began to play, his fears were forgotten, and through the glare of the lights he could see the crowd swaying and clapping to the music. Devin was completely at ease during his solo, and after the game a friend told him, "You were great! I didn't know you had it in you."
Theme One: It is important to take risks.
What other theme is addressed in the passage?
People can reveal themselves through their passions.
"Those who regretted their own actions, I would never *trample* over them." -Demon Slayer
Trample is an example of what?
Action Verb
Double Points,
What is the definition of conflict, and what are the 5 different kinds?
A problem that occurs in the story that must be resolved
Man vs Man
Man vs Self
Man vs Nature
Man vs Society
Man vs Supernatural
The art of making perfumes was important in Asia. That was where English and French soldiers found the sweet scents in the 1200s. They returned to England and France with the perfumes. Some soldiers even wore perfume into war. They thought it brought them good luck. In the 1500s, perfume was very popular in Europe. In France, Queen Catherine de Medici told her chemist to produce a fragrance for each flower in France. This was the start of a big business there. Even Napoleon had a perfumer. In the next centuries, many famous perfume companies were established.
When did the perfume industry begin in France?
At the time Catherine de Medici was queen
The moon played hide and seek with the clouds. This is an example of...
personification
Themes should be stated as:
A complete sentence with a universal truth about life.
"*Ohana* means family. Family means nobody gets left behind of forgotten." -Lilo & Stitch
Ohana is an example of what?
Noun
The Masai of East Africa raise cattle for a living. Very little grain is raised in the area, so the people depend on the cattle for food. Most people drink a gallon of milk a day, and beef is a popular meat. Cow's blood is also used as food. It doesn't spoil, it provides protein and minerals, and it can be taken from cows while traveling.
What is this passage about?
Cows provide food for the Masai.