Main Idea
What is the main or central idea of a story?
What is an inference in reading?
- a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning
- an educated guess supported by evidence and details
What is theme?
The hidden message, or moral, of a story
What does past tense indicate in a sentence?
The action has already occurred
You should read the story slowly and carefully and highlight important details that you should not forget!
How can background knowledge/reasoning help you make inferences?
How can you identify the theme of a passage or story?
2. Identify the main idea
3. Ask yourself questions: "What is the author trying to say?" "Why did the author write this story this way?"
Correct the verb tense from present to past:
I love spaghetti until my bratty brother changed my plate for a plate of worms! Yuck!
What is the main idea of the following passage:
Jill Fairgrass is at the top of her class. She has always been a straight-A student, she is polite and hard-working, and she is on the Academic Team. We all thought that on career day, Jill would dress up like a doctor, lawyer, or teacher, but instead she dressed up like a cashier! We couldn't believe it!
Jill Fairgrass is a very smart student. Her classmates were surprised that she did not want to be a doctor or teacher, and instead chose to be a cashier.
Why were Jill's friends surprised that she wanted to be a cashier, instead of a doctor, lawyer, or teacher?
Jill Fairgrass is at the top of her class. She has always been a straight-A student, she is polite and hard-working, and she is on the Academic Team. We all thought that on career day, Jill would dress up like a doctor, lawyer, or teacher, but instead she dressed up like a cashier! We couldn't believe it!
Jill is very smart, so they expected her to pick a difficult career that you must go to college for. You do not have to go to college to be a cashier.
Provide an example of a theme of a well-known story or movie that you like!
answers will vary
What is the difference between present tense, past tense, and future tense?
Past = already happened
Future = is going to happen
Supporting details are evidence.
Why is making inferences an important skill?
We use this skill everyday!
- Riddles/jokes
- Guessing games
- Confusing situations
- Reading
What is the theme of the following passage?
Jill Fairgrass is at the top of her class. She has always been a straight-A student, she is polite and hard-working, and she is on the Academic Team. We all thought that on career day, Jill would dress up like a doctor, lawyer, or teacher, but instead she dressed up like a cashier! We couldn't believe it!
Jared and Kacey were making fun of Jill for her career day costume. They would say things like, "I told you she's not as smart as everyone thinks!" and "I bet she cheats on all her assignments, that's why she has such good grades." Little did they know that Jill's grandma worked as a cashier at the local grocery store. Jill's grandma raised her since she was six, after her parents died in a car accident. Jill looked up to her grandma for being so brave, loving, and strong. She hated her career day costume and felt embarrassed. She decided she would not try so hard in school anymore, so that she could be like her grandma and no one would make fun of her for it.
Bullying
Kindness
Your actions and words have consequences.
Correct the verb tense of the following sentence:
I had fun tomorrow at the swimming pool with my family!
I will have fun tomorrow at the swimming pool with my family!
What is the central idea of this poem?
"The poor live on low ground waiting for the river
to rise one night and sweep them out to sea.
I’ve seen small cradles floating by, the wrecks
of house, chairs, and a great rage of ash—
pale water draining terror from the sky:
this is all yours, poor man, for your wife and crop,
dog and tools, for you to learn to beg.
No water climbs to the homes of gentlemen
whose snowy collars flutter on the line.
It feeds on this rolling mire, these ruins winding
their idle course to the sea with your dead,
among roughcut tables and the luckless trees
that bob and tumble turning up bare root."
The central idea is about a flood and its destruction.
Explain why authors sometimes don't explicitly state everything in a story, leaving readers to make inferences.
- To challenge readers
- To make reading more interesting
- To make the message more effective
How can different readers interpret the theme of a text in various ways?
- Often more than 1 theme
- People notice different details
Last night, I have a volleyball game. We will win by 8 points! Addy was the leading scorer. Our coach will be so proud of us!
Last night, I had a volleyball game. We won by 8 points! Addy was the leading scorer. Our coach was so proud of us!