Main Idea
What is the main idea?
What the passage is mostly about.
What is theme?
A theme is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative. Theme can be very obvious and clearly stated, or hidden.
What is textual evidence?
Word for word, direct quote evidence.
A word that can exist on its own, or have prefixes and suffixes attach in order to create new or different meanings.
What is a root word?
What is an objective summary?
a. A brief explanation of the main points of most of the text (without spoiling the ending); it should contain some opinions and bias
b. A brief explanation of the main points of the entire text; it should not contain any opinions or bias
c. A brief explanation of the main points of most of the text (without spoiling the ending); it should not contain any opinions and bias
d. A brief explanation of the main points of the entire text; it should contain some opinions and bias
c. A brief explanation of the main points of most of the text (without spoiling the ending); it should not contain any opinions and bias
What is the main idea of these items?
water, juice, tea, soda
Drinks.
TRUE OR FALSE:
Main idea and theme are the exact same thing.
FALSE.
They're so different. Incredibly different. They're two different categories on this review for a reason.
How do you cite text evidence in your response?
Acceptable answers: Quotations marks, page numbers, using the author's name.
Indirectly influenced the English language, we owe the “alphabet” to them.
What is "Greek"?
Which sentence is an example of an objective summary?
a. Mortimer is a witty writer who adds humor to history.
b. It must have been horrible to live in Elizabethan times.
c. Quality health care today is wonderful, but overpriced.
d. Modern medicine has changed dramatically since the 1500s.
D. Modern medicine has changed dramatically since the 1500s.
All other options contained some sort of opinion, making it subjective.
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers. They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go. Mrs. Jones works nights. She bakes cakes, cookies, and pies. Mrs. Brown works in the daytime. She bakes bread and rolls. Both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are very good bakers.
What is the main idea?
Correct answer: Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers
Which of the following statements might be the theme of a piece of literature?
a. Natural beauty
b. I stood alone in a field of daisies.
c. Observing nature can change how you view the world.
d. The flowers were pretty.
c. Observing nature can change how you view the world.
a. In the text, it states...
More directly influenced the English language, used for the educated classes in Europe for centuries.
What is "Latin"?
Another thing that should NOT be included in an objective summary:
a. Small details about the text
b. The title of the text
c. What happens in the middle of the text
d. Basic facts about the text
a. Small details about the text
Remember that you only want to include the necessary details!
Jon makes a basket.
Read this stanza from a poem by Emily Dickinson. Which statement best communicates the theme?
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all, . . .
a. Hope has feathers.
b. Tunes don't need to have words.
c. Hope is what keeps people going.
d. Hope is this same thing as love.
c. Hope is what keeps people going.
What is a good way to start your concluding sentence?
a. This shows that
b. So, this means
c. Because of this
d. I feel
a. This shows that
un-, in-, im-, il-, ir- and dis- all have the same technical meaning, with some variations. What are these called?
What are "prefixes"?
Which sentence is the most objective (the least biased or opinionated)?
a. "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by N*SYNC from their album No Strings Attached, and most people seem to like it.
b. "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by N*SYNC from their album No Strings Attached, and it is SO good.
c. "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by N*SYNC from their album No Strings Attached, and it was released in the year 2000.
d. "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by N*SYNC from my favorite album of theirs, No Strings Attached, and it was released in the year 2000.
c. "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by N*SYNC from their album No Strings Attached, and it was released in the year 2000.
All other options contained bias or personal opinions.
The author enjoys spending time with their family.
[Open-Ended] Read this poem, and identify the theme.
The petals drop one by one—
from the fragile daisy.
The shriveled, yellowing pieces of flower
blow away, leaving behind a bare stem.
I have to remember to live, to enjoy each petal of my life,
to share and grow and bask
in the sun's sweet light.
Acceptable answers: life is short, so enjoy every day. You only live once, don't waste a moment, etc.
Unacceptable answers: something about actual flowers...it's one big metaphor, c'mon y'all....
[Open Response]
What does this text evidence show about Poe's narrator in the Tell-Tale Heart?
"True! Nervous — very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! And observe how healthily — how calmly I can tell you the whole story."
Acceptable answers:
Narrator's madness and/or unreliability
Open-ended:
Write down a word, with its meaning, that uses the prefix "sub-"
Acceptable answers:
Submarine, subconscious, submerge, substitute
On your white boards, take 1min30 seconds to write down the answer to this question:
If someone were to write an objective summary about Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart," what would they need to include?
Answers include:
- unreliable narrator
- description of the plot (beginning, middle & end)
- theme of murder, guilt or madness