I’m working on comprehension!
My strategy is Use Main Idea and Supporting Details to Determine Importance
Secret to Success
When constructing the main idea of a piece of text, the reader may start with a topic they think the selection is about and then add one detail to support it. When we determine the main idea, we always support our claim with evidence from the text.
What you can say or model
Many students shy away from the main idea because they confuse it with theme or topic. We find that when students understand these terms, we are on the right path to understanding main idea:
The topic is the subject, or what the text is about.
The main idea is the most important idea about the topic and is expressed as a sentence or two. When we identify the main idea, it is usually in a sentence; if we say just a word, we are probably referring only to the topic.
A theme is the big idea from the text. This is often an idea or lesson the author wants the reader to know from reading the text.
Supporting details are bits of information that are used to verify and support the main idea.
Language we use:
Adapted from The Café Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (2009)
My strategy is Use Main Idea and Supporting Details to Determine Importance
Secret to Success
When constructing the main idea of a piece of text, the reader may start with a topic they think the selection is about and then add one detail to support it. When we determine the main idea, we always support our claim with evidence from the text.
What you can say or model
Many students shy away from the main idea because they confuse it with theme or topic. We find that when students understand these terms, we are on the right path to understanding main idea:
The topic is the subject, or what the text is about.
The main idea is the most important idea about the topic and is expressed as a sentence or two. When we identify the main idea, it is usually in a sentence; if we say just a word, we are probably referring only to the topic.
A theme is the big idea from the text. This is often an idea or lesson the author wants the reader to know from reading the text.
Supporting details are bits of information that are used to verify and support the main idea.
Language we use:
- “In a few words, what is this selection about?”
- “What would you say is the most important idea about this topic?”
- “Did you find the main idea stated in the passage or did you have to infer it?
Adapted from The Café Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser (2009)