Transcript of Main Idea Chapter 3, part 1 Finding the Main Idea in the paragraph Identifying the Topic Sentence.
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- Main Idea Chapter 3, part 1 Finding the Main Idea in the
paragraph Identifying the Topic Sentence
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- Due Next Class Main Idea Lab and Supporting Details Lab
Selection 12 Sections A and B Test next class, Chapters 1, 2, and 3
Bring your text book, Reading Across the Disciplines Bring a Green
Scantron and #2 pencil for the test.
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- The Roof Try to see the main idea as a roof. It should be big
enough to include everything in the reading passage. But it
shouldnt be too big for the text.
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- Finding the Main Idea Finding the Main Idea You are on your way
to your Reading class, and your friend asks you about the movie you
saw last night. Your friend doesn't have time to hear about the
whole two hours of the movie, but you can tell you friend in a few
sentences what the movie is about.
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- If you can re-tell a movie in a few sentences, you can find the
main idea in a story that you have read. The main idea is simply
what the story is all about.
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- What is the Main idea? It is the authors main point of the
paragraph. It is a general statement supported by most of the other
information in the paragraph. It is a complete sentence. It is a
statement, not a question All the other sentences in the paragraph
are supporting details that tell us more about the main idea.
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- Whats it all About? The answer to this question is the main
idea. The Main idea refers to what a paragraph or an article is
about. "Main" means what is important, or key, the heart of the
matter. "Idea" means the thought, the thesis or the topic.
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- General Versus Specific The main idea is a general one. The
supporting ideas in the passage are specific ones. Which word is
the most general: Potato or Vegetable?
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- What about the topic Sentence? The topic sentence is the
general subject of a reading passage. To find the topic sentence,
just ask yourself: Who or what is this passage about? The topic can
be expressed in a word or a phrase within a sentence. WHO?
WHAT?
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- The Topic Sentence Many paragraphs have topic sentences that
indicate what they are about. Find the topic sentence in this
paragraph: Homeless people have many problems. In winter, its hard
to stay warm and it gets too hot in summer. Its also hard to keep
things safe without a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.
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- Lets try another one Find the topic sentence or main idea of
this paragraph.
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- Get the Point? Read this short paragraph: Engineers create
wealth for society. So, tennis is a game and the resources of the
earth are scarce. Have you gone mad? Thus the only solution is to
educate the public on being socially responsible.
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- Get the Point? We would go crazy if texts were written like
this all the time. It was difficult to understand because it was
made of different ideas that did not link. There was no common
thread. The good news is that normal passages have main ideas!
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- Finding the Main Idea In English paragraphs, the Main Idea will
most likely be found in one of these five places: in the first
sentence in the last sentence in the middle of the paragraph in two
sentences of the paragraph not stated in the paragraph directly
(implied)
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- Despite the hatred that most people feel toward cockroaches,
they do help humans in several ways. For example, they are perfect
experimental animals and are used for scientific research in the
laboratory. Breeding them is easy, for they thrive under almost any
conditions. In studies on nutrition and food, cockroaches are good
subjects because they will eat any kind of food. They can be used
to study heart disease, and cancer researchers work with roaches
because they grow cancerous tumors like those that are found in
humans.
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- About 300 million years ago, long before dinosaurs ruled the
earth, the cockroach already had been here for a long time. We can
only guess at why it has not become extinct, but the physical
assets of the cockroach provide a major reason for its survival.
The cockroach's body is very flat, allowing it to slip into tiny
cracks and crevices, and its six strong running legs give it
unmatched powers of escape. Two small feelers detect movements and
changes in air currents, thus warning the insect of approaching
danger. The cockroach's two large eyes are made up of hundreds of
tiny, separate eyes which are very good for seeing movements - an
ability that helps a roach escape its enemies.
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- Making a study schedule is one important step in becoming a
successful student in college. Students should schedule one hour of
study time for every one hour of class time. At exam time, more
study time may be necessary. Also, students must study in an
appropriate place. It is important to study in a quiet place away
from the distraction of other people and such things as the
television and the radio. Students should find a comfortable place
with plenty of space for all the necessary study supplies. Then,
students need to study the information in small amounts. It is a
good idea to learn the required concepts slowly and thoroughly
instead of trying to learn everything on the evening before the
exam. Students who want to be successful in college should remember
these three helpful study strategies.
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- Television can be an excellent teacher for everyone from very
young children to the oldest of viewers. Television entertains
young children with sights and songs. Television provides company
for older viewers who are stuck at home with no one to talk to. New
immigrants can learn English just by turning on the television. All
viewers can keep informed on the latest events around the world by
watching the news. While there are many great things about
television, there are also many bad things. Over time, television
shows have begun to show more and more violence, death and murder.
The bad language and profanity on some shows make them unsuitable
for families. The number of shows which deal with sex outside of
marriage also shocks many viewers. And these terrible scenes are
sometimes copied by young, impressionable viewers.
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- But what if The main idea is not stated directly. You cant find
one sentence that best tells about the entire paragraph. You have
lots of details but nothing that ties them together. Then you have
an IMPLIED MAIN IDEA.
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- Every game from the latest multimedia games to old favorites
like cards and chess can be played on home computers. Home
computers are used to balance family finances, to complete banking
transactions, and even to do the grocery shopping. Those computers
which are equipped with a modem allow users to go "online" to
"chat" with others -- that is, people can have a conversation on
the computer about anything from being in love to getting medical
advice. And of course students use home computers to type up school
reports, to research their papers for classes and even to do the
calculations for math homework.
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- The word imply means to suggest the idea is not stated clearly.
When the main idea is not stated clearly, the reader must figure
out the main idea by considering the supporting details.
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- First, find the topic. Ask: Who or what is the selection about?
After finding the topic, ask: What is the authors main point about
the topic? (This means to infer, or figure out on your own, the
authors unstated main idea.)
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- Next, test your inference. Ask: Does all or most of the
material in the paragraph support this idea? If your answer is no,
then make other inferences, testing each until you find what
inference most of the material in the paragraph supports. Finally,
write the implied main idea in your own words.
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- SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity
unimportant. I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long
walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping
and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire.
Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. I'll be
at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what
nature gave me. Call (404) 875- 6420 and ask for Daisy, I'll be
waiting....
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- This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is
reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal. Over 15,000
men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society...
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- Answering Questions about the main idea You can now determine
where the Main Idea is located within a paragraph. Once you can
identify where the main idea is, you can move on to the next step
-- showing that you understand what the main idea is, or telling
what the paragraph or article is about. If you can talk or write
about the main idea, then it is clear that you have understood what
you have read.
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- There are usually two types of main idea questions: 1. Multiple
Choice Questions: You are given four or five choices and must
choose the best main idea statement. First identify the sentence
that best states the main idea. Then choose the statement from the
answer choices that is closest in meaning to the sentence that you
think is the main idea.
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- 2. Writing questions: you are asked to write a sentence to
state the main idea in your own words. This question asks you to
state the main idea in "your own sentence." This means that you
cannot copy a sentence that has already been written by someone
else, including a sentence from the paragraph.
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- A main idea sentence has two parts, usually called the topic
and the controlling idea. If you like math, think of it as an
equation: MIS = T + CI
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- Use the hints below to determine the correct main idea of this
paragraph. After reading a paragraph ask, "What point is the author
making in this passage?" Ask the following questions: Who - Does
this passage discuss a person or group of people? When - Does the
information contain a reference to time? Where - Does the text name
a place? Why - Do you find a reason or explanation for something
that happened? How - Does this information indicate a method or a
theory?
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- If you are able to summarize the information in the passage in
your own words, you have absorbed the correct main idea. To
accomplish this goal, try the steps listed below after reading a
short section of your textbook. Write a short summary in your own
words about what you have read. Does your summary agree with this
general topic? Does your summary contain the same ideas being
expressed by the author? Could you write a headline (or textbook
subheading) that would express your summary in less than five
words?
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- It is important to find main ideas when reading. Main ideas
help readers remember important information. The main idea of a
paragraph tells the topic of the paragraph. The topic tells what
all or most of the sentences are about. The other sentences in the
paragraph are called details. Details describe or explain the main
idea.
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- Supporting Details Activity Take about 5 minutes. Take out a
piece of paper Write a detailed set of directions to get from your
house to the school. Start at your driveway. When you are finished,
I will ask for volunteers to share their directions.
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- Pets are often an important part of peoples lives. Different
types of animals can be pets, ranging from reptiles to horses. One
of the most common pets is a dog. Dogs serve a variety of purposes
for humankind. One way dogs serve humans is they are great just for
companionship. Many an only child has bonded with his/her Fido,
thus having a willing and loyal friend to play with on a daily
basis. Additionally, dogs have served humans as work animals,
corralling sheep, conquering rats, and guarding the homestead.
Finally, dogs also assist people, for example, by leading the
blind, alerting the deaf, and alerting epileptics of impending
seizures.
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- The Main Idea Because the whole paragraph is telling us about
the variety of purposes dog serve for humankind, thats the main
idea! Now examine the rest of the paragraph: One way dogs serve
humans is they are great just for companionship. Many an only child
has bonded with his/her Fido, thus having a willing and loyal
friend to play with on a daily basis. Additionally, dogs have
served humans as work animals, corralling sheep, conquering rats,
and guarding the homestead. Finally, dogs also assist people, for
example, by leading the blind, alerting the deaf, and alerting
epileptics of impending seizures.
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- You probably noticed that the rest of the paragraph gave us
specific information about the variety of purposes dogs serve for
humankind. Those sentences are called supporting details because
the support (or prove) the main idea. Now lets analyze this
paragraphin other words, lets look at how this paragraph is
organized.
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- Main Idea: Dogs serve a variety of purposes for humankind. 1.
One way dogs serve humans is they are great just for companionship.
2. Additionally, dogs have served humans as work animals, 3. Dogs
also assist people,
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- Lets look at this organization another way: Main Idea Dogs
serve a variety of purposes for humankind Maj. SD. 1 Maj. SD 2 Maj.
SD3 One way dogs Additionally, Dogs also assist Serve humans is
dogs have people They are great served humans For companionship as
work animals
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- You probably noticed that the main idea is supported by three
(3) points. Those three points are called major supporting details
because they are the major details that support or prove the main
idea.
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- But is that all thats necessary for a good paragraph? -- just a
main idea and two or three major supporting details? Lets see how
this would look as a paragraph: Dogs serve a variety of purposes
for humankind. One way dogs serve humans is they are great just for
companionship. Additionally, dogs have served humans as work
animals. Finally, dogs also assist people. Hows that for a
paragraph! Kinda short, huh? Its well-organized, but it needs
something more.
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- What this paragraph needs is something called minor supporting
details. Remember the major supporting details? One way dogs serve
humans is they are great just for companionship. Additionally, dogs
have served humans as work animals. Dogs also assist people. Well,
each of these supporting details needs more explanation
and/examples.
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- Watch how major and minor supporting details make up the parts
of a paragraph. If I said to you, Hey, dogs serve a variety of
purposes for humankind, and then I walked away, youd be left with
some questions, like well, what are these purposes? The major
supporting details answer this question. Me: Dogs serve a variety
of purposes for humankind. You: Well, what are these purposes? Me:
They are great for companionship, they serve as work animals, and
they assist people.
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- Now you might ask the question, How? How are they great for
companionship, how do they serve as work animals, and how do they
assist people? The minor supporting details answer these questions:
MAJOR SD 1 One way dogs serve humans is they are great just for
companionship. Minor SD Many an only child has bonded with his/her
Fido, thus having a willing and loyal friend to play with on a
daily basis. MAJOR SD 2 Additionally, dogs have served humans as
work animals, Minor SD corralling sheep, Minor SD conquering rats,
and Minor SD guarding the homestead. MAJOR SD 3 Finally, dogs also
assist people, for example, by Minor SD leading the blind, Minor SD
alerting the deaf, and Minor SD alerting epileptics of impending
seizures.
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- Lets look at the layout again : Main Idea Dogs serve a variety
of purposes for humankind Maj. SD. 1 Maj. SD 2 Maj. SD3 One way
dogs Additionally, Dogs also Serve humans is dogs have assist
people They are great served humans For companionship as work
animals Minor SD Minor SD Minor SD Only child corral sheep lead the
blind conquer rats alert the deaf guard homestead alert for
seizures
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- Supporting Details consist of the additional information the
author provides so readers can understand the main idea completely.
The function of details is to support (explain, illustrate, prove)
the information in the main idea sentence.
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- Details consists of specific information such as examples,
explanations, descriptions, proof, and statistics. Note that
examples are always details.
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- Main Idea Detail This format is similar to an outline where the
lesser important details begin further to the right, more important
details begin to the left. Visuals can help you see how a paragraph
is arranged to support the main idea.
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- Supporting Detail Main Idea
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- Webs can be helpful when you organize your details. detail
Detail detail
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- Details are like supporting walls: Without them the main idea
roof falls. Main Idea Supporting Details
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- There are other clues that can help you identify supporting
details: Clue #1: Details often appear in a bulleted, numbered, or
lettered list. Clue #2: After the first detail, other details are
introduced by words and phrases such as In addition, also,
moreover, another, next, then, last, finally, etc. Clue #3: The
main idea sentence itself often gives you a clue about the number
or type of supporting details. Watch for clues such as four
reasons, two kinds, six types, certain ways, three categories, etc.
Clues to identify details
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- Details are the info authors supply So youll understand the big
Idea. Details prove, explain, or illustrate What the main idea
states.
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- Main ideas are general; details are specific. Examples are
always details. When taking notes, Number the details in textbook
paragraphs; do not underline or highlight them. (Youll mark
everything!) Main things to remember
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- When you take notes from your textbooks on separate paper,
--list the details on separate lines. --shorten or paraphrase the
details. (Both of these will make it easier for you to learn and
remember the material.) Things to remember continued
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- Transition Words Transition Words Chapter 3 Part 4
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- To improve your reading and writing you need to make sure that
the ideas, both in sentences and paragraphs, stick together or have
coherence and that the gap between ideas is bridged smoothly. One
way to do this is by using transitions - words or phrases or
techniques that help bring two ideas together. Transitional words
and phrases represent one way of gaining coherence. Certain words
help continue an idea, indicate a shift of though or contrast, or
sum up a conclusion. Check the following list of words to find
those that will pull your sentences and paragraphs together.
Transition Words
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- Pets are often an important part of peoples lives. Different
types of animals can be pets, ranging from reptiles to horses. One
of the most common pets is a dog. Dogs serve a variety of purposes
for humankind. One way dogs serve humans is they are great just for
companionship. Many an only child has bonded with his/her Fido,
thus having a willing and loyal friend to play with on a daily
basis. Additionally, dogs have served humans as work animals,
corralling sheep, conquering rats, and guarding the homestead.
Finally, dogs also assist people, for example, by leading the
blind, alerting the deaf, and alerting epileptics of impending
seizures.
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- consequently clearly, then furthermore additionally and in
addition moreover because besides that in the same way following
this further also pursuing this further in the light of the... it
is easy to see that For continuing a common line of reasoning:
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- however on the other hand but yet nevertheless on the contrary
To change the line of reasoning (contrast):
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- admittedly assuredly certainly granted no doubt nobody denies
obviously of course to be sure true undoubtedly unquestionably
generally speaking in general at this level in this situation For
opening a paragraph initially or for general use:
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- finally lastly For the final points of a paragraph or
essay:
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- first... second... third... generally... furthermore... finally
in the first place... also... lastly in the first place... pursuing
this further... finally to be sure... additionally... lastly in the
first place... just in the same way... finally basically...
similarly... as well Transitional chains, to use in separating
sections of a paragraph which is arranged chronologically:
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- therefore this hence in final analysis in conclusion in final
consideration indeed To signal conclusion:
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- in other words point in fact specifically To restate a point
within a paragraph in another way or in a more exacting way:
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- after afterwards as soon as at first at last before before long
finally first... second... third in the first place in the meantime
later meanwhile next soon then Sequence or time
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