main idea and thememsrogerssfms.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/6/3/10632943/... · example: in the story...
TRANSCRIPT
Main Idea
10/30/2013
How do I determine the main idea of a reading passage?
Think about the last movie you watched…
Did you get a chance to tell someone what the movie is about?
Take a moment and jot down what the movie is about.
You just gave the main idea of the movie.
10/30/2013
Main Idea
Main Idea-what something is mostly about
What would be the main idea of “The Three Little Pigs?”
10/30/2013
Tip 1: Both fiction and
nonfiction passages have main
ideas
Fiction main idea- what happens in the story (fiction- a made-up story)
Example: In the story “The Tortoise and the Hare,” the main idea is “The tortoise beats the hare in a race.”
10/30/2013
Tip 1: Continued
Nonfiction main idea- the main point that the author wants the reader to know
Example: In an article about horses in Kentucky, the main idea might be “Kentucky is a great place to raise horses.”
10/30/2013
Tip 2: As soon as you finish
reading, tell yourself what
the passage is mostly about
Main ideas are not always stated directly
Most of the time, you’ll have to put them in your own words.
10/30/2013
“The King and the Shirt” a fable by Leo Tolstoy adapted by J.M. Watson
Read the story at your desk.
As you read, think about how you would answer the question “What is the main idea of the story?”
10/30/2013
Let’s practice Tips #1 and #2:
In your notes, write one to two sentences that answer the following question:
What is the main idea of the story “The King and the Shirt”?
10/30/2013
When taking a reading test, you will almost always see a question about main idea.
Then look for the answer that is the closest to the statement that you made about main idea.
10/30/2013
Tip 3: Think about the main
idea with everything you read
What is “The King and the Shirt” mostly about?
A. A king's son offers to buy a man's shirt.
B. A royal physician cannot cure his king.
C. A great king lies in bed mysteriously ill.
D. An ill king's men search for a happy man.
10/30/2013
Let’s practice Tip #3
Let’s practice Tip # 3
What is “The King and the Shirt” mostly about?
A. A king's son offers to buy a man's shirt.
B. A royal physician cannot cure his king.
C. A great king lies in bed mysteriously ill.
D. An ill king's men search for a happy man.
10/30/2013
Tip 4: Don't mistake a detail
for a main idea.
Detail- a small part of the larger, whole passage.
Examples:
The king's stallion is black.
The happy man lives in a tiny hut.
**Test questions about main idea usually include answer choices that are just details from the passage. 10/30/2013
Tip 4: Continued
Which of the answers are just details from the story?
A. A king's son offers to buy a man's shirt.
B. A royal physician cannot cure his king.
C. A great king lies in bed mysteriously ill.
D. An ill king's men search for a happy man.
10/30/2013
Tip 4: Continued
Which of the answers are just details from the story?
A. A king's son offers to buy a man's shirt.
B. A royal physician cannot cure his king.
C. A great king lies in bed mysteriously ill.
D. An ill king's men search for a happy man.
10/30/2013
Tip 5: Test questions about
the title are questions about
the main idea.
You may see questions such as, “Why was the passage given this title?” or “What would be another good title for this passage?”
These are main idea questions in disguise.
A good title gives you clues about the main idea.
10/30/2013
Tip 6: Summarize what the
author says.
Summarize -- coming up with a shorter, simpler restatement of what you've read.
Write a summary of the main idea of paragraph 5.
Be careful not to include details such as the king's “aching head” or “eyes fogged with fever.”
10/30/2013
Tip 6: Continued Keeping paragraph five and the summary
that you just wrote in mind, answer the following question:
What is the main idea of paragraph five?
A. The king is so sick that he falls asleep.
B. The king has a headache and a fever.
C. The king agrees with his advisor's idea.
D. The king can barely see who has spoken.
10/30/2013
Tip 6: Continued Keeping paragraph five and the summary
that you just wrote in mind, answer the following question:
What is the main idea of paragraph five?
A. The king is so sick that he falls asleep.
B. The king has a headache and a fever.
C. The king agrees with his advisor's idea.
D. The king can barely see who has spoken.
10/30/2013
Theme
10/30/2013
How do I determine the theme of a reading passage?
Tip 7: As you read, think about
the theme of the passage.
Theme is the lesson or message that the writer wants to get across in his or her story.
Themes usually relate to life or the way the world works.
10/30/2013
To find the theme, ask yourself: What lesson did the main character in the story learn or fail to learn?
Theme questions may be worded these ways:
What is the theme of the passage?
What is the moral of this story?
What lesson is the author trying to teach?
10/30/2013
Common themes:
Too much pride can destroy a person
Crime does not pay
Don’t judge people until you have seen life from their point of view
It is better to tell the truth than to lie
10/30/2013
Let’s Practice Tip # 7 Which sentence best states the theme of
“The King and the Shirt”?
A. Planning ahead can save a lot of work later.
B. True friends are with you even in the worst times.
C. The things you own can never make you happy.
D. Stay loyal to those people who are loyal to you.
10/30/2013
Let’s Practice Tip # 7 Which sentence best states the theme of
“The King and the Shirt”?
A. Planning ahead can save a lot of work later.
B. True friends are with you even in the worst times.
C. The things you own can never make you happy.
D. Stay loyal to those people who are loyal to you.
10/30/2013
Summing Up: Fiction and non-fiction passages have
main ideas.
As soon as you finish reading, tell yourself what the passage is mostly about.
Find the answer choice that is closest to your statement of the main idea.
10/30/2013
Don’t mistake a detail for a main idea.
Test questions about the title are questions about the main idea.
Summarize what the author says.
Think about the theme of the passage.
10/30/2013
The End!!
10/30/2013