Identify Main Idea

Shift the focus from identifying and summarizing the main idea to organizing this information in meaningful ways. Use graphic organizers to assist in this work.

• Example. What is the most important of BLANK.

Young people need to be able to grasp the meaning of nonfiction resources through recalling, summarizing, and explaining.

Key words: arranges, classify, converts, defines, describes, duplicates ,estimates, explains, extends, gives examples, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states, paraphrases, rewrites, report, review, summarizes, translates.

Focus on topics related to the social studies, science, math, or art curriculum.

Provide scaffolding to help students with organizing their main ideas. Inspiration and Kidspiration provide lots of templates to get students started.

Main Idea and Book Covers

Elementary. After reading a book, ask students to design their own book cover.

• Standards
  • English Standards 2.2.5. Restate facts and details or summarize the main idea in the text to clarify and organize ideas. (Core Standard)
    
• Activity
  • Discuss why a particular image might be used for a cover.
  • Ask students to select a photograph or draw a picture that represents the main idea in a scientific discovery or historical event.
  • Ask them to explain why they think it represents the main idea and why it should be used on the cover of a book on this topic. How is yours like and unlike the original cover. Why is the new cover different or better for a particular audience?
• Resources
  • Read What is Sculpture? (Google Limited Preview) by Louise Spilsbury
  • Read Mother Nature Designer (Google Limited Preview) by Louise Spilsbury
  • Read Self Portrait (Google Limited Preview) by Louise Spilsbury

Elementary After reading a nonfiction website, create a book cover and table of contents.

• Standards
  • English Standards 3.2.5. Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository (informational) text. (Core Standard)
    
  • English Standards 4.2.9. Recognize main ideas and supporting details presented in expository (informational texts). (Core Standard)
• Activity
  • We’re going to turn the most important elements of this website into a book.
  • Your job is to create the book cover and table of contents that focus on the main idea and supporting details of your reading.
• Resource
  • Go to Water. Create a concept map showing the main ideas and supporting details related to water conservation.

Scientists and Main Idea

Use resources related to science to help young people identify the main idea in their reading.

Standards

• English Standard 5.2.3. Recognize main ideas presented in texts, identifying and assessing evidence that supports those ideas. (Core Standard)
• English Standard 6.2.3. Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to multiple sources and related topics. (Core Standard)
• Science Standard 5.1.3. Explain that doing science involves many different kinds of work and engages men, women, and children of all ages and backgrounds.
• Science Standard 5.1.5. Explain that technology extends the ability of people to make positive and/or negative changes in the world.
• Science Standard 5.1.6. Explain how the solution to one problem, such as the use of pesticides in agriculture or the use of dumps for waste disposal, may create other problems.
• Science Standard 6.1.2. Give examples of different ways scientists investigate natural phenomena and identify processes all scientists use, such as collection of relevant evidence, the use of logical reasoning, and the application of imagination in devising hypotheses and explanations, in order to make sense of the evidence.
• Science Standard 6.1.4. Give examples of employers who hire scientists, such as colleges and universities, businesses and industries, hospitals and many government agencies.
• Science Standard 6.1.5. Identify places where scientists work, including offices, classrooms, laboratories, farms, factories, and natural field settings ranging from space to the ocean floor.
• Science Standard 7.1.5. Identify some important contributions to the advancement of science, mathematics, and technology that have been made by different kinds of people, in different cultures, at different times.
• Science Standard 7.1.7. Explain how engineers, architects, and others who engage in design and technology use scientific knowledge to solve practical problems.

Focus on Book Covers: Examining book covers is a great way to help young people understand "main idea."

• Activity
• Examine book covers (Click the image on the right for a larger view to examine) .
• Barnes and Noble contains great enlarged images that are easy to copy. Go to a book page and click on the book cover such as Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Then, right-click to copy a larger version. Create a document with lots of book covers. Ask students to copy the cover they want to use and create their own document.

Focus on Science Tradebooks. Create a student starter such as Scientists in the Field Series (PPT). Use the Scientist Empty (PPT) document. Use the Trash project (PPT) as an example.

Focus on Scientists: You can find many places that contain multiple biographies and articles.

• Activity:
  • Read 1 book and 2 websites.
  • Look for varied resources: different readings, different presentation styles, and varied media such as photos, audio, or video
  • Compare versions.
  • Identify main contribution.
• Resources
  • Marie Curie: Version 1, Version 2,
  • Albert Einstein: Version 1, Version 2
  • Werner Heisenberg: Version 1, Version 2
  • Ernest O. Lawrence: Version 1, Version 2
  • Andrei Sakharov: Version 1, Version 2
  • More Options: History of Physics, Nobel Prize Winners

Science Concepts and Main Idea

• Standards
  • English Standard 5.2.3. Recognize main ideas presented in texts, identifying and assessing evidence that supports those ideas. (Core Standard)
  • Science Standard 5.3.6. Demonstrate that things on or near the Earth are pulled toward it by the Earth's gravity.
  • Science Standard 5.3.13. Demonstrate that the Earth's gravity pulls any object toward it without touching it.
• Activity
  • Identify the main idea in a science article.
  • Provide evidence
• Resource
  • Go to Gravity: Our Place in Space from Oology. Is gravity real? What's your evidence?

Clarify Main Idea

• Standards
  • English Standard 5.2.3. Recognize main ideas presented in texts, identifying and assessing evidence that supports those ideas. (Core Standard)
  • English Standard 6.2.3. Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to multiple sources and related topics. (Core Standard)
• Activity
  1. Create an e-worksheet (BigIdea Word Doc) to start the exploration.
  2. Start your notes in one color for one source. Each source should be in a different color.
  3. When you find another source that provides evidence to support your note, change it to purple.
  4. Begin with the “Big Idea” web page. Then, find two another source.
  5. List your sources at the bottom of the page.
• Resources
  • Archaeology
  • Astronomy
  • Biodiversity
  • Earth
  • Genetics
  • Marine Biology
  • Paleontology
  • Water

History and Main Idea

• Standard
  • English Standard 8.2.4. Compare the original text to a summary to determine whether the summary accurately describes the main ideas, includes important details, and conveys the underlying meaning.
• Activity
  • Compare America's Founding Documents to illustrated versions such as picture books.
  • How well do they convey the main idea?
• Resource
• The Constitution of the United States of America by United States, Welcome Enterprises, Incorporated, Sam Fink
• The Declaration of Independence (Google Limited Preview) by United States, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Fink
• Sam Fink from Scholastic
• We the Kids by David Catrow