2. • Textbook chapters, articles, paragraphs,
sentences, or passages all have topics and
main ideas.
Reading
Text
The main idea is Supporting details support
the "key concept" the main idea by telling
being expressed. how, what, when or
where.
3. Main Ideas and Supporting Details in
Paragraph
A paragraph is a group of related sentences
about a single topic:
MAIN IDEA: the point that the whole
paragraph makes
DETAILS: the sentences that explain the main
idea
4. Paragraph
Main Idea: The
Topic: Subject of point of the whole
the whole paragraph
paragraph
Details: Transitions: Other
Sentences that words and phrases
explains main to connect the
idea ideas
5. General vs. Specific
The main idea in a paragraph is a general idea.
In contrast, the supporting details in a
paragraph is made up of specific ideas and
details.
Supporting details make the main idea
stronger since it develop and support the
main idea with specific information.
6. Try this:
identify the general word in each group.
jealousy hatred
emotion worry Biology
Physics
Science
Chemistry
Football
Reading Interest
Baking Travelling
7. Identify main ideas and supporting details:
General ideas: broad ideas that apply to a
large number of individual items
Specific ideas or terms: more detailed or
particular; referring to an individual item
8. People differ in numerous ways. They
differ according to physical
characteristics, such as height, weight,
and hair color. They also differ in
personality. Some people are friendly
and easygoing. Others are more
reserved and formal.
Where is the main idea?
(most general statement)
9. Nutrition is the process of taking in and using
food for growth, repair, and maintenance of
the body. The science of nutrition is the study
of foods and how the body uses them. Many
North Americans define nutrition as eating a
healthful diet. But what is healthful? Our
food choices may be influenced by fads,
advertising, or convenience. We may reflect
on the meaning of nutrition while pushing a
cart down a supermarket aisle, or while
making a selection from a restaurant menu.
10. Looking for the Main Idea
• Locate the Topic--person, place, object, idea
• Locate the Most General Sentence--the topic
sentence
◦ Topic Sentence First (usually)
◦ Topic Sentence Last (second in frequency)
◦ Topic Sentence in the Middle
◦ Topic Sentence First and Last (last = emphasis)
• Study the Details—all the sentences in a paragraph
must relate/support/explain the main idea.
12. The Statue of Liberty is visited by
thousands of people every year. The
Statue of Liberty is a 151 foot statue of
woman holding a book and a torch. It
was a gift of friendship from the people
of France. It has become the universal
symbol for freedom.
Where is the main idea?
14. Types of Supporting Details
Examples, Illustrations
Facts and Statistics
Reasons
Incident
Descriptive Details
Steps or Procedures
Comparison or Contrast
15. where are the supporting details?
The Erie channel changed the way people
moved goods in the 1800’s. The 363 mile
canal connected Albany, New York to Lake
Erie in Buffalo for the first time. When the
Canal opened in 1825, building supplies and
goods could be transported quickly and
cheaply across New York State. Canal boats
pulled by mules carried people and supplies
across New York.
16. Main Idea: Lake Erie changed the way people
moved goods.
So, the supporting details are:
• 1-The 363 mile canal connected Albany and
New York for the first time.
• 2-The canal boats pulled by mules carried
people and supplies across New York State.
• 3-The canal made a way for goods to be
transported cheaply and quickly.
17. 1. Identify the main idea in the paragraph.
2. List all the supporting details
18. Although cigarette sales in the US have
dropped, US tobacco companies continue to
do well. Figures show a steady decline in
domestic consumption over the last decade.
This is because a lot more Americans are
becoming aware of the dangers to health
caused by smoking. However, cigarette
companies have ways of coping with the
problem. They are expanding markets in third
world countries and in former communist
countries. For example, RJR has made an entry
into the vast Chinese market by tying up with
a local partner to market its products there.
19. When a humpback whale breathes, it blows air and
water vapor out its blow hole on the top of its head.
The whale’s breath, forced out the hole at 450 kph, is
composed of air and water vapour; it can reach 5
meters high and seen from 2 kilometers away on a
clear day. It contains a fishy smell and oily substance,
which can leave a residue on a camera lens, if too
close. Whale’s breathing or the ‘blow’ is usually the
first sign that a whale is present.
20. A list of “things to do” for each day and week is a
valuable aid to managing your time. A “to do list”
organizes your thinking and planning onto one form
in the least amount of time with the maximum
amount of efficiency, A “to do list” is especially
helpful if it coincides with the record-keeping you
already do for your company. After a short time, you
will find yourself handling a greater volume of work
without increasing your stress. You will simply
become efficient.