Week 5: Main Ideas
This week will start with Main Ideas, which are the “so what?” of a text. It is easy to get lost in the details of a piece of writing and miss the big picture. The Main Ideas lesson offers strategies for figuring out the most important points, as well as important supporting points, in a reading. Next, you will use these skills as you begin work on the midterm.
Assignment One – Read Main Ideas and then complete the exercises that follow:
MAIN IDEAS
Have you ever read to the end of a passage and thought: “What was that about?” Sometimes a passage can seem like a string of facts or ideas. Recognizing the main idea of a passage is a vital reading skill. No matter what you’re reading, whether it is a news story, novel, or a chapter in a chemistry textbook, you need to understand what the author is trying to tell you. So how do you find the main idea? Start with the topic.
TOPIC The topic of a piece of writing is like the title of a newspaper article, a song, or a book. Usually it is a word or phrase, like Healthy Habits or Money. It gives you a glimpse of the subject, but not the details. For instance, what topic do you think would cover the following?
SUVs
RVs
Pickups
Performance cars
TOPIC Kinds of vehicles
Once you discover the topic, look for the main idea.
MAIN IDEA
The main idea of a piece of writing is the point that the author wants to make about the topic. Often it is written as a statement at the beginning of a paragraph or essay, but sometimes it is at the end, or in even in the middle. It could also be called the thesis or the central point.
For instance, the main idea for the topic above could be: There are so many types of vehicles on the road today, that you should consider a number of things before buying.
SUPPORTING POINTS
To support the main idea, a writer needs facts, ideas, and information. Some supporting points will be major, or broader; others will be minor, or more specific.
MAJOR POINTS
Major points are general, or broad.
For instance, a major point for the above statement could be:
First, consider your budget.
MINOR POINTS
Minor points are more specific, such as important details.
For instance, a minor, or supporting point for First consider your budget could be:
New pickups cost between $20,000 and $60,000.
While new SUVs can cost $75,000, and luxury RVs can cost over a million dollars.
YOUR TURN
Using the topic of Good Food, write a main idea statement, and then list one or two major points to support your idea, with one or two minor points/details to support it. Remember that a main idea statement is like a thesis statement, it must give you something to prove. Do not to write a simple statement of fact, like “Good food tastes good,” which is too vague to support.
Ex. 5.1 – Type your answers into a Word document and submit using the link.
Topic: Good Food
Main Idea:__________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Major Points _____________________________