Scott Foresman Reading Street

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Main Idea/Details Graphic Organizers

Test

Selection Test:
Unit 2
Benchmark Tests: Units 2, 6

Reteach/
Review

TE: 3.2 173b, 223b, 233, 241, DI•54;
3.6 303b, 339, 391, 397, DI•52

PB: 3.1 53, 57–58, 73, 77–78, 86; 3.2 103, 107–108, 126, 146

Practice

TE: 3.2 150–151, 198–199,
3.6 284–285

Introduce/
Teach

Main Idea and Details

	Identify main idea and details
	Use graphic organizers to show main idea and details.

INTRODUCE

Write the topic "Pets" on the board.
Ask students to imagine that this is
the main idea of an article they are
going to read. Ask what might be
some of the details they could expect to find in an article about this topic. (Possible responses: kinds of pets, caring for pets, where to buy pets, and so on)

Have students read the information on p. 150. Explain the following:

When we look for the main idea of a selection, we look for what is implied as the most important idea. Supporting details tell us more about the main idea.
Graphic organizers, such as charts and graphs, can help us recognize the main idea and tell the difference between it and the supporting details.

Use Skill Transparency 6 to teach main idea and graphic organizers.

TEACH

SKILL Use paragraph 1 to
model how to identify the
topic and the main idea.

MODEL I think that this selection is all about Antarctica because all the

paragraphs tell about this continent. I decided that the main idea of the first paragraph is that in Antarctica, thick ice covers the continent.

STRATEGY Draw a simple
graphic organizer and model
how to use it to distinguish the
main idea in paragraph 1 from
supporting details.

MODEL A graphic
organizer can help me tell
the difference between the

main idea and supporting details. Writing the main idea helps me remember it. What details in the selection tell me more about the main idea? I can write those in smaller boxes next to or beneath the main idea box.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

SKILL Students should

understand that the topic of the selection is Antarctica. The main idea of the first paragraph is that the continent is covered in thick ice.

STRATEGY The last two

sentences explain that Antarctica is covered in ice that is almost three miles thick in places and which covers mountains and valleys.

WRITE Have students complete

steps 1 and 2 of the Write to Read activity. You might consider using this as a whole class activity.

then… use Practice Book 3.1, p. 53, to provide additional practice.

If… students are unable to complete Write to Read on
p. 150,

Main Idea and Details

Available as Skill Transparency 6

Skill
Main Idea
and Details

Strategy
Graphic
Organizers

Main Idea
and Details

Strategy The
last two sentences
contain some
supporting details.

Skill Here you can
see that the topic
of this passage
is Antarctica, but
the main idea
of this paragraph
is that Antarctica
is covered with
thick ice.

The topic is what a piece of writing
is about.

The main idea is the most important
idea about the topic.

Supporting details are small pieces
of information. They tell about the
main idea.

Antarctica is not like any other continent. It is as
far south as you can go on Earth. The South Pole
is found there. Ice covers the whole land. In some places the ice is almost three miles thick! Beneath
the ice are mountains and valleys.

The weather in Antarctica is harsh. It is the
coldest place on Earth. The temperature does not get above freezing. It is also one of the windiest places in the world.

Not many living things are found in Antarctica.
People go there to study for only a short time.
Very few animals can live there. Yet many
animals live on nearby islands. Seals and penguins swim in the ocean waters. They build nests on the land. Some birds spend their summers in Antarctica. But most of the continent is just ice, snow, and cold air.

Topic

Main Idea

Detail

Detail

Strategy: Graphic Organizers

A graphic organizer will help you organize information as you read. You can make a graphic organizer to show the main idea and supporting details of a piece of writing.

1. Read “The Coldest Continent.”
    Make a graphic organizer to
    show the main idea and details
    of the first paragraph.

2. Make two more graphic
    organizers. Show the main
    idea of the second paragraph
    and then the third paragraph.



	Close
	Access Content Beginning/Intermediate For a Picture It! lesson on main idea and details, see the ELL Teaching Guide, p. 37. Advanced Before students read "The Coldest Continent," have them discuss what they know about Antarctica, including the climate and the animal and plant life of the region. Main Idea and Details Draw a main idea chart, such as Graphic Organizer 16, on the board to help students recognize the main idea and supporting details in the selection. First, ask them to identify the topic, or what the selection is about. Turn their attention to the title of the selection and the other text on the page. Explain that the title often gives clues about the main idea. Write the topic they suggest in the main idea box. As students reread the selection, have them jot down details about the main idea to add to the graphic organizer. Practice Book 3.1 p. 53 with \| without Answers