Main Idea and Details

NGSSS

LA.8.l.7.3: Determine the main idea or essential message in grade-level or higher texts through inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identirying relevant details.

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In this lesson, you will learn how to identify a main idea and its relevant supporting details in a reading passage. A main idea is what the passage is mostly about. The relevant details are the important pieces of information that support or explain the main idea. An entire passage has a main idea. A single paragraph has a main idea. A series of paragraphs may also have a main idea. Just because an idea is correct doesn't mean that it's the main idea. The main idea is the connecting thread; all the relevant details tell something about it.

Relevant details provide additional information about the main idea and clarify it or make it more interesting. The details answer questions about the main idea by telling who, what, where, when, how, or why These details may be facts, examples, reasons, descriptive details, and so on. When you read, you should identify the main idea and pay attention to the important details that tell about the main idea.

Sometimes a writer directly states a main idea. A stated main idea is often in the first or last sentence of a passage or a paragraph. But a writer does not always directly state a main idea. Sometimes the main idea is implied, or suggested, rather than stated. An implied main idea isn't written in the passage. But you can figure it out by thinking about the relevant details that are stated in the passage. Since these details all relate to the main idea, you can use them as clues to determine the main idea. Ask yourself, "What do all the important details tell about?" The answer is the implied main idea.

When you read or write a summary of a passage, keep in mind that a summary is made up of a restatement of the main idea, along with the relevant details.

Use this chart as a guide when you think about a main idea and its relevant details.

Main Idea

Supporting Detail Supporting Detail

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Read this story about Aaron and his unusual pet. Look for information in the story to answer the question below.

A Lulu of a Pet

1 Aaron had recently moved to Florida. After a heavy downpour, he found a bedraggled , half-drowned baby rat on the drenched patio. Aaron dried the rat with a towel, put her in a di scarded hamster cage, and named her Lulu. Aaron carefully nursed Lulu back to health , feed ing her with an eyedropper.

2 After a few days, Aaron brought Lulu to a veterinarian. To Aaron's surprise, the vet in for med him that he had, in fact , rescued a nutr ia, a rodent-like animal that is similar to a beaver. "That explains Lulu's white muzzle and big orange teeth!" Aaron sa id. The vet recommended that Aaron bring Lulu to a nearby wildlife reserve where she could be with other rescued nutrias.

What is paragraph 1 mainly about?

~ Reread paragraph 1 and look for a sentence that states the main idea. The main idea is sometimes stated in the first or last sentence.

~ The main idea of paragraph 1 is not directly stated, so look for the relevant supporting details. These can be used as clues to help you figure out the main idea. In paragraph 1, Aaron finds a half-drowned animal, dries it, puts it in a hamster cage, names it, and feeds it with an eyed ropper.

~ Think about the supporting details. What are they all about? All of the relevant support ing details in paragraph 1 are about Aaron and the way he rescued and cared for a baby animal.

ANSWER: Paragraph 1 is mainly about how Aaron rescued and cared for a baby animal.

At first, what did Aaron th ink the half-drowned animal was?

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Think About It What were the main causes that Lady Bird Johnson worked to support?

Hint Think about which answer includes only the most important information.

CORRECT ANSWER

SUPPORTING DETAILS

Read the biography. Use the Think About It to guide your reading. Then answer the question. Use the Hint to help you.

Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson was the wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. She was one of the most active first ladies in U.S. history. A !though she is well known for her work to fight poverty, she was also an environmental ac tivist. Part of this work included co­founding the Nationa l Wildflower Research Center. Johnson also worked to protect and beautify the land along highways and in cities and towns across the country.

Which is the best summary of the biography? A Lady Bird Johnson was the wife of President Johnson and found ed

the Nationa l Wild flower Research Center.

B Former first lady Lady Bird Johnson fought poverty. C Lady Bird Johnson was one of the most active first ladies in U.S.

history.

D Fonner fi rst lady Lady BirdJohnson worked to fight poverty and help the environment.

Answer choice D is correct.

A good summary should mention the most important information in a selection. The most relevant details about Lady Bird Johnson are that she was a former first lady, she worked to fight poverty, and that she was an environmental activist. The other information in the selection further develops these ideas but does not need to be included in the summary.

INCORRECT ANSWERS A is not correct because, although true, it does not summarize the entire biography.

B is not correct because, although true, it does not summarize the entire biography.

C is not correct because it is one detail , not a summary .

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Think About It The title is often an important clue to the main idea.

What was early San Antonio like?

How was the battle of the Alamo significant in the history of San Antonio?

How big was San Antonio after the Civi l War?

How big is San Antonio today?

Read the article. Use each Think About It to guide your reading.

San Antonio's Remarkable History 1 In 1691, a group of Spanish explorers happened upon a river and a

Native American settlement in what is now the state of Texas. They named both "San Antonio." It was June 13, the feast day of Saint Anthony.

2 In 1716, the Span ish built a fort (or presidio) on the San Anton io river. That same year, a Catholic mission was built nearby. Two years later, ten soldiers and their families started a community (or villa) there. The villa, the mission, and the fort were called San Antonio de los Llanos.

3 In 1731, fifty-six men, women, and ch ild ren from the Canary Islands (a group of islands off the northern coast of Africa) moved to the presidio. They establi shed one of the first civil govern ments in the West. Some of the descendents of the Canary Islanders still live in San Antonio today.

4 For the next 100 years, San Anton io was mostly under Spanish control. In the early 1800s, the Spanish turned the old mission into a fort . They called the fort the Alamo. In 1835, Texans took control of San Antonio.

5 In 1836, Mexican genera l Santa Anna tried to reclaim control. He arrived in San Antonio with an army 2,000 strong. Fewer than 200 soldiers and volunteers gathered in the Alamo. They held off the Mexican army for 13 days. On March 6, Santa Anna's troops stormed the fort. All but two of the defending soldiers were killed. But on March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. It became its own nation. On December 28, 1845, Texas became a U.S. state.

6 After the Civil War, San Antonio prospered. In 1877, the first rai lway reached San Antonio. By 1900, five railways brought goods and people to and from the City. San Antonio was then the largest city in Texas. It had 50,000 people.

7 Today, San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States. It is home to five military bases and more than one million people. It is also home to the San Antonio Spurs and Market Square, the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico. San Antonio is a modern city with a remarkable history.

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Hints

Think about what the article tells you about San Antonio. Which statement best describes the main idea of the entire article?

What details do you learn about San Antonio in paragraph 6? What do all of these details have in common?

Which headline best captures the most important information in the article?

Witli YOUy partner, share and diso(ss your answeys and supporting details.

Use the Hints to answer the questions below. Circle the correct answers and provide supporting details from t he article.

1 W hat is the main idea of this article?

A San Antonio is a modern city with a lot of exci ting allractions.

B San Antonio began as a Native Amer ica n settl ement long ago.

C The battle of the Alamo took place in San Antonio.

D San Antonio is a city w ith a long and interesti ng history.

Supporting Deta il s: ________________ _

2 Paragraph 6 is mostly abou t

A General San ta An na and the Ballle of the Alamo.

B how San Antonio prospered after the Civil Wa r.

C whatlhe city of San Alllonio is li ke today.

D the history of railways in San Antonio.

Supporting Detail s: ________________ _

3 If this article were published in a newspaper, which head line would best express the mai n idea?

A "San Antonio's Native American Sett lement"

B "Skyscrapers and Mex ican Markets: San Alllonio Today"

C "San An tonio: From the Alamo to Today's Modern City"

D "Mil itary Bases of San Antonio"

Supporting Deta il s: _ _ ______________ _

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Read the story "The Basketball Rivalry" before answering Numbers 1 through 5.

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OO@]~lli®Q8@]DD rn~w@]D[p~ by Christopher Rawlins

MARCH ll-For many years, my cousin Mauricio and I lived only two blocks apart, but then about three years ago he and his family moved to Miami. Instead of seeing my cousin almost daily, I now see him for only a short time every spring when he comes to visit me for a week.

I enjoy it when Mauricio comes to stay, for we are both big basketball enthusiasts. But one thing has changed over the years. When Mauricio lived in Orlando, we were both Magic fans. For a while after Mauricio moved to Miami, he was still a Magic fan, but over time, he has become a devoted Heat fan.

When Mauricio comes to visit, one thing we always do is go to an Orlando Magic game. Even though Mauricio is a Miami Heat fan, he will still cheer on the Magic against out-of-state basketball teams. However, this year there is one slight problem: When Mauricio comes to town, the Magic will be playing the Heat. Mauricio and I will be rooting for opposing teams!

MARCH 23- Mauricio arrived to stay with me three days ago. Last night, we went with my dad to the Magic game (only Mauricio called it the Heat game). We were sitting so high in the stands that the players looked like little specks on the basketball floor far below. But we didn't care-we didn't have any trouble following the action.

It was an extremely hard-fought and electrifying game, and the lead kept shifting back and forth; however, at halftime the Magic led by four points. I tried not to gloat too much, but I couldn't help it, since the Magic were just fantastic. And I wanted Mauricio to feel miserable that he had switched allegiances, so I teased him about being a traitor.

Mauricio took my ribbing in good stride, so it didn't irritate me too much in the second half when Mauricio applauded (quietly) whenever the Heat pulled ahead. (He couldn't applaud too loudly, or the fans surrounding him would know, like me, that he was a traitor.)

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Of course, whenever the Magic pulled ahead, I shouted and hooted and hollered and stomped, just like all of the other fans around us. I'm not sure how that made Mauricio feel, but I wanted him to realize what fantast ic fans the Magic had and what he was missing by supporting the Heat.

When the game was over and we arrived home, my older sister greeted us at the door. "Who won?" she wanted to know.

"It was an extremely close game, and there were really no losers," I told her.

"Congratulations, Mauricio, you must be th rilled that the Heat won!" exclaimed my sister. "I know the Heat won, because if the Magic had won, Christopher would be gloating and dancing and hooting and hollering. Since he isn't doing any of those things, I can only deduce that the Heat must have won."

My know-it-all sister probably was right. If the Magic had won, I wouldn't have been able to contain myself. I would have surely let everyone know what a wonderfully competitive game it had been and how the Magic had managed to pull it out with some dazzling passing and marvelous one-of-a-kind shots.

But Mauricio didn't seem to be gloating at all-at least on the outside. I knew he was happy, and perhaps he was gloa ting inside, but he wasn't rubbing it in. I was relieved about that, but I still couldn't understand why Mauricio had changed his basketball loyalties. It must have been peer pressure, I decided, and I wondered if I would change loyalties if I moved to another town.

I hoped I wouldn't, but then I remembered how I had buckled to peer pressure when I was a little kid. I had this superhero lunchbox that I loved, and I ca rried it to school every day. But at some point, the other kids stopped carrying their lunches in lunchboxes, and I was the only one still lugging my superhero lunchbox to school. After a while, the lunchbox started to embarrass me, so I stopped using it even though I really, really loved that lunchbox and didn't want to give it up.

Maybe Mauricio really still loved the Magic (how could he not?), but he was loyal to the Heat because all of his classmates rooted for the Heat. I decided not to give Mauricio any more grief for being a Heat fan. After all, I'd like to visit Miami one day, and it wouldn't be pleasant if Mauricio needled me the whole time for being a Magic fan. I resolved then to keep my gloating to myself the next time the Magic

::l won (which I hoped would be the very next day).

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• Which title BEST fits the passage?

A. "Mauricio's New Team"

B. "His Love of the Gam e"

C. "The Magic of Orlando"

D. "The Magic vs. the Heat"

., Why does Chr istopher cheer loudly when his tea m scores?

F. to make Mauricio feel bad

G. to show Mauricio that he doesn' t like the Hea t

H. to show Mauricio how much Magic fans love their team

I. to make Mauricio start cheering for the Magic with him

e Read this sentence from the passage.

"After a while, the lunchbox s tarted to embarrass me, so I stopped us ing it even though I really, really loved that lunch box and didn't want to give it up/'

In the sentence above, Christopher is indica ting that

A. he has never buckled to peer pressure.

B. he wishes the Magic had bea ten the Heat.

C. he wishes he still carried a IW1Chbox to school.

D. he unders tands why Mauricio might root for the Hea t.

• How does Christopher 's sister know that the Magic did not win?

F. Mauricio was rubbing it in .

G. Christopher was not gloating.

H. Mauricio told her that the Heat had won the game.

I. Chris topher and Mauricio were arguing about the game's outcome .

• What is the main idea of "The Basketball Rivalry"?

A. Two cousins go to a basketball game and cheer for opposing teams.

B. A yOlmg boy understands how peer pressure influences the choices he makes.

C. A boy is upset with his cousin for changing loyalties, but comes to wlderstand why.

D. A boy is teased by his sister for cheering for a basketball team that always loses.

Answer Form

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Number Correct

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