reading comprehension course review in lesson 56 you will: 1. review and practice ‘main idea’....

Reading Comprehension

Course Review

In Lesson 56 you will:

1. Review and practice ‘main idea’.2. Answer questions by reading passages for main idea.

Main Idea Review

Reading Comprehension

Main Idea is what the text is mostly about. The main idea is the most important information in a text. In order to help you find what the main idea is of any passage or text you need to ask a few questions first.

Finding the Main Idea

This is important in understanding a book or text you are reading: know the genre, the setting, and its purpose. This will help the reader understand the point of view of the author and it will help the reader identify the main idea.


The details in a passage give additional information about the main idea. They might describe the main idea or give more information about it.

It is important to know the difference between the main idea and details.


Let’s look at some passages for main idea and then look for details that support the main idea. This practice should support your final End of Course test.


Read Example 1 and select the main idea.

The peregrine falcon is a beautiful wild bird. It is also one of the fastest. In 1978, the peregrine falcon was placed on the endangered species list. The main reason the peregrine falcon


was dying out was the use and effects of DDT and other pesticides. They seemed to be making a come back, but recently they are being considered at risk again.

Another reason that the peregrine falcon is in danger is that these birds reproduce very


slowly. The female lays only three to four eggs each year. Attempts to reproduce peregrine falcons in captivity have met with some success. These falcons are then reintroduced into nature. But the process is complicated and does not produce a large number of falcons.


The main idea of this selection is:

A. Peregrine falcons are in danger.

B. The peregrine falcon is a beautiful bird.

C. The peregrine falcon reproduces very slowly.

D. The peregrine falcon is very fast.


Details that support the main idea:1. It was placed on the endangered species list.2. They reproduce very slowly.3. Reproducing peregrine falcons

while in captivity is not very successful.


Example 2Danger often appears in the most unexpected places. People usually think of the bathtub as a safe, quiet place. But more accidents occur there than anywhere else in the home. Slips or falls that occur


Example 2 continued…

while entering or leaving the tub injure thousands of people every year.

Most people think of a baker as having a safe and pleasant job. Yet being a baker is a very dangerous occupation. Rolling,

Example 2 continued…

kneading, and pounding dough produces storms of flour dust, which can enter the lungs and severely disable the baker.



This passage is mostly about howA.Some activities are more dangerous than they look.B.Slips and falls can be prevented.C.Tubs should be taken out of bathrooms.D.Bakers should work in air conditioned kitchens.


Details that support the main idea:1. Dangers are in the most unexpected places.2. People don’t think of the bath or baking to be dangerous.

3. Falling and breathing dust can be very dangerous!


Helpful Hints:There are many different ways to ask for the main idea of a passage. There may be questions like this:1.What is the selection mostly about?2.The most important point in this story is…


Helpful Hints:Know the supporting details!There may be many details in a passage. It is important to know what details support the main idea. A detail that supports the main idea tells more about it. It explains it.


Passages and paragraphs often start with the main idea. Then the rest of the passage has details about that idea or examples of it.For example, read this short passage on the next slide.


Emily went hiking last week. She climbed large rocks and ate on the edge of a cliff. She used all her climbing gear to get to the top of a mountain. She saw many awesome sights of the landscape below and felt like she could touch the sky above, too.


The main idea is that Emily went hiking. The supporting details are:1.She hiked large rocks and climbed a mountain.2.She could see the landscape below.3.She had to use all her climbing gear.


Example 3Special effects have always existed in radio, movies, and television, but nowadays they are produced by computers and not by people. Years ago, the sound of thunder on a radio show might be someone banging a sheet of metal to make a thundering noise.


In the days of early television, a show about a sea voyage might be taped by having actors and actresses stand in front of a background of painted water. The boat you saw could have been a toy boat floating in a tank of water. But today, special effects


are much more complex and realistic than every before. The lifelike green monster flying through the air, changing colors, and throwing weird bolts of lightening is not a model - it is produced inside a computer. Only a computer is capable of this kind of effect.

The main point: Special effects today are produced by computers and not people. Which detail supports this main idea?A.Only a computer is capable of this complex kind of effect.B.Actors and actresses often stand in front of painted sets.C.Some TV shows are about sea voyages.D.Thunder is a special effect.


Helpful Hint:1. Ask yourself: “What was this passage mostly about?” Then:Describe the passage in a few sentences to yourself. Can you hear the main idea?

Reading is Thinking Practice

Read the following passage: Exodus 6:1-9, The Message

Respond in your journal on the following:

1.What did God say to Moses after he questioned him? (Make sure you support your opinion by using the text.)

2. Did this surprise you like it did me? Explain.

3. How does God reassure Moses?

4. What does God mean when He says, “I remember my covenant.”?

Good-Bye, until next time!

Good job with our review today! We will continue to practice for your End of Course Assessment. Complete the homework assignments for more practice. Keep up your reading! Use the CROPQV to show reading is thinking!

reading comprehension course review in lesson 56 you will: 1. review and practice ‘main idea’....

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