Purpose, Main Idea, and Supporting Details

1. Purpose, Main Idea, and Supporting Details Nonfiction reading

2. Terms to know… • PURPOSE: the reason the author has for writing • TOPIC:the subject of the whole text/paragraph • MAIN IDEA:the most important thought represented in a paragraph or longer text segment. • DETAILS:support and explain the main idea • TRANSITIONS:words and phrases to connect the ideas

3. Purpose: 1. To inform: To tell you about a topic such as the Civil War, historical sites you can visit in Georgia, or about the first World Series game. Even biographies can be written to inform you about someone.

4. Purpose: 2. To entertain: To tell you an exciting story. 3. To reflect: To reflect involves careful thought and serious consideration of past events.

5. Purpose: • To persuade: When an author tries to persuade, he or she wants you to take his or her view on something. For example, you could write a letter to the school principal about school uniforms. You could also persuade people your age to eat more vegetables. You could write a persuasive letter to the school newspaper or even the St. Petersburg Times trying to convince others to take your view on something.

6. Identify the Purpose: Tobacco companies should be forced to pay lucrative settlements to anyone who has become addicted or adversely affected by the use of their products. Anyone who has a loved one who has succumbed to the temptation to use cigarettes can attest to the way the product can swallow souls as well as consumers' wallets. The clinical evidence of the devastation created by secondhand smoke is compelling enough for legislators to consider legal action against the powerful corporations. Unfortunately, tobacco companies have traditionally provided strong financial support for many political candidates. Write your congressional representative and express your outrage! The purpose of the passage is to a. inform b. persuade c. entertain d. reflect

7. Identify the Purpose: New York City- New York City is probably one of the busiest cities in the world. It is located in southeastern New York, and if you drive just a little farther, you drive down the Long Island Expressway onto Long Island. In New York City, there are several attractions to visit such as the Empire State Building and the massive New York Public Library. The purpose of the passage is to a. inform b. persuade c. entertain d. reflect

8. Inferring Unstated Main Ideas • Sometimes a selection lacks a topic sentence, but that does not mean that it lacks a main idea. The author simply lets the details of the selection suggest a main idea. You must figure out the implied idea by deciding the points of all the details.

9. Inferring Unstated Main Ideas • Find the topic. • Decide what the writer wants you to know about the topic. • Express this idea in your own words. Identifying Main Ideas

10. What is the topic of the following? What is the main idea? In ancient times, irrational behavior was considered the result of demons and evil spirits taking possession of a person. Later, Greeks looked upon irrational behavior as a physical problem – caused by an imbalance of body fluids called “humors” – or by displacement of an organ. In the highly superstitious Middle Ages, the theory of possession by demons was revived. It reached a high point again in the witch-hunts of eighteenth-century Europe and America. Only in the last one hundred years did true medical explanations gain wide acceptance and were categories of illnesses changed.

11. Types of Supporting Details • F= Facts • A= Anecdotes • T= Testimony • R= Reasons • E= Examples/Illustrations • D= Details • S= Statistics

12. Facts and statistics indicate verifiable information to support the author’s thesis—that the main idea is correct. GS Although nearly every war has been fought with the idea that it will be the last, the history of civilization has proved otherwise. SP From 1500 B.C. to 1860 A.D., there were at least 8000 wars. Facts and Statistics