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MAIN IDEA

MAIN IDEA. Professor C. Koonin. Strategic Reading for Topics in Academic Text. What is the Topic of a Reading Selection?. Subject Matter the author writes about. Drug Abuse Civil Rights Homelessness. Race Relations Music Peer Pressure. Some Examples of Topics.

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MAIN IDEA

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  1. MAIN IDEA Professor C. Koonin

  2. Strategic Readingfor Topics inAcademic Text

  3. What is the Topic of a Reading Selection? Subject Matter the author writes about.

  4. Drug Abuse Civil Rights Homelessness Race Relations Music Peer Pressure Some Examples of Topics

  5. How can Knowledge of the Topic Help the Reader Comprehend? • Help you stay focused • See how ideas are connected • Distinguish the important details • Better position to make predictions about content

  6. Distinguishing Between Broad and Narrow Topics • Decide on what aspect of the topic the author is discussing. What about Algebra is being discussed? What about Art History is being discussed? What about Biology is being discussed? What about French is being discussed? What about Geography is being discussed? What about English is being discussed?

  7. Preview material Use titles & subtitles to determine scope of topic Use prior knowledge to anticipate topics Look for repetition Notice how major points refer to topic Make mental map show relationship of sentences to topic Strategies to Help Identify Topics

  8. Strategic Reading for Main Ideas

  9. What is the Main Idea? • Main Idea will answer the question-------- • What specifically about the topic (or narrow topic) is the author discussing? • The Main Idea is an idea, not a single word. • The Main Idea is always a complete sentence.

  10. Example • Holiday Shopping (topic) Main Idea Sentences • People who wait to do their holiday shopping • until the last minute can have a difficult time. • For some, shopping during the holidays is depressing. • The kinds of shopping people do during the holidays • can be an indication of the state of the economy.

  11. Progressing from Topics to Main Ideas • An author’s thinking has to progress from a broad topic, to a narrowed topic, to the main idea. • If you are able to identify the narrowed topic, you • have the starting point for figuring out the author’s • main idea. • To find the Main Idea: • What about the topic (or narrowed topic) is the author • discussing?

  12. Purposes for Creating Main Idea Sentences • Reading situations where the Main Idea is not stated . • Reading situations where several passages relate to a single • Main Idea. • Reading situations where your goal is to comprehend a • lengthy essay or article.

  13. The Process for Creating Main Idea Sentences • Identify the narrowed topic. • Decide what is the most important thing the author • wants to tell you about that narrowed topic. • Create a sentence that describes the most important • thing the author wants to tell you about that • narrowed topic.

  14. Creating Main Idea Sentences (other considerations) • Your Main Idea sentence must contain both your topic • and the statement the author is making about the topic. • Your Main Idea sentence must be a complete sentence. • It answers the question --- • What about the narrow topic is the author discussing?

  15. Topic (narrow topic) Introduction Main Idea Thesis statement Major Supporting Details Major Supporting Details Major Supporting Details Minor Supporting Details Minor Supporting Details Minor Supporting Details Conclusion

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