WHAT’S THE POINT?

1. WHAT’S THE POINT? MAIN IDEA/SUMMARIZING

2. MAIN IDEA • The most important idea about the topic of a paragraph or passage of text. • Main Idea can be directly stated in a topic sentence. • Main Idea can be implied.

3. Supporting Details • Supporting details describe and explain the main idea, or give examples. • Supporting details answer the questions Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why? and How?

4. How to determine the Main Idea: • First, identify the topic. • Then, look for a sentence that expresses a particular idea, thought, or feeling about the topic. All the other sentences should support this sentence. • If the main idea is not stated directly in a topic sentence, think about the details the author provides. Use them to state the main idea.

5. Let’s Practice • What is the point? Tang shut the window in his room so he could hear his cousin Lulu on the phone. Construction workers were jackhammering in the street, and a couple of fire engines screamed by. “It’ll be good to get away for all the city noise,” he said before hanging up.

6. Think About It…. • Notice the passage is mostly about noise • I don’t see a topic sentence that states the main idea, so I examine the details. • Details: Tang has to close the window to hear, Tang says it will be good to get away from all the noise. MAIN IDEA: Tang is bothered by the loud city noises

7. More Practice…Your Turn. • By now, you’ve realized that money doesn’t grow on trees. If you once thought that all your parents had to do was write a check to get money, now you know that they have to deposit money into a checking account first. And, of course, you know that ATM machines don’t spit out cash just because you swipe a card and press numbers. For most people, the only way to get money is to work for it. Still, every time you walk though the mall and see all that great stuff, don’t you wish that all you had to do was pick a few bills off a tree.

8. Summarizing • A summary is a shortened version of a longer work, containing the main idea and most important details, and using your own words. • A summary must include the most relevant information only. • A summary must be written in complete sentences.

9. Let’s Practice! Jaguars are unique animals, both in appearance and behavior. Standing up to 2’ at the shoulder, and with bodies longer than 6’, jaguars are very large cats. Their yellow red coats, dotted with black spots, make their size even more apparent. Despite being known for violent behavior, jaguars don’t often attack humans. These cats live mostly in the Central and South Americas. And should they be attacked, jaguars are skilled climbers and swimmers-unlike most other cats. They are likely to escape their predators. So while lions may be “kings of the jungle” , jaguars certainly deserve recognition for being ferocious in their own habitats. Their appearance and abilities make them stand out. • Determine the main idea • Determine the IMPORTANT details. • Summarize

10. A good summary… • Jaguars are large cats that live mainly in Central and South America. Their unique appearance and skill at climbing and swimming help them evade predators. *side note: What does evade mean? How do you know?

11. Celebrity Carousel • Read the text about the celebrity you selected. • Answer the 5Ws about using details from the text. • Use the 5Ws to write a short summary (no more than 3 sentences) about the celebrity. • Be prepared to share.