What's the MAIN idea?

1. What's the MAIN idea? Practice finding the BIG picture in a paragraph.

2. Notes: Main Idea What is the Main idea? Are there different types? • The main idea of a paragraph is the point of the passage, minus all the details. It's the big picture – the Cake vs. the Ingredients. • Yes! Main ideas can be STATED or IMPLIED.

3. Notes: Main Idea What are stated main ideas? Why might an author simply state his/her main idea? • A stated main idea, is the easiest to find in a passage. It's written directly in the text. • Author's sometimes come right out and write the main idea in the passage for a variety of reasons – they don't want you to miss the point or they like clear, informational writing.

4. Notes: Main Idea When reading, how can I find a stated main idea? • Read the passage of text • Ask this question to yourself: "What is this passage about?" • In your own words, explain the answer in one short sentence. • Look for a sentence in the text that most closely fits with your explanation.

5. Practice: See if you can find the stated main idea in this paragraph The physical environment of a classroom is extremely important because it can influence the way teachers and students feel, think, and behave. If a student feels pressured, under stress, unhappy, or unsafe, it would be impossible for her or him to learn the lessons planned by the educator. Likewise, if a teacher feels unhappy or disorganized because of the classroom's lack of order or detail, the ability for him or her to teach is greatly diminished.

6. Were you correct? The physical environment of a classroom is extremely important because it can influence the way teachers and students feel, think, and behave.If a student feels pressured, under stress, unhappy, or unsafe, it would be impossible for her or him to learn the lessons planned by the educator. Likewise, if a teacher feels unhappy or disorganized because of the classroom's lack of order or detail, the ability for her to teach is greatly diminished.

7. Notes: Main Idea What are implied main ideas? • An implied main idea is a little trickier. It is written indirectly (suggested) and it's up to you to infer (to figure out) the meaning.

8. Notes: Main Idea When reading, how can I find an implied main idea? • Read the passage of text • Ask this question to yourself: "What do each of the details of the passage have in common?” • In your own words, find the common bond among all the details of the passage and the author's point about this bond.

9. Practice: See if you can find the implied main idea in this paragraph When you're with your friends, it's okay to be loud and use slang. They'll expect it and they aren't grading you on your grammar. When you're standing in a boardroom or sitting for an interview, you should use your best English possible. Try to gauge the personality of the interviewer and the setting of the workplace before cracking jokes or speaking out of turn. If you ever speak publicly modify your language, tone, pitch and topic based on what you think the audience's preferences would be. You'd never give a lecture about atoms to third-graders!

10. Were you correct? Different situations requires different kinds of speech.

11. Ready to Practice? Directions: Follow along with the handout and compose a one-sentence main idea for each in the space provided below. You may seek help from the other members of your group.

12. Paragraph #1 The idea that women are not equal to men has been a common theme in literature since the beginning of time. Like their predecessors, Renaissance writers strictly laid down the rule that women were less valuable throughout the pages of literary writings, where women are either idolized as good or rejected as bad. However, one man did not comply. That man was William Shakespeare and he had the courage in those difficult days to recognize the value and equality of women. His portrayal of women differed than that of many of his equals during the Renaissance era. What’s the main idea?

13. Answer:Although most Renaissance writers spread the belief that women were not equal with men, Shakespeare's writings portrayed women as men's equals.

14. Paragraph #2 America has been called the “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” ever since the night Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner. He believed that America was a place where freedom would reign, and every person had the right to pursue every dream. This may have been true for citizens of the U.S., but not so for many immigrants who chose this great country as their home. In fact, many of these travelers have experienced horror beyond imagination. Often, their stories are not ones with happy endings; rather, they experienced hopelessness trying to achieve the American Dream – a dream that was not theirs to have. What's the main idea?

15. Answer:Despite America's belief that every person is free to experience the American dream, that belief isn't always true, especially for immigrants.

16. Paragraph #3 Children dream of the day when they will be grown up. They will no longer have bedtimes, bath- times, curfews, or any other restrictions. They believe that being an experienced adult will truly give them freedom. Then they grow up. They are weighed down by bills, responsibilities, sleepiness, and an overwhelming urge for more vacations. Now they long for the days they could roam free all summer without a care in the world. Innocence has always battled with experience. What's the main idea?

17. Answer:Innocence has always battled with experience.

18. Paragraph #4 Going to the movies has become a weekend activity that many people pay large amounts of money to do. Movies are pricey these days, but they never fails to draw crowds. And while some movies have excellent plots, characterization and cinematography, others are simply horrible in just about every way. Yet once in a while, a film will appear that will earn itself a rightful place in history as a magnificent film, one that touches the lives of people. And really, isn't that all people are really looking for as they trek out to the show, weekend after weekend? A brief glimpse into a life where people express what the moviegoer is also feeling? It must be, otherwise people would spare their wallets and stay home. What’s the main idea?

19. Answer:People are willing to pay high prices for movies on the weekends because they enjoy the experience.

20. Paragraph #5 At one time or another, most adults have been in a romantic relationship. A guy walks up to a girl at a bar, gets her number, and the beginning of a relationship is formed. A guy and a girl meet in Physics class, get paired as study partners, and the rest is history. Two high school sweethearts rekindle an old flame on Facebook after years apart. These types of simple encounters may lead to relationships, and even though that first meeting is easy, the entire relationship is not. A lot of work goes into making a true bonded relationship, and when that work is bypassed, the relationship may not last. What's the main idea?

21. Answer:Getting into a relationship is easy, but staying in one is not.

22. Paragraph #6 Nature is valued highly in many cultures. The majestic sweep of a mountainside or the vast expanse of glittering seas can inspire people everywhere. Painters, designers, poets, architects, and various other artists have drawn strength and enlightenment from magnificent works of nature such as these. Among those gifted people, poets seem to be the best at expressing the awe and wonder of viewing art in nature. William Wordsworth is just that kind of poet. His poetic works have inspired nature-lovers for centuries by displaying the true beauty that only a seasoned writer, like Wordsworth, can accurately depict. What's the main idea?

23. Answer:Although nature inspires artists of all kinds, poets are the best at expressing the beauty of nature and among them, Wordsworth is one of the best.

24. Paragraph #7 Society, though not perfect, is a working group of people trying to live together in peace. For the most part, people tend to obey the laws set before them and abide by societal codes. However, some people believe the government has made desperate errors, and they wish to change the status quo only to bring peace again in a different way. Those people begin what are known as social movements. These are small groups within societies that seek change. These social movements can rally around anything from saving eagles to saving trees and once a social movement is in motion, it either is adopted into society or fizzles out. Either way, society will emerge from the social movement and will stabilize again into peace. What's the main idea?

25. Answer:Social movements can disrupt society's peace, but only momentarily.

26. Paragraph #8 From adolescence, data shows that males outperform females on math tests, despite differences in IQ. The current data with college students shows that males still score higher than females even when performance is measured using a third grade test. The cause for the difference is questionable because the intelligence level in the tested students ranged from below to above average in both sexes. The finding of a sex difference in math performance from adolescence is a finding that arouses curiosity as to the cause of the difference – is nature or nurture involved or a combination of both? What’s the main idea?

27. Answer:Although males outperform females on math tests, the cause of the difference is unknown.