1 Reading Comprehension 2.3 Connecting and Clarifying Main Ideas

Learning Objective We will connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics.

Check for Understanding What are we going to do today? What will we connect and clarify?

Prior Knowledge Main Idea: The main idea is the most important thing a writer has to say about the topic or subject. The main idea answers the question “What about it?” What about love, dogs, or growing up?

Concept Development Clarify: –to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or understandable –to free the mind from confusion Identifying: –to indicate or recognize who or what (someone or something) is Relationship: –the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected

Concept Development Source: –A book, statement, person, article, etc. that supplies information. –A place from which something comes or is obtained; origin. Connecting: –To show similarities or differences between sources.

Connecting Sources & Main Ideas Example: While reading my Social Studies textbook, I identified the main idea of Abraham Lincoln ending slavery. Which other source would best support this main idea? Maybe a biography written about Lincoln’s life would give related information.

Skill Development8 1.First, read the paragraph and focus on determining the topic. Look for a word or phrase that is repeated over and over. It is often found in the first or last sentence. 2.Next, what is the main idea? Ask yourself, what does the author want you to know about the topic and write this in a sentence? Skill Development

Skills Development 3. Then, find and underline the evidence in the paragraph to support the main idea. 4. Then, ask yourself “Does the evidence prove your main idea?” 5. Finally, ask yourself “Where would this passage most likely be found? What type of source would it be found in based on the main idea?” For example, a news article or a text book.

Skill Development10 One hundred viruses placed side by side would be no wider than a human hair. But these germs cause more than fifty diseases. Chicken pox, colds, and rabies are all caused by viruses. More than 21 million people have died from the flu caused by these germs. Scientists are seeking ways to get rid of these tiny killers. 1. What is the passage mostly about? a) Tiny viruses cause deadly diseases. b) Many people die from the flu. c) Chicken pox is caused by a virus. d) Many people have died from viruses. Guided Practice

Skill Development11 One hundred viruses placed side by side would be no wider than a human hair. But these germs cause more than fifty diseases. Chicken pox, colds, and rabies are all caused by viruses. More than 21 million people have died from the flu caused by these germs. Scientists are seeking ways to get rid of these tiny killers. 2. Which of the following books would be the best choice for learning more about the main idea presented in this article? a) Science Overview b) The Complete Book of Experiments c) Unseen Killers: Viruses d) Chicken Pox Handbook Guided Practice

Plant experts in Bolivia have found some odd potato plants. The potato leaves make a sticky glue. Insects walk on the plant, get caught, and starve. Scientists want to breed more potatoes with these sticky leaves. Farmers would be able to grow potatoes and not have to spray their plants with chemicals to get rid of insects. 3. What is the passage mostly about? a) Insects are caught by potato plants. b) Potato plants grow in Bolivia. c) A special potato plant may be helpful to farmers. d) Chemical sprays help to kill insects.

Guided Practice Plant experts in Bolivia have found some odd potato plants. The potato leaves make a sticky glue. Insects walk on the plant, get caught, and starve. Scientists want to breed more potatoes with these sticky leaves. Farmers would be able to grow potatoes and not have to spray their plants with chemicals to get rid of insects. 4. Which of the following sources would provide the best evidence to support the ideas in this paragraph? a) A book about the history of potato plants. b) An editorial calling for more funding to study this sticky glue. c) A current events newspaper article about the potato plant leaf. d) A novel about life in Bolivia.

Guided Practice from the Wizard of Oz… Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer’s wife. Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner and Dorothy a little bed in another corner. 3. This selection is most likely part of - a) An autobiography. b) A newspaper article. c) A folk tale. d) A novel. 14

Closure What is a main idea? What is a source? How do you connect and clarify main ideas?