The fastest way to fail a course is to…  Skip homework  Don’t do lab work  Miss more than 3 classes  Waste time in class.  Get on the instructor’s nerves © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Chapter 3: Thesis, Main Ideas, Supporting Details, & Transitions Good leaders accept no excuses, but demonstrate that we all have the power to fix what is broken.

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers In this chapter you will learn how to:  Identify the thesis of a reading assignment.  Distinguish main ideas and supporting details.  Recognize transitions that writers use to link ideas together.

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Identifying theTopic The topic is what the entire reading selection is about; it is the subject of the reading selection. It is the word or phrase most often referred to in the paragraph.

Topics  Video gaming  19 th c. poets  Edgar Allen Poe  Presidents of the U.S. © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Main Ideas Main Idea  Detail –Detail  Detail –Detail A paragraph is a group of related sentences that express a single idea about a single topic—the main idea.

Main Idea  A main idea is the author’s most important point. It is A broad, general statement A complete sentence Stated or implied © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

The Topic Sentence The topic sentence is the one sentence that expresses the main idea.

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Find the Main Idea  Preview, then read. 1. Ask who or what is this about to find the TOPIC (subject) 2. Ask: What was the author’s point about this topic? Summarize it in your own words. 3. Look for a sentence that states this idea. (Or perhaps, two sentences.)

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers The Topic Sentence First The author first states his or her main point and then explains it. Main Point Detail Most common

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Topic Sentence Last The author leads up to the main point and then directly states it at the end. Detail Main Point

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Topic Sentence in the Middle Some details lead up to or introduce the main idea while others follow the main idea to further explain or describe it. Detail Main Point Detail

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Topic Sentence First & Last Writers may emphasize an important idea at the beginning and then again at the end. Or, the first and last sentence together express the paragraph’s main point. Main Point Detail Main Point

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Check your Answer  Ask: Do all of the sentences in the paragraph tell me more about the topic sentence?  If yes- You’ve got the right one.  If no- Go back and find another sentence  Main ideas: Broad enough to cover all the supporting details in the paragraph.

Group Practice  Pp 44 – 47: par. #1- #10 –Circle the topic –Underline the topic sentence © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

U-Review  1. What is a topic?  2. What is a main idea?  3. What is a topic sentence?  4. What is the first step in finding the main idea?  5. How do you “check” your answer? © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Recognizing Supporting Details  Supporting details are those facts and ideas that prove or explain the main idea of a paragraph. –Identify the main idea. –List supporting points for the main idea.

Major and Minor details  Main ideas  Major Details (explain or prove the main idea)  Minor details (explain or prove the major details) © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Practice  Par. 1-5 pp  Circle topic  Identify the main idea (….. )  Underline major details © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Transitions  Transitions are words or phrases that help the reader see relationships between ideas.  Transitions often signal the major supporting details.  They also introduce minor details, such as examples. © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Common Transitions  Time-Sequence—first, later, next  Example— for instance, such as  Enumeration (Listing)— first, second, third, next, finally  Continuation(Addition)— also, in addition  Contrast— however, in contrast  Comparison— similarly, like  Cause-Effect— because, therefore

U-Review  1. What is the job of supporting details?  2. What are major details?  3. What are minor details?  4. What are transitions, and how do they help readers? © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Concept Mapping MAIN IDEA MAJOR DETAIL 1MAJOR DETAIL 2 MINOR DETAIL 1 MINOR DETAIL 2 MINOR DETAIL 3

Relationships…(finish main idea) First major detail Second Major detail Third Major detail © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Minor detail

© 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Finding the Implied Main Idea 1. Identify the topic. 2. Look at the major supporting details. What are they implying about the topic? 3. Express this idea in your own words. 4. Look for an answer choice.

Making an Implied Main Idea  Say: “The major details are telling me that (topic)…..”  Ex: Severe punishment may have negative effects on children. © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Practices  Pp  Paragraphs A,B, C  Pp  Para. A,B, C, D © 2005 Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers

Match the Terms 1. main idea 2. Thesis 3. Major details 4. Minor details 5. Topic 6. Topic sentence a. Explain the main idea b. Subject c. The most general & important idea of the paragraph d. States the main idea e. Main idea of a long selection f. Explain the major details

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