Central Idea/ Main Idea & Supporting Details

What is the central idea? A central idea is a main point that the author is making (also called a main idea). In other words, it’s what the article is about. You can think of a central idea as a thesis statement: one sentence that states what the rest of the article is about. A central idea can always be supported with details from the text, which can be in the form of a direct quotation or it can be paraphrased (put in your own words). Be sure to consider titles, subheadings, and the first and last sentences of each section when you look for central ideas.

To find the central idea, start by asking these questions: *What is the main point the author is trying to make? *What is the most important idea? *What idea summarizes the entire text? *What is the author’s message that he is trying to tell us?

What are supporting details? *Use your text evidence as your supporting details. *Give details to develop and support the central or main idea of the paragraph. *Supporting details make your central idea stronger!

*Read the following excerpt and tell what the central idea is and then list 3 supporting details(text evidence) that develop the main idea. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Jules Verne wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in The narrator is Pierre Aronnax, a French marine biologist, who has been taken prisoner by Captain Nemo in his submarine called Nautilus. This passage describes the submarine’s library. Chapter X: The Man of the Seas It was a library. High pieces of furniture, of black violet ebony inlaid with brass, supported upon their wide shelves a great number of books uniformly bound. They followed the shape of the room, terminating at the lower part in hugedivans, covered with brown leather, which were curved, to afford the greatest comfort. Light movable desks, made to slide in and out at will, allowed one to rest one’s book while reading. In the centre stood an immense table, covered with pamphlets, amongst which were some newspapers, already of old date. The electric light flooded everything; it was shed from four unpolished globes half sunk in the volutes of the ceiling. I looked with real admiration at this room, so ingeniously fitted up, and I could scarcely believe my eyes.

Write the main idea of the paragraph in your own words.______________________________________________ Write two supporting ideas for the main idea. 1.________________________________________ _______________________________________ 2. ________________________________________ ________________________________________