1. CENTRAL IDEA/INFERENCES
LHS ENGLISH II

2. Central Idea
What’s the Big Idea?

3. The purpose of the paragraph or text
Central Idea
The purpose of the paragraph or text
All information in the paragraph should connect to the main idea
Some information is not as important
Good readers identify key ideas

4. https://youtu.be/3KTQYoPhsKg

5. Identifying Central Idea
Read the whole text.
Ask, “What is the author doing here?”
Pay extra attention to the first and last sentence.

6. Example
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to walk on the surface of the moon, but they were not the last. That was Gene Cernan, the last man to step off the lunar surface. In total there have been twelve men who have walked on the moon, all of whom had done so between 1969 and 1972, which is the most recent non-Michael Jackson moon walking.

7. Understanding Central Idea
You must comprehend the text.
Focus on the BIGGEST idea.
This paragraph is about moon walkers.
Armstrong & Aldrin
First Men on the Moon
Cernan was the
Last Man on the Moon
12 Men Have Walked
On the Moon

8. Careful… “Another good title for this passage would be…”
Test writers may ask you:
“Another good title for this passage would be…”
It’s just a way of asking for the central idea.

9. Practice
Summarize each passage in one sentence, including the central idea.
Write an appropriate title for the passage.
Your title should relate to the central idea of the text.

10. An assassination is the murder of a famous person, usually a celebrity or political figure. Many famous assassinations have been attempted, but fewer have succeeded. Here is a brief overview of some famous successful assassins. Lee Harvey Oswald was a former marine who allegedly killed president John F. Kennedy. Ironically, Oswald was himself assassinated a few days later by Jack Ruby. Mark David Chapman was a mentally deranged man who shot and killed John Lennon, lead singer of The Beatles. But, perhaps the most notorious assassin of all is John Wilkes Booth, who killed President Abraham Lincoln while Lincoln attended the theatre.

11. Nicki Minaj, rap phenomenon hailing from Queens, New York, has a new honor to add to her resume: top searched Halloween costume based on a person for the season. Nicki edged out other popular costume searches such as Charlie Sheen. Though no commercial Nicki Minaj costume kit is available, there are a lot of helpful hints available online that show people how to get that “Nicki look.” The popularity of the Nicki Minaj costume search was only edged out by the Angry Birds costume search, which was the most searched for costume this year.

12. The Greek word “deinos” means terrible, powerful, or wonderous
The Greek word “deinos” means terrible, powerful, or wonderous. Combine this with the Greek word “sauros,” which means lizard or reptile, and you might get “dinosaur,” which refers to huge creatures that roamed the earth millions of years ago. The term “dinosauria” was coined by English paleontologist Richard Owen in 1842, which was meant to express the idea that dinosaurs were “terrible reptiles” or “fearfully great lizards.” Over the years, “dinosauria” gradually became “dinosaur,” which is the word we use today to describe those giant beasts from the past.

13. Most people think of submarines as amazing underwater naval transports, not as a refuge for sexual discrimination in the military; however, most navies prohibited women from serving on submarines, even after they had been permitted to serve on surface warships. The Royal Norwegian Navy became the first navy to allow female crew on its submarines in The Royal Danish Navy allowed female submariners in 1988. Others followed suit including the Swedish Navy (1989), the Royal Australian Navy (1998), the German Navy (2001) and the Canadian Navy (2002). Women may serve on US submarines this year, but the British Royal Navy still does not permit women to serve on its submarines.

14. The next time you get the sniffles, remember that it could be worse
The next time you get the sniffles, remember that it could be worse. SARS is an airborne sickness that killed around a thousand people on and after its discovery in AIDS is one of the most devastating illnesses in human history. It is estimated that there are over two million AIDS related deaths each year in the world. But perhaps the most infamous and devastating outbreak in history was the bubonic plague or Black Death, which is estimated to have killed 75 million people, or one-third of the population of Europe in the 14th century.

15. EQ 46 Can you trace the development of the central idea throughout the text and provide a summary?

16. How do we remember Central idea?
Just look at your fingers.
Thumb - Who?
Pointer - Did what?
Middle finger - Where?
Ring finger - When?
Pinky - Why?

17. PAGE 163-”Staying in Galveston, a Park Bench for Shelter”
What in the central idea of the article? (Thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky)

18. Exit Ticket
1. Which word wall word from this week best applies to “Staying in Galveston, A Park Bench for Shelter”?
Altercation
Anarchy
Annihilate
Aspire
Bona fide
2. Provide ONE sentence from the article to support your answer choice.

19. EQ 45 Using textual evidence, what inferences can you draw from the text?

20. MAKING INFERENCES means
Reading between the lines
Schema + Text Clues = Inference
All images copyright 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

21. Difference between imply and infer
Sometimes you will hear or read the term “drawing inferences” as part of a reading test or assignment. That means you have to figure something out from clues. The story you read will only give you clues, and you will have to play detective.

22. https://youtu.be/to30AJm2epQ

23. K (Key Words) I (Infer) S (Support)
Key Words, Infer, Support.
This mnemonic strategy helps students remember the three steps in making and supporting inferences.
Students need to underline key words and facts from the text.
Next students make inferences using the key words or facts to answer the question.
Lastly, the students list background knowledge used to support their answers.

24. PAGE 163-”Staying in Galveston, a Park Bench for Shelter”
Inferences

25. Exit Ticket?
I hear screaming. My stomach feels funny. Can you see my hair blowing? I’m feeling excited!
Can you infer where I am and what I am doing?