Finding Topics and Main Ideas

Finding Topics and Main Ideas
Tools for reading nonfiction This presentation is designed to help students find topics and main ideas. It is helpful to have students write down their answers and ideas throughout the presentation

To understand a paragraph, it’s important to find the topic
Finding Topics To understand a paragraph, it’s important to find the topic The topic is the idea to which all of the details in the paragraph refer A topic is usually expressed as a word or phrase Many students confuse the topic of a text with the main idea. It’s important to get topics well-taught so that they can see how topics and main ideas are different

Can you find the topic? Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful.

Can you find the topic? Topic = WATER
Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful. Topic = WATER

We could see that the topic was water because it was repeated again and again
This is a good way to help us find a topic— looking for repeated words or phrases Picture taken in New Hampshire. (I’ve found that adding some pictures really helps to keep my students engaged in the presentations!)

Now try this one! Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

We could tell that the topic of the paragraph is Williamsburg because it was repeated several times

Finding the topic The topic of a paragraph is not always repeated over and over in the same way Sometimes, you need to look for multiple referents— that is, words or phrases that refer to the same thing Students who do not have rich vocabularies often have trouble picking up on multiple referents.

Looking for multiple referents
Here is the Williamsburg paragraph again. Notice how Williamsburg can be replaced by other words or phrases: C6olonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In this Virginia town, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to this place will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

Williamsburg is referred to in several different ways
This Virginia town and this place both refer back to Williamsburg The topic is still Williamsburg

Look for the topic in this paragraph
Assateague Island is a very special place. A long sandy beach stretches into the Atlantic Ocean. Windswept dunes are home to foxes and seagulls. The famous wild horses, or ponies, also live on this small island.

Look for the topic in this paragraph
Assateague Island is a very special place. A long sandy beach stretches into the Atlantic Ocean. Windswept dunes are home to foxes and seagulls. The famous wild horses, or ponies, also live on this small gisland.

Did you figure out the topic?
Authors sometimes refer to the same idea in different ways “Assateague Island” and “this small island” are really the same place When you are trying to figure out a topic, look for different ways of saying the same thing

Using topics to find main ideas
Once we have figured out the topic of a paragraph, we need to find the main idea The main idea is the main point of the paragraph MAIN IDEA = Topic + a statement about the topic

Can you find the main idea?
Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful.

Did you find the main idea?
The first sentence is the main idea Water is an amazing resource The topic = water The main point about the topic = it’s an amazing resource

Now try this one! Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

Did you find the main idea?
Once again, the main idea was in the first sentence Topic = Williamsburg Main point about the topic= it’s a great place to visit

Is the first sentence always the main idea?
What do you think? Talk about it with your partner!

Think about this paragraph
Croak, croak, kerplop! What’s that at the water’s edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to live where the land meets the water. This keeps them safe from predators that live on the land. When a predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs can eat animals from both places, including crayfish, spiders, fish, and even birds.

Is the first sentence the main idea?

That doesn’t make sense!
Croak, croak, kerplop! can’t be the main idea of the paragraph This sentence does not express a topic or a main point about the topic

Let’s find the topic first

Let’s look at the second sentence

Is it the main idea? Do you think that the second sentence, What’s that at the water’s edge? is the main idea? This doesn’t make sense either. The paragraph is not mostly about the water’s edge

What about the third sentence?

Is it the main idea? Is the third sentence, It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well- suited for life at the pond’s edge the main idea? This sentence includes the TOPIC (green frog) and a main point about the topic (it’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge)

Hooray! The main idea! As you can see, the first sentence is not always the main idea To find the main idea, you need to think about the topic of the paragraph Look at each sentence until you find the best main idea sentence

Now try this one What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley. This is because the park was built on top of a mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and farms of the valley stretch out far below. The Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the letter s, can also be seen.

How do we find the main idea?
Start by finding the topic Then look at each sentence in the paragraph Look for the sentence that states the topic and gives a main point about the topic Once you think you have found it, match it against the rest of the sentences

Finding the topic What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley. This is because the park was built on top of a mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and farms of the valley stretch out far below. The Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the letter s, can also be seen.

Finding the topic The topic, then, is Kings Gap State Park
To find the main idea, we need to understand what the paragraph is saying about Kings Gap State Park

Let’s try the first sentence
What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley. This is because the park was built on top of a mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and farms of the valley stretch out far below. The Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the letter s, can also be seen.

Not the main idea The first sentence, What a gorgeous view, does not state the main idea It does not state the topic of the paragraph

What about the second sentence?
What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley. This is because the park was built on top of a mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and farms of the valley stretch out far below. The Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the letter s, can also be seen.

Better! The second sentence, Kings Gap State Park is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley, includes both a topic and a main idea Let’s see if all of the other sentences in the paragraph relate back to it

Do the rest of the sentences relate?
What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley. This is because the park was built on top of a mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and farms of the valley stretch out far below. The Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the letter s, can also be seen. The rest of the sentences do relate back to the second sentence. It’s the main idea.

What have we learned? What is the topic of a text? The topic is the word or phrase that all of the sentences in a paragraph refer to What is a main idea? The main idea of a paragraph is the topic, plus a feeling or attitude about the topic

What have we learned? Is the main idea of a paragraph always the first sentence? No! Sometimes the main idea appears in other parts of the paragraph How do we find the main idea? We need to think about the topic, and look for a sentence that includes the topic plus a main point about the topic

Does every paragraph work like this?
Yes! Every paragraph in the whole universe is like this and you will never have to think hard again No, some paragraphs are different. Sometimes the paragraph has the topic sentence at the end of the paragraph. Sometimes the author leaves out the main idea altogether, and we need to figure it out

And the answer is… The answer, of course, is B
While most paragraphs do have a stated main idea, some do not Sometimes this is because the author wants to make the reader think more carefully (Dark secret) Sometimes it’s because the author just didn’t write the paragraph very well!

But these guidelines usually do work
Find the topic of the paragraph See if the first sentence states the main idea If not, check other sentences in the paragraph Find the sentence that includes the topic and states a main point about the topic Make sure that the other sentences in the paragraph relate back to the main idea For more on teaching students how to find main ideas, especially the implied main ideas, check out Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling by Emily Kissner. (Available on Amazon.com and from Heinemann)

Fun stuff for the end…. Can you find the frog in this picture?

Fun stuff for the end…. What about this one?

Reflect on what you’ve learned
What have you learned about topics and main ideas?

PRACTICE

1 Passing fears are common in early childhood. Many 2- to 4-year-olds are afraid of animals, especially dogs. By 6 years, children are more likely to be afraid of the dark. Other common fears are of thunderstorms, doctors, and imaginary creatures. The topic of this paragraph is

2 Passing fears are common in early childhood. Many 2- to 4-year-olds are afraid of animals, especially dogs. By 6 years, children are more likely to be afraid of the dark. Other common fears are of thunderstorms, doctors, and imaginary creatures. The stated main idea of this paragraph is

3 Congratulations! You have been offered a job. The time has come to negotiate your salary. The question to ask yourself is: "How much am I worth?" Your answer will likely affect the outcome of your salary negotiation. The point is, in order to negotiate the best possible salary, you must convince both yourself and the employer of the value that you will bring to the job. The topic of this paragraph is

4 Congratulations! You have been offered a job. The time has come to negotiate your salary. The question to ask yourself is: "How much am I worth?" Your answer will likely affect the outcome of your salary negotiation. The point is, in order to negotiate the best possible salary, you must convince both yourself and the employer of the value that you will bring to the job. The stated main idea of this paragraph is

5 There are gender differences in adolescents' satisfaction with their bodies. Compared with boys, girls are usually less happy with their bodies and have more negative body images. Also, as puberty proceeds, girls often become even more dissatisfied with their bodies. This is probably because their body fat increases. In contrast, boys become more satisfied as they move through puberty, probably because their muscle mass increases. The topic of this paragraph is

6 There are gender differences in adolescents' satisfaction with their bodies. Compared with boys, girls are usually less happy with their bodies and have more negative body images. Also, as puberty proceeds, girls often become even more dissatisfied with their bodies. This is probably because their body fat increases. In contrast, boys become more satisfied as they move through puberty, probably because their muscle mass increases. The stated main idea of this paragraph is

7 The topic of this paragraph is
One of the big programming surprises of the 2002 summer TV series was a show on the Fox Network called American Idol, a talent search that highlighted several aspiring performers. The final episode of the show garnered the biggest audience share among 18- to 49-year olds that the network has ever had. Based on a British series called Pop Idol, American Idol is another in a long list of shows that the United States has imported. In fact, many popular U.S. TV shows originated overseas. These include the quiz shows Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and The Weakest Link, both also from Britain . Other examples include Survivor, imported from Sweden; Big Brother , based on a Dutch series of the same name; and TLC's Trading Spaces, based on the British series, Changing Rooms. The topic of this paragraph is

8 The stated main idea of this paragraph is
One of the big programming surprises of the 2002 summer TV series was a show on the Fox Network called American Idol, a talent search that highlighted several aspiring performers. The final episode of the show garnered the biggest audience share among 18- to 49-year olds that the network has ever had. Based on a British series called Pop Idol, American Idol is another in a long list of shows that the United States has imported. In fact, many popular U.S. TV shows originated overseas. These include the quiz shows Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and The Weakest Link, both also from Britain . Other examples include Survivor, imported from Sweden; Big Brother , based on a Dutch series of the same name; and TLC's Trading Spaces, based on the British series, Changing Rooms. The stated main idea of this paragraph is

9 Don't wait for your company to send you to school. Determine your needs and ask about the company's training program. If they don't have one, sign up for classes at a local college. When it comes to your profession, you should be a lifelong learner. Put a high priority on learning new skills and on personal growth and professional development. Learn new software technology and improve interpersonal and writing skills. The topic of this paragraph is

10 Don't wait for your company to send you to school. Determine your needs and ask about the company's training program. If they don't have one, sign up for classes at a local college. When it comes to your profession, you should be a lifelong learner. Put a high priority on learning new skills and on personal growth and professional development. Learn new software technology and improve interpersonal and writing skills. The stated main idea of this paragraph is

UNSTATED MAIN IDEAS

1 How do migrating animals find their destination? They navigate in a variety of ways. Fish use their sense of smell to recognize their migration paths and are guided by changing water temperatures. Birds use the position of the sun to orient themselves. Some birds have magnetic particles in their ear mechanisms that act as a compass. Mammals rely on their memory. Some elephant trails have been used for hundreds of years. Source: Adapted from The Complete Book of Questions and Answers, Columbus, OH: American Education Publishing, 2002, p. 120. The topic of this paragraph is

2 How do migrating animals find their destination? They navigate in a variety of ways. Fish use their sense of smell to recognize their migration paths and are guided by changing water temperatures. Birds use the position of the sun to orient themselves. Some birds have magnetic particles in their ear mechanisms that act as a compass. Mammals rely on their memory. Some elephant trails have been used for hundreds of years. Source: Adapted from The Complete Book of Questions and Answers, Columbus, OH: American Education Publishing, 2002, p. 120. The implied main idea of this paragraph is

3 Psychologists say that a sigh can express satisfaction and contentment. Frequent sighing can suggest despair and depression. It can also express disgust or frustration. It can express several emotions, but there is no one correct way to interpret its meaning. The topic of this paragraph is

4 Psychologists say that a sigh can express satisfaction and contentment. Frequent sighing can suggest despair and depression. It can also express disgust or frustration. It can express several emotions, but there is no one correct way to interpret its meaning. The implied main idea of this paragraph is

5 You're up to your neck in credit card debt. You're feeling stressed, perhaps even panicky. You may be tempted to take out a home equity loan to pay off high credit card debt. Financial specialists say that's a bad idea! If you spend the money instead of paying off your debt, you'll dig yourself into a deeper financial hole. Even worse, you could lose your home. The topic of this paragraph is

6 You're up to your neck in credit card debt. You're feeling stressed, perhaps even panicky. You may be tempted to take out a home equity loan to pay off high credit card debt. Financial specialists say that's a bad idea! If you spend the money instead of paying off your debt, you'll dig yourself into a deeper financial hole. Even worse, you could lose your home. The implied main idea of this paragraph is

7 Whenever your physician orders a medical test for you, ask why you need it. You should also inquire about the risks and benefits are. Find out how to prepare for it. For example, you may need to fast or discontinue medications or herbal remedies you are taking. Finally, be sure to ask what the test will involve. Source: Adapted from Paul Insel and Walton Roth, Core Concepts of Health, Brief ed., 9th ed., p Copyright © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies. The topic of this paragraph is

8 Whenever your physician orders a medical test for you, ask why you need it. You should also inquire about the risks and benefits are. Find out how to prepare for it. For example, you may need to fast or discontinue medications or herbal remedies you are taking. Finally, be sure to ask what the test will involve. Source: Adapted from Paul Insel and Walton Roth, Core Concepts of Health, Brief ed., 9th ed., p Copyright © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies. The implied main idea of this paragraph is

9 When tigers hunt, they hunt alone. In contrast, lions hunt in groups; they work together to drive their prey into an ambush. Cheetahs are known for their speed when they chase prey. Leopards are able to climb trees when they are prowling for prey. Surprisingly, jaguars often hunt in water. There is great diversity in the hunting habits of large cats. There is also great diversity in the places in which they hunt. The topic of this paragraph is

10 When tigers hunt, they hunt alone. In contrast, lions hunt in groups; they work together to drive their prey into an ambush. Cheetahs are known for their speed when they chase prey. Leopards are able to climb trees when they are prowling for prey. Surprisingly, jaguars often hunt in water. There is great diversity in the hunting habits of large cats. There is also great diversity in the places in which they hunt. The implied main idea of this paragraph is (The main idea can also be expressed, There is great diversity in large cats' hunting habits and the places in which they hunt.)

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