1. Teaching students how determine the main idea within text
Beth A. Conkling
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

2. B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college
Project Goals
be able to Identify the main ideas and supporting details in informational texts.
increase reading comprehension of main ideas more effectively
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

3. B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college
Description
In order to help students become good readers and read for understanding, it is important for them be able to identify the main ideas and supporting details in various types of texts. The reader must know how use certain strategies in order to locate the main idea. Reading teachers can apply 5 types of strategies to help their students learn how to do this.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

4. 5 Strategies to teach how to locate the main idea
introducing the strategy- this method prepares students on how to locate the main ideas and describe the supporting details within a text. First you must explain the purpose of a main idea and how the supporting details are used to further explain the main idea. You do this by providing a clear definition of what a main idea is and provide examples of main ideas. Tell students how the main idea is not always clearly stated or even within the first sentence.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

5. Strategies to teach how to locate the main idea
modeling the process-Show how you would go about determining a main idea and its supporting details. Starting off with well- constructed paragraphs, demonstrate the hypothesis strategy (using guesses) when previewing the title, heading, graphic clues, and the apparent topic sentence to predict the main idea.
Guided Practice-Have students derive main ideas from sample texts. If possible, choose paragraphs that cover familiar topics, as it is easier to construct main ideas when the content and vocabulary are known to them.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

6. Strategies to teach how to locate the main idea
Independent Practice & application-Have students derive main ideas and supporting details in textbooks, periodicals, magazines, newspapers, etc.
Assessment and re-teaching-Observe students as they obtain main ideas from a variety of passages in texts and trade books. You can create a rubric in order to help you keep a record of their progress. The rubric could include: Identifies the main idea, identifies supporting details, Can infer the main idea and supporting details in texts where the main ideas is not clearly stated, can identify the main idea and supporting details when the main idea is at the end of the text.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

7. B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college
Lesson activities
Independent Work-Make copies of paragraphs from textbooks, magazines, or newspapers that have the main idea in different parts of the paragraph. Give the students copies of a word web and a paragraph. Ask them to find the main idea and details and write them in the correct places. Guide discussion about the students' answers. Continue working with word webs and paragraphs until students have identified main ideas in different places and those that are implied but not stated.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

8. B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college
Lesson activities
Word webs: Copy a paragraph from the students' textbooks that tells the main idea in the first sentence. Give each student a copy and ask him or her to read the paragraph and find the main idea. Draw a second word web and repeat the first exercise writing the main idea in the middle circle and the details in the smaller circles.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

9. B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college
Lesson activities
Group Work- Have students form groups of four. Give each student a copy of one of the articles that the students brought from home. Ask students to use highlighters to mark the main ideas in their articles. Ask them to trade paragraphs and discuss the results in their groups. Pull the group together and give students an opportunity to share their findings.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

10. Lesson activity Extension
have the students develop a topic they are interested in then have them come up with their own main ideas. For example, their topic could be dancing. The main idea #1 could be type of dance, main idea #2 could be dance attire and main idea #3 could be places to go dancing.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

11. modifications for diverse learners
paraphrase the text in order to allow for better understanding. This will increase reading comprehension of main ideas more effectively than repeated readings.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

12. NY State learning standards
1,2,3- Restate and summarize main ideas or events, connect information within a text by making inferences and drawing conclusions across texts, connect themes to personal experiences, experiences of others, and other texts.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

13. B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college
Assessment
Observe students as they perform individual and or group work. Use a graphic organizer in order to help track progress.
Student should be able to state why this is an important comprehension skill and how it can be used to apply to their understanding of the text.
At end of school year, students should be able to identify on their own the main idea and supporting details in a text in the first sentence, in the middle of the story or passage, or at the end.
Students must learn to identify main ideas even if they're implied but not written.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college

14. B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college
Research
The effects of cooperative learning and direct instruction in reading comprehension strategies on main idea identification. Stevens, Robert J.; Slavin, Robert E.; Farnish, Anna M. Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol 83(1), Mar 1991, 8-16.
Reading Comprehension Instruction in Social Studies Programs. Bonnie B. Armbruster and Beth Gudbrandsen.Reading Research Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Winter, 1986), pp
Teaching Main Idea Comprehension.B. James. F, Ed
Strategies for Finding the Main Idea. C.Alexander.Journal of Reading, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Jan., 1976), pp
Enhancing Main Idea Comprehension for Students with Learning Problems. A.Jitendra, M. Hoppes, Y. Xin. Journal of Spec Education.2000; 34:
Teaching Rural Students with Learning Disabilities: A Paraphrasing Strategy to Increase Comprehension of Main Ideas.E.Edwin, A.Graves.
11/18/2019
B.Conkling EdSe 666 touro college