Humanities, Unit 3 Lesson 2

Humanities, Unit 3 Lesson 2: Finding the Central Idea

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Poll

What is your emoticon right now?

Agenda

• Attendance / Entrance Ticket

• Important Reminder: Mid-Unit 3 Assessment on October 27, Tuesday

• Lesson today: Finding the Central Idea in a text

• Homework: Read the Model Essay posted in your Altitude Card

KEEP YOUR CAMERA ON!

Mid-Unit 3 Assessment

• When: October 27, Tuesday

• What: Finding the central idea in the Model Essay and testing your vocabulary

• How: Completing the questions in your Altitude Card

• Remember: Grading Cycle 2 ends October 29

Lesson today:

• Finding the central idea of the text

• Learning Target: I can determine a central idea and how it is conveyed through details in an informational text. (RI.8.1, RI.8.2)

• Keywords: central idea

Open Ended

Define Central Idea

Central Idea

• The central idea is the “big point” or the most important idea that the writer is 

• Often the reader can find the central idea just by looking at the title.

• For example, a passage titled: “Why Students Should Have Less Homework” will include reasons for that idea. 

Poll

•Read this short paragraph:

Engineers create wealth for society. So, tennis is a game and the resources of the earth are scarce. Have you gone mad? Thus the only solution is to educate the public on being socially responsible.

DID THIS MAKE SENSE?????

Look again at the text

• It didn't have the central idea

• We would go crazy if texts were written like this all the time.

• It was difficult to understand because it was made of different ideas that did not link. There was no common thread

• The good news is that normal passages have central ideas!

Central Idea

• The central idea is the “big point” or the most important idea that the writer is communicating to the reader.

• what the story, essay or article is ALL About

• we ask ourselves the question: What is the author trying to tell me in this text?

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Central Idea

• Central Idea - is like the heart

    of the text or a paragraph. 

• It is the controlling idea. 

• All the other supporting details in the text or within a paragraph should tell us more about the central idea. 

Multiple Choice

What is the best question to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?

• Who is the main character?

• What is one important detail?

• What is the main event?

• What is the point that the author is trying make?

Multiple Choice

“The rain forest is home to many creatures. Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest. Butterflies and anteaters also live in the rain forest.”.

What is the central idea of this text?

• A) Sloths and tapirs are other creatures that live in the rain forest.

• B) The rain forest is home to many creatures.

• C) Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest.

Multiple Choice

If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!

What is the main idea?

• Sometimes people feel sad.

• We are not always happy.

• You should do good things for others.

• There are many ways to make yourself feel better.

Strategies in finding the main idea

• Read the text.

• Highlight or take down notes.

• Summarize the text in your own words. (Think of writing gists in the Summer of the Mariposas)

• Answer the question: What is the main point of the text?

Do NOW

• Now, we are going to read the model essay

• Goal: Find the central idea & determined how this was conveyed in the text.

• As we read, I will be asking you to share what you understand.

• Answer when you are asked with the question.

Homework and Reminders

• Mid-Unit 3 Assessment on October 27, Tuesday

• Reread the model essay

• List down new words from the text. Determine what they mean. (You can write these in your notebook)

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