Development of Central Idea

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Key Ideas & Details

RI 7.2 Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text
RI 7.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

UNIT 1: Analyzing the Development of Central Ideas

​Central Idea - the most important point or points an author is trying to make about a topic.

• May be stated directly but often implied.

Supporting Details - Facts, examples, reasons, and other pieces of information are meant to expand and explain the central idea.

Multiple Choice

Which statement provides an objective summary of the picture?

• Dinosaur bones are hard to find and difficult to study.

• Being a paleontologist would be an exciting job filled with risk and danger.

• Paleontologists help us learn about dinosaurs and our past.

• Studying fossils is useless. We should focus on the future.

Multiple Choice

How does the illustration support the central idea?

• The dinosaur bones show the shapes of creatures from the past.

• The paleontologist is using a variety of tools.

• The rocks are scattered in a familiar pattern.

• The paleontologist is working in a desert setting.

Multiple Choice

The author describes two career paths: deep-sea treasure diving for money, and deep-sea treasure diving for gathering information. Which career path is described in paragraph 2?

The divers who study sunken treasures are concerned with preservation of the sites. These divers often locate, map, and study shipwrecks. When they find a site, the divers are interested in using the information that the treasure provides to form a story about the ship that wrecked. By studying artifacts such coins or jewelry found at a site, these divers learn many things about the lives of the ship’s passengers. They also learn more about the cargo and the daily lives of the sailors aboard the ship. Sometimes they even learn why the ship sank.

• The goal of some deep sea divers is to profit from sunken treasure.

• Deep sea divers must train for many months before going on a dive.

• Many artifacts have been discovered by deep sea divers.

• The goal of some deep sea divers is to preserve and study artifacts lost at sea.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence provides a supporting detail for the idea that we must respect the oceans and their treasures?

• Some divers spend a lot of time searching for sunken treasures.

• Deep-sea diving involves a great deal of physical training.

• Divers must identify sites that are legal before they collect artifacts.

• Profit is the main motivation for some deep-sea divers.

Multiple Choice

Which quote summarizes any diver's responsibility?

• "For these deep-sea divers, the measure of their success is the dollar value of the treasure they find."

• "Whether deep-sea divers wish to study treasure or collect it, divers must obey the laws, dive in teams, and be careful at all times."

• "They must also take measures to preserve the artifacts so that they don’t corrode and lose value once they are recovered."

• "The divers who study sunken treasures are concerned with preservation of the sites."

Multiple Select

Analyzing the details of a selection is one way to determine central idea. Which other parts of a selection develop central ideas?

• Title

• Subtitles

• Author's Name

While reading informational texts, a good strategy is to ask yourself questions along the way based on titles and subheadings

In Reading class this week, you will read informational texts to practice this skill

Multiple Choice

Which sentence best captures a central idea of the biography?

Which choice matches one of the central ideas from the previous page?

• Career paths are not always easy to identify and follow.

• Suni Williams did not face any difficult challenges in her career.

• The career path chosen by Suni Williams was very predictable.

• People should never change their career path.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the biography best captures a second central idea of the text?

Which sentence tells something about Williams not believing in herself?

• "She says that she was just an "okay" high school student."

• "It dawned on her that her helicopter training could be her ticket to space."

• "The only one who's telling me I'm not going to be an astronaut is me!"

• "Williams eventually trained to become a member of the International Space Station crew, where she served as flight engineer and set a new record for women in space.

Open Ended

Describe one central idea about Suni Williams' life. List at three details from the text that supports this idea.

Which central idea did you choose in the second close read activity?

Multiple Select

What is true of informational texts?

• They include a narrator's point of view

• They include an author's point of view

• They use quotes from eyewitnesses or experts

• They develop characters using dialogue