Developing a Main Idea

Developing a Main Idea

By Candace Gold

Multiple Choice

True or false: A text can have more than one main idea.

• True

• False

Determining Main Idea(s)

Topic- what is a topic?

Then, ask yourself what the author tells you or want you to know about the topic?

Main Ideas

Texts can have multiple main ideas that are developed throughout.
The main ideas of "the importance of a garden" and "how working hard brings rewards" were main ideas in the first passage.

​Question Stems

How does the author develop the main ideas of _________________ and ______________?
What are two main ideas about _________________ in the text?

What

​Camping Trip!

You’re going camping, and it’s time to set up your tent. Just follow the instructions in this handy manual:

• Unroll your sleeping bag inside the tent.

• Find a flat spot on the ground and clear away any rocks or sticks.

• Build your tent.

• Unpack your tent from its bag and lay out all the pieces.

What does it mean to develop ideas?

• When authors develop ideas, they build on, support, and add complexity to their points.

• This helps them give readers a deeper understanding of the topic of the text.

• Sequence information to highlight the connections between ideas, events, and individuals.

• Include examples, details, and evidence that show their big ideas.

​Willow Branch, a student journalist for Mountain High Monthly, just published this article.

Last week, the Mountain High Adventure Club's annual hiking trip turned into an overnight disaster when all five students' phones failed them.

"Our phones had the trail maps downloaded. What could go wrong?" trip leader Cedar Brooks remembered thinking. A lot, apparently. A mudslide forced the group to veer off their normal route, and Cedar's phone couldn't load the new trail map. His companions' phones were also useless—one had fallen in the mud, and the others had run out of battery. As night fell, the group had to make camp.

Forest ranger Ridge Walker found the group the next morning and guided them to safety. "Students today are used to following a little dot on a screen," she said "But they're not learning fundamental skills like reading maps and identifying landmarks. These students didn’t even bring a map with them!” The Pine Ridge disaster reveals just how much we rely on technology in wilderness exploration. We've completely forgotten how to find our way without it, and basic navigation skills are disappearing. When our screens go dark, so do our survival skills.

Now, let’s analyze how the author clearly and carefully developed their ideas.

Open Ended

What is a topic in this text?

Open Ended

What is a main idea about relying on technology in this text? (Think about the topic and what the author is telling you ABOUT the topic)

Multiple Choice

How does the author develop the main idea of the dangers of relying on technolgy?

• By listing research by experts

• By explaining how the trip failed due to technolgy

• By explaining how to set up a tent

• By using maps correctly

​Historian Wallace Stegner called national parks "the best idea [America] ever had." National parks offer many activities, from rafting trips guided by park rangers to family-friendly hikes that develop children’s love for nature. However, if you want to experience the full wonder the parks have to offer, backcountry camping is your best bet.

Backcountry camping involves filling a backpack with everything you need for an overnight camping trip—like a tent, sleeping bag, food, and clothes—and taking off into the wilderness. This style of camping has many benefits.

First, no crowds! It’s just you—and your friends, if they join—and the wilderness. Maybe the occasional wild animal, if you’re lucky. You also get to disconnect from the buzz and distraction of modern life. No wifi? No worries! Let bird calls and bubbling rivers replace notification pings. Finally, you can experience a deep connection to nature at a time when that’s becoming more. Studies show that being outdoors has big benefits for both physical and mental health—and what better way to experience the outdoors than by yourself in rolling hills and soaring peaks? So if you’re feeling an itch to explore, head to a national park!

Multiple Choice

How does the author develop the idea that backcountry camping is the best way to experience national parks?

• by providing examples of how backcountry camping offers a unique and beneficial experience in the wilderness of national parks

• by including a firsthand account from an experienced backcountry camper and the adventures they experienced

• by explaining how backcountry camping works and what differentiates it from other types of camping

• by highlighting how national parks came to be beloved by Americans from all backgrounds

Things to remember

• There can be MULTIPLE main ideas- by paragraph or overall

• Main ideas are based on topics

• Ask yourself "What are the topic(s)?" and "What is the author telling me about this topic?"

• Authors DEVELOP main ideas

• When you have a developing main idea question, think about the examples and sequence of events that lead you to that main idea