Content: Reading for Main Ideas

​Reading for Main Idea

By Jiraporn Chantem

What is Reading for Main Ideas?

Reading for main ideas is reading to find the main idea or important ideas of the story read by using the 5W1H technique (who, what, where, when, how) as a questioning tool. And once you have the gist of each part, please arrange it in your own style to be concise, clear and elegant. 

Reading steps for main ideas

1. Read the story briefly:

Read the story from beginning to end to understand the overall picture and content. 
2. Ask the 5W1H questions:

When you have finished reading, ask yourself questions like: Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why. 
3. Separate the main idea (the essence) and the extension (the content):

Find the main idea of ​​each paragraph and extract any extensions that help explain or give examples to clarify the main idea. 

4. Arrange the main points:

Take the main points from each section and rewrite them in your own language , using sentence connectors to make the sentences flow smoothly and clearly convey the meaning. 

​Additional techniques

Specify the key points: The main idea may appear as a clear sentence at the beginning or end of a paragraph , or it may be hidden in the content.
Important Note: Write down the names of people, places, times, or important information to help you understand and remember them more easily.

​Additional techniques

Set clear goals: Knowing why you want to read will help you focus better on the content.
Note the subject line: The topic or title often tells you what you are going to learn, which helps you to understand the main idea more easily.

Are you ready to improve your reading skill?