Introduction
Do you have trouble finding the author's point of an essay or reading selection?
Can you find the main idea of a paragraph?
If not, now is your chance to learn!
Explore the reading process with Mrs. McIver
Task
TOPIC AND MAIN IDEA
Read the notes below. After each section, click on the picture for practice.
First step in finding the topic of a paragraph is being able to distinguish between general and specific ideas.
The General Idea: the idea that is broad in scope. It is the topic.
The Specific Idea: supports and explains the general idea; it is much narrower in scope.
Example:
General Specific
Birds robin, blackbird, jaybird, eagle
Creatures dogs, animals, humans
Flowers rose, daffodil, daisy
Liquids water, juice, soda, vinegar
Sounds screams, yell, music, whisper
Determining the Topic
Identifying the topic is the first step you need to take towards understanding a paragraph.
Look at the title for clues to the topic of a reading selection. The topic of a paragraph is the subject under discussion. It’s the subject most frequently discussed or referred to by the author.
Readers can usually discover the topic by asking themselves:
- “Who or what is most frequently mentioned in the paragraph?”
- “Who or what is the paragraph/passage about?”
The main idea is the author's point about the topic. The topic and main idea are different.
The main idea is the overall point the author is trying to make; it will always be in the form of a complete sentence. The topic is the subject of the paragraph; it can be a word or word phrase.
Identify the Main Idea Ask Yourself Two Questions:
- What is the topic?
- What is the controlling point about the topic? In other words, what is the author saying about the topic.
Process
To practice what you have learned, click on the picture below. Once you answer the question, you can check your answers.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated based upon their score from the website.
Conclusion
You are officially able to find the main idea! Can you now read a book or passage and find what the author's point is?
Credits
Thanks to the following online practice websites:
Entryways into College Reading and Learning Janet Elder, Richland College
Laraine Flemming-www.laflemm.com
Teacher Page
This website was designed to help online students understand what a topic and main idea are and how to find them. It incorporates a variety of resources to explain and help distinguish between the two concepts. .
Learners: This website was created for students with a focus in comprehension and literacy tasks.
Latasha Terry McIver
Sanford, NC