1. TEN STEPS to BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS
FIFTH EDITION
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2. TEN STEPS to BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS
FIFTH EDITION
TEN STEPS to BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS
John Langan
© Townsend Press

3. This Chapter in a Nutshell
• The main idea most often appears in the first sentence of a paragraph.
• The main idea may include such list words as various kinds and a number of. Supporting details may be introduced with such addition words as first of all, next, and finally.
• Sometimes the first sentence or two of a paragraph act only as an introduction to the main idea. The main idea then appears in the second or third sentence. Often a word like but or however signals such a main idea.
• The main idea may also appear in the middle or at the end of a paragraph.
Page 191 in textbook

4. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
This Chapter in a Nutshell
Page 191 in textbook
Beginning
Middle
End
Like the train pictured above, a paragraph has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

5. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
This Chapter in a Nutshell
Main
idea
Main
idea
Main
idea
Page 191 in textbook
Beginning
Middle
End
But the main idea “engine” may appear in the middle of the paragraph as well.
In the previous chapters, most of the main ideas were at the beginning: the first sentence of each paragraph.
And the main idea “engine” also may appear at the end of the paragraph.

6. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
This Chapter in a Nutshell
As you work through this chapter, remember what you have already learned about finding main ideas:
1 Look for a general idea and ask yourself, “Is this idea supported by all or most of the other material in the paragraph?”
2 See if you can decide on the topic—the general subject of the paragraph— and then ask, “What point is the paragraph making about the subject?”
Page 192 in textbook
3 Look for list words such as several reasons or various factors or three steps; such words often appear in the main idea sentence. Also, look for addition words such as first, another, also, and finally; such words may introduce details that support the main idea.

7. Main Idea at the Beginning
CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea at the Beginning
Page 192 in textbook
Authors often begin a paragraph with the main idea.
The rest of the paragraph then supports the main idea with details.

8. Which sentence contains the main idea?
CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea at the Beginning
As you read the paragraph below, look for the main idea.
Pain can cause aggression. When two rats in the same cage were given foot shocks, they attacked each other immediately. In addition, stronger shocks resulted in more violent aggression. Pairs of various other animals reacted similarly. A stubbed toe or a headache has been known to cause similar responses in humans. A parent with a bad headache, for instance, is more likely to shout at or even slap children.
Main idea
Support
Which sentence contains the main idea?
Page 192 in textbook
The first sentence contains the main idea.
The sentences that follow support the main idea with examples of pain causing aggression.

9. Which sentence contains the main idea?
CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea at the Beginning
Read the paragraph below, and see if you can find the main idea.
But a main idea does not necessarily appear in the very first sentence of a passage.
College is supposed to be a place of discovery. But for some students, college can be a place of fear. In the classroom, for example, many students are afraid of appearing stupid in front of their classmates or professors. Such students often try to hide in class by sitting in the back of the room and avoiding eye contact with instructors. Fear prevents them from raising their hands, answering questions, or being part of class discussions. Fear also leads to problems outside the classroom. Worried their peers won’t like them, many college students smoke or drink heavily to blend in with the crowd. They also try drugs, join in hurtful pranks, or practice unsafe sex—all out of fear. And sadly, after getting in trouble, students are often too scared to seek the help they need to solve their problems.
Main idea
Support
Page 193 in textbook
Which sentence contains the main idea?
The first sentence introduces the topic (college). The second sentence contains the main idea (college can be a place of fear).
That idea is supported by the rest of the paragraph.

10. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea at the Beginning
College is supposed to be a place of discovery. But for some students, college can be a place of fear. In the classroom, for example, many students are afraid of appearing stupid in front of their classmates or professors. Such students often try to hide in class by sitting in the back of the room and avoiding eye contact with instructors. Fear prevents them from raising their hands, answering questions, or being part of class discussions. Fear also leads to problems outside the classroom. Worried their peers won’t like them, many college students smoke or drink heavily to blend in with the crowd. They also try drugs, join in hurtful pranks, or practice unsafe sex—all out of fear. And sadly, after getting in trouble, students are often too scared to seek the help they need to solve their problems.
Page 193 in textbook
Note: In paragraphs beginning with one or more introductory sentences, very often a word like but, however, or yet then signals the main idea. In the above paragraph, the word but helps mark the main idea.

11. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea in the Middle
Page 193 in textbook
The main idea at times appears in the middle of a paragraph.

12. Which sentence contains the main idea?
CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea in the Middle
As you read the paragraph below, look for the main idea.
Exercise thickens the bones and can slow the loss of calcium that normally occurs with age. Physical activity increases flexibility in the joints and improves digestion and elimination. It builds lean body mass, so the body burns more calories and body fat decreases. If exercise could be packed into a pill, it would be the single most widely used medicine in the world. Exercise also lowers the risk of developing diabetes. It helps to prevent strokes and heart attacks, and it lowers the risk of certain cancers. It can actually extend your lifespan and sharpen your memory and mind.
Support
Main idea
Support
Which sentence contains the main idea?
Page 194 in textbook
The first three sentences give some of the benefits of exercise.
The fourth sentence contains the main idea.
Then the writer presents the main idea—if exercise were a pill, everyone would take it.
The rest of the paragraph goes on to support this idea by describing more benefits of exercise.

13. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea at the End
Page 194 in textbook
Sometimes all the sentences in a paragraph will lead up to the main idea, which is stated at the end.

14. Which sentence contains the main idea?
CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea at the End
As you read the paragraph below, look for the main idea.
A woman’s son had just graduated from college. So when a florist’s truck pulled in front of her house, she was not surprised, thinking that a relative or friend was congratulating her son. However, she was surprised when she saw that the dozen red roses were addressed to her. The card read, “Thanks, Mom, for making this day possible. I could not have done it without your love and support.” In an unusual switch, the graduate had given his mother a graduation gift.
Support
Main idea
Which sentence contains the main idea?
Pages in textbook
In this paragraph, the supporting details appear first.
The point of the supporting details—that a son had surprised his mother with a gift—appears at the end.

15. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Main Idea at the Beginning and the End
Note: At times, the main idea will appear at the beginning of a paragraph and also, in different words, at the end. Writers may repeat the main idea if they want to emphasize it.
Page 195 in textbook

16. CHAPTER 5 Locations of Main Ideas
Page 199 in textbook