1. Tips for identifying the Main Idea & Supporting Details in a passage Main Idea Main idea is a general statement about the passage. When identifying the main idea first read the entire passage then look for what all the facts in the passage have in common and create a general statement about the passage. Answers the question: What is this MOSTLY about? Supporting Details Supporting details are specific examples/detailed information from the passage Supporting details will further explain and give examples that help the reader understand the main idea.

2. A WATERY ROAD Trade along the Silk Road allowed objects and ideas to travel the whole width of Asia and Europe, from Japan and Korea to Italy and Spain. But the Silk Road was not the only was to transport goods from one end of Asia to the other. Like the network of trails that made up the Silk Road, there was a network of shipping routes that connected the Mediterranean world, India, China, and the mainland and islands of Southeastern Asia. Each route was an alternative to the other. When wars or bandits made the Silk Road more dangerous, more people used the ocean routes. When piracy became a problem on the seas, people relied on the overland caravan routes. Main Idea: The Silk Road was not the only route for trade in ancient and medieval times OR Alternative trade routes to the Silk Road.

3. MAIN IDEA: The Silk Road was not the only route for trade in ancient and medieval times SUPPORTING DETAILS: There was a network of shipping routes that connected the Mediterranean world, India, China, and the mainland and islands of Southeastern Asia. When wars or bandits made the Silk Road more dangerous, more people used the ocean routes. When piracy became a problem on the seas, people relied on the overland caravan routes.