1. Main Idea and Supporting Details
THEA Objective #2
Main Idea and Supporting Details

2. What is a Main Idea? A Main Idea is :
The topic plus the author’s most important point about the topic.
It is also a complete sentence

3. Unlocking the Mystery of Main Idea
Step 1: Find the topic

4. What is ….Topic?? How do I find the Topic?? A topic is:
Who or what the whole selection is about
How do I find the Topic??
It can be found in the heading or title
It can be repeated several times within the paragraph or selection
Sometimes it is mentioned only in the beginning or end, but is referred to throughout the passage with pronouns.

5. What’s the topic?
(1) Actors are nervous before a play. (2)Politicians are nervous before they give a campaign speech. (3)Athletes are nervous before a big game. (4)Surveys show that 76 percent of experienced speakers, such as novelists and lecturers, have stage fright before taking the floor. (5)In other words, it is perfectly normal to be nervous at the start of a speech. (6)Your body is responding as it normally would to any stressful situation—by producing more adrenaline. (7)This sudden shot of adrenaline is what makes your heart race, your hands shake, your knees knock, and your skin perspire.

6. What’s the topic?
(1)In almost every society in the world, couples have become engaged in some way before marrying. (2)Engagement serves a variety of functions for the couple. (3)It provides a clear indication that marriage is about to occur. (4)Due to the exclusive nature of the relationship, personal and interpersonal testing can continue with less threat from competitive forces. (5)A more thorough awareness of shared and nonshared values, marital-role expectations, and future aspirations can be examined. (6)Engagement provides the final opportunity prior to the legal union for each person to understand himself or herself in relation to the other. (7)It is likely that many couples view an engagement as a kind of trial marriage, including sexual intimacy, the sharing of certain financial obligations, and, in some instances, living together.

7. Whataburger
Theory

8. Stated Main Idea vs. Implied Main Idea
Stated Main Idea is found within the text
Implied Main Idea must be created by the reader using hints and clues in the passage.

9. Stated Main Idea
(1)When Chevrolet began to sell its Nova cars in Latin America, hardly anyone would buy them. (2)The company finally learned that Spanish speakers read the car’s name as the Spanish phrase “no va,” meaning “doesn’t go”! (3)Like Chevrolet, many American companies have learned the hard way that they need to know their customers’ language. (4)When Pepsi-Cola ran its “Come Alive with Pepsi” ads in China, the consumers laughed. (5)The company had not translated its slogan quite right. (6)In Chinese, it came out as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.”

10. Implied Main Idea
___ 1. (1)Dolphins use a process called sonar to find their way and to find food. (2)They emit sound waves that bounce off objects and return, giving the dolphin information about distance, size, and density. (3)Some scientists think the dolphins can even “turn up” these sound waves and stun their prey. (4)They know that certain levels of sound waves could easily kill a large squid in a matter of minutes. (5)If these scientists are correct, dolphins could easily kill each other—yet they don’t.
A. Sea animals have wonderful skills at their disposal.
B. Dolphins do not kill each other.
C. Dolphin sonar is a powerful tool that appears to be used with skill and care.
D. Sonar enables dolphins to find their way around by providing information on distance, size, and density.

11. What is a Main Idea? A Main Idea is :
The topic plus the author’s most important point about the topic.
It is also a complete sentence

12. Correct the Main Idea in a multiple choice test
2 Steps to choosing the
Correct the Main Idea in a
multiple choice test
T/W
Does it have the topic?
Is it about the WHOLE passage?
T/W

13. (1)Snoring is the number-one complaint in marriages all around the world. (2)The honks, hoots, and snorts created by snorers annoy their mates and deprive them of sleep. (3)Fortunately, there are some means of preventing snoring. (4)First, the snorer should avoid breathing through his mouth. (5)Mouth-breathing can be discouraged if the snorer sleeps on his side with his forearm under his chin—effectively pressing his mouth shut. (6)Second, the snorer should increase the humidity in his bedroom. (7)A humidifier or even a pot of water in the room may help. (8)In addition, snoring may disappear if an overweight snorer loses some pounds. (9)And finally, a snorer should avoid drinking alcohol in the evening.
What’s the topic?

14. What’s the topic?
Snoring
B. Marriage Problems
C. Preventing snoring

15. What is the Main Idea ?
Snoring is the number-one complaint in marriages all around the world
b. There are several ways of preventing snoring
c. Mouth-breathing can be discouraged if people sleep on their side with their forearm under their chin—effectively pressing their mouth shut.
d.. A snorer should avoid drinking alcohol in the evening.

16. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was made for television
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was made for television. His tall, thin body gave him the strong vertical line that cameras love, and his weather beaten good looks appealed to women and men. He had a full head of hair, and even in the winter he maintained a tan. In addition, he was always “cool” in public. This too was tailor-made for the “cool medium,” television. Wit, irony, and understatement, all delivered casually, translate well on television.
The topic is
A. politicians.
B. John F. Kennedy.
C. President Kennedy’s wit.

17. What’s the Main Idea?
Wit, irony, and understatement, all delivered casually, translate well on television.
John F. Kennedy was made for television.
He was always “cool” in public.
John F. Kennedy had a full head of hair, and even in the winter he maintained a tan.

18. The female black widow spider is not as terrible a killer as is generally believed. While the creature is certainly poisonous, she is also very shy and will bite humans only when she feels cornered. Also, the idea that the black widow always kills the male after mating is untrue. The male is often spared-if he remembers to tap out a special signal as he ventures onto his mate’s web. The vibrations on the web let her know he is one of her own kind, not an insect to be rushed at and killed.
Topic?
The female black widow spider
Poisonous spiders
The fate of the male black widow spider

19. What’s the Main Idea?
The idea that the black widow always kills the male after mating is untrue
She is not as terrible a killer as is generally believed.
The female black widow spider is not as terrible a killer as is generally believed
The male is often spared-if he remembers to tap out a special signal as he ventures onto his mate’s web

20. Creativity in children Creativity
Research suggests ways in which parents can encourage creativity in children. One way is to provide a stimulating environment. As much as possible, the environment should be designed to match a child’s special interests and talents. Second, teach by focusing on a child’s strengths. Avoid criticizing his or her weaknesses. Another important method is to encourage nonconforming behavior. You can do this by helping your children avoid or resist peer pressure. Fourth, set an example by pursuing interesting work or intellectual or artistic hobbies. Finally, do not use rigid control over children. Children who are constantly directed seem to lose the confidence needed for the creative spirit.
Topic?
Research
Creativity in children
Creativity

21. What’s the Main Idea?
A. One way is to increase a child’s creativity is to provide a stimulating environment.
B. Children who are constantly directed seem to lose the confidence needed for the creative spirit.
C. Research suggests that there are many ways in which parents can encourage creativity in children.
D. You can increase children’s creativity by helping them avoid peer pressure.

22. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, has conducted wide-scale surveys in eleven states to determine teenagers’ knowledge about AIDS. Half of the teens surveyed believe a person can get AIDS through giving blood. Almost three-quarters of teenagers think that AIDS can be gotten from a simple blood test. And half believe that the disease can be easily contracted from a public toilet. None of these beliefs is well-founded.
According to one survey, many teens have a poor understanding of how people get AIDS.
B. The Center for Disease Control conducted a survey to discover teens’ knowledge about AIDS.
C. Teenagers have a poor understanding of sexually transmitted diseases.

23. Before they can say any words, babies communicate by making a variety of sounds. They start by crying. Then they progress to cooing when they are happy, squealing, gurgling, and making long “oohs” and “aahs.” At about six months they babble, repeating syllables such as “buh” and “muh.” Next they start to imitate sounds they hear, even though they don’t seem to understand these sounds. At the next stage, they string such sounds together in a way that is almost speechlike. At about age 1, they say their first meaningful word—usually “mama” or “dada.” Soon they use many words, and at about eighteen months they begin to make combinations of words, forming simple sentences.
Babies are able to communicate before they can actually speak.
B. Babies coo and babble when they are happy.
C. Babies learn to speak in several stages.

24. According to scientists, cockroaches evolved about 300 million years ago, which means they saw the dinosaurs come and go and later watched people emerge on Earth. If you wonder how such little creatures have lasted so long, consider the fact that they can live in a refrigerator or in extreme heat. They can develop resistance to poisons faster than scientists can develop new ones. And they can live for two months on water alone or go for five months without water. Furthermore, they are quick to escape from danger. The takeoff time for a threatened cockroach has been timed at 54/1000th of a second.
Cockroaches evolved about 300 million years ago.
B. Cockroaches can live in a wide variety of temperatures and quickly develop resistance to poisons.
C. Cockroaches have survived for millions of years because they can adapt to a wide variety of circumstances and react quickly to danger.

25. Imagine a beam of light many billions of times more concentrated than the sunlight focused by a magnifying glass. A beam so intense that it will burn a hole in a steel plate, or even through a diamond, the hardest natural material known to man. Such a beam can be produced by a modern source of light called a laser. Laser light is used for communication, for extremely accurate measurements, for surgery and dentistry, and for many different purposes in engineering and science.
a.    Laser light can be made from sunlight
b.   Laser light can be used for communication, for extremely accurate measurements, for surgery and dentistry, and for many different purposes in engineering and science
c.    A laser is an intense form of light that has many valuable uses
d.   Laser beams can burn holes through very hard surfaces.

26. Pesticides kill plants and animals other than the pests they are intended for. Pesticides pollute water systems. Some pests develop immunity to frequently used pesticides. Some pesticides such as DDT and its relatives can remain in the environment for many years beyond the time necessary to do their intended job. Some pesticides have been linked to cancer and other health problems in humans.
Some pesticides have been linked to cancer and other health problems
Pesticides can be very harmful.
Pesticides kill plants and animals other than the pests they are intended for.
They can be very dangerous to both people and the environment.

27. Quiz over Notes (skill #2)
What is the difference between Stated Main Idea and Implied Main Idea?
Define Main Idea.
Define Topic.
List 4 ways to find the topic.
What are the 2 steps to choosing the correct Main Idea?

28. With Notes on Each Paragraph
Main Idea Homework
With Notes on Each Paragraph