1. Determining Importance in Reading
Fiction and Non-Fiction

2. Picking out the most important parts in a text or story
Definition
Picking out the most important parts in a text or story

3. How do you find what’s most important?
Ask questions:
What is my purpose for reading this text?
What is the author’s purpose for writing this text?
Answer those two questions and then do the following:
Identify the key ideas
Use text features to help identify important ideas, concepts and details

4. Tools Readers Use Highlighting pens Post Its
Skimming or scanning the text
Headings and sub-headings
Cue words and phrases
Illustrations and photographs
Can you name others?

5. A Note on Highlighting
Look carefully at the first and last line of each paragraph. Highlight those.
Highlight only necessary words and phrases, not sentences
Don’t get thrown off by interesting details
Try not to highlight more than half of the paragraph

6. Questions Good Readers Ask
What is the story or text mostly about?
What are some important ideas or details that struck me as a reader?
What do I think is the most important idea or details to remember and why?