1. TEN STEPS TO BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS
Fourth Edition
John Langan
© Townsend Press

2. Chapter Four: Supporting Details
THIS CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL
• Supporting details are the evidence—such as reasons, examples, facts, and steps—that backs up main ideas. Those details help you understand main ideas.
• There are two levels of supporting details:
— Main items of support are called major details. Pay special attention to them.
— Major details themselves are sometimes supported with information called minor details.
• Words such as several steps or a number of reasons tell you that supporting details may follow.
• Words such as first, another, and finally often introduce supporting details.
• Outlines and maps (diagrams) can show you a main idea and its supporting details at a glance.
See page 149 in textbook.

3. WHAT ARE SUPPORTING DETAILS?
See page 150 in textbook.
Supporting details are reasons, examples, steps, or other kinds of evidence that explain a main idea, or point.

4. WHAT ARE SUPPORTING DETAILS?
Poor grades in school can have various causes. For one thing, students may have financial problems. If they need to work long hours to make money, they will have little study time. Another cause of poor grades may be trouble with relationships. A student may be unhappy over family problems or a lack of friends. That unhappiness can harm schoolwork. A final cause of poor grades may be bad study habits. Some students have never learned how to take good notes in class, how to manage their time effectively, or how to study a textbook. Without such study skills, their grades are likely to suffer.
What are the second and third reasons that should be added to complete this outline of the paragraph?
See page 150 in textbook.
ANSWERS: 2. Trouble with relationships
3. Bad study habits
The next slide highlights and explains the supporting details.
Main idea: Poor grades in school can have various causes.
Supporting detail: 1. Financial problems
Supporting detail: 2.
Supporting detail: 3.

5. WHAT ARE SUPPORTING DETAILS?
Poor grades in school can have various causes. [main idea] For one thing, students may have financial problems. [supporting detail] If they need to work long hours to make money, they will have little study time. Another cause of poor grades may be trouble with relationships. [supporting detail] A student may be unhappy over family problems or a lack of friends. That unhappiness can harm schoolwork. A final cause of poor grades may be bad study habits. [supporting detail] Some students have never learned how to take good notes in class, how to manage their time effectively, or how to study a textbook. Without such study skills, their grades are likely to suffer.
See page 150 in textbook.
The supporting details name three specific causes of poor grades.
Main idea: Poor grades in school can have various causes.
Supporting detail: 1. Financial problems
Supporting detail: 2. Trouble with relationships
Supporting detail: 3. Bad study habits

6. To read effectively, you must recognize both main ideas and the details that support those ideas.
See page 150 in textbook.

7. Outlines begin with the main idea, followed by supporting details.
OUTLINING
Outlines begin with the main idea, followed by supporting details.
• Major details explain and develop the main idea.
• Minor details help fill out the major details and make them clear.
Outlining is a useful note-taking strategy.
See pages 151 to 153 in textbook.

8. OUTLINING
Here is part of the paragraph on causes of poor grades, followed by an outline of it.
Poor grades in school can have various causes. For one thing, students may have financial problems. If they need to work long hours to make money, they will have little study time. Another cause of poor grades may be trouble with relationships. A student may be unhappy over family problems or a lack of friends. That unhappiness can harm schoolwork.
Main idea: Poor grades in school can have various causes.
Major detail: 1. Financial causes
Minor details: a. Need to work long hours after school
b. No time left to study
Major detail: 2. Trouble with relationships
Minor details: a. Unhappiness over family problems
b. Unhappiness over a lack of friends
See pages 151 to 153 in textbook.

9. OUTLINING Outlining Tips
Tip 1 Look for words that tell you a list of details is coming.
List Words
several kinds of various causes a few reasons
a number of a series of three factors
four steps among the results several advantages
See page 153 in textbook.

10. OUTLINING Outlining Tips
Tip 1 Look for words that tell you a list of details is coming.
Examples
• Poor grades in school can have various causes.
• To motivate workers, managers should practice several methods of building self-esteem.
See page 153 in textbook.

11. OUTLINING Outlining Tips
Tip 2 Look for words that signal major details. These words are called addition words.
Addition Words
one to begin with in addition last
first another next last of all
first of all second moreover final
for one thing also furthermore finally
See page 154 in textbook.

12. OUTLINING Outlining Tips
Tip 2 Look for words that signal major details. These words are called addition words.
Examples
Poor grades in school can have various causes [list words]. For one thing [addition words], students may have financial problems. If they need to work long hours to make money, they will have little study time. Another [addition word] cause of poor grades may be trouble with relationships. A student may be unhappy over family problems or a lack of friends. That unhappiness can harm schoolwork. A final [addition word] cause of poor grades may be bad study habits. Some students have never learned how to take good notes in class, how to manage their time effectively, or how to study a textbook. Without such study skills, their grades are likely to suffer.
See page 154 in textbook.

13. OUTLINING Outlining Tips
Tip 2 Look for words that signal major details. These words are called addition words.
Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow.
To motivate workers, managers should practice several methods of building self-esteem. One way to build self-esteem is to show a genuine interest in what workers have to say. Ask for their opinions and really listen to their responses. A second method of improving self-esteem is to practice good conversational habits. Do so in three ways: by looking a worker in the eye, by smiling frequently, and by calling workers by their first name—the most important word in the language to every person. Last of all, managers can build esteem by admitting mistakes. Doing so, they show that it is simply human to do the wrong thing at times.
See pages 154 and 155 in textbook.
ANSWERS: First major detail - One
Second major detail - second
Third major detail - Last of all
The next slide highlights these signal words.
• Which word signals the first major detail?
• Which word signals the second major detail?
• Which words signal the third major detail?

14. OUTLINING Outlining Tips
Tip 2 Look for words that signal major details. These words are called addition words.
Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow.
To motivate workers, managers should practice several methods of building self-esteem. One way to build self-esteem is to show a genuine interest in what workers have to say. Ask for their opinions and really listen to their responses. A second method of improving self-esteem is to practice good conversational habits. Do so in three ways: by looking a worker in the eye, by smiling frequently, and by calling workers by their first name—the most important word in the language to every person. Last of all, managers can build esteem by admitting mistakes. Doing so, they show that it is simply human to do the wrong thing at times.
See pages 154 and 155 in textbook.
• Which word signals the first major detail?
• Which word signals the second major detail?
• Which words signal the third major detail?
One
second
Last of all

15. OUTLINING Outlining Tips
Tip 3 In your outline, put all supporting details of equal importance at the same distance from the margin.
Example
Main idea: To motivate workers, managers should practice several methods of building self-esteem.
1. Show genuine interest in what workers have to say.
a. Ask for their opinions.
b. Really listen to their responses.
2. Practice good conversational habits.
a. Look a worker in the eye.
b. Smile frequently.
c. Call workers by first name.
3. Admit mistakes.
See page 155 in textbook.

16. Mapping, like outlining, is a useful note-taking strategy.
PREPARING MAPS
Maps, or diagrams, are visual outlines in which circles, boxes, or other shapes show the relationship between main ideas and supporting details.
Mapping, like outlining, is a useful note-taking strategy.
See pages 158 and 159 in textbook.

17. PREPARING MAPS Below is a map of the paragraph on motivating workers.
To motivate workers, managers should practice several methods of building self-esteem. One way to build self-esteem is to show a genuine interest in what workers have to say. Ask for their opinions and really listen to their responses. A second method of improving self-esteem is to practice good conversational habits. Do so in three ways: by looking a worker in the eye, by smiling frequently, and by calling workers by their first name—the most important word in the language to every person. Last of all, managers can build esteem by admitting mistakes. Doing so, they show that it is simply human to do the wrong thing at times.
To motivate workers, managers should practice several methods of building self-esteem.
Certain basic fears are part of our lives.
See pages 158 and 159 in textbook.
Show genuine interest in what workers have to say
Practice good conversational habits
Admit mistakes
Ask for their opinions
Really listen to their responses
Look a worker in the eye
Smile frequently
Call workers by first name

18. PREPARING MAPS
Read the following paragraph. Notice the list words and the words that signal the three major details.
People daydream for a variety of reasons. One cause of daydreaming is boredom, at school or on the job. To make life more interesting, people imagine being somewhere else. For example, a student might dream of lying on the beach and flirting with an attractive person on a nearby blanket. A production worker might dream about winning the lottery or becoming the big boss at the company. Another cause of daydreaming is a lack of something. For instance, a starving person might dream about food, or a poor person might dream about owning a house or a car. A third cause of daydreaming is angry feelings. An angry student might dream about dropping a hated math instructor out of a classroom window.
See pages 158 and 159 in textbook.
ANSWERS: 1. a variety of reasons
2. One
3. Another
4. third
The next slide highlights these answers.
1. Which words in the first sentence tell you that a list of details is coming?
2. Which word signals the first major detail?
3. Which word signals the second major detail?
4. Which word signals the third major detail?

19. PREPARING MAPS
Read the following paragraph. Notice the list words and the words that signal the three major details.
People daydream for a variety of reasons. One cause of daydreaming is boredom, at school or on the job. To make life more interesting, people imagine being somewhere else. For example, a student might dream of lying on the beach and flirting with an attractive person on a nearby blanket. A production worker might dream about winning the lottery or becoming the big boss at the company. Another cause of daydreaming is a lack of something. For instance, a starving person might dream about food, or a poor person might dream about owning a house or a car. A third cause of daydreaming is angry feelings. An angry student might dream about dropping a hated math instructor out of a classroom window.
See pages 158 and 159 in textbook.
1. Which words in the first sentence tell you that a list of details is coming? a variety of reasons
2. Which word signals the first major detail? One
3. Which word signals the second major detail? Another
4. Which word signals the third major detail? third

20. PREPARING MAPS What major details are missing from the map below?
People daydream for a variety of reasons. One cause of daydreaming is boredom, at school or on the job. To make life more interesting, people imagine being somewhere else. For example, a student might dream of lying on the beach and flirting with an attractive person on a nearby blanket. A production worker might dream about winning the lottery or becoming the big boss at the company. Another cause of daydreaming is a lack of something. For instance, a starving person might dream about food, or a poor person might dream about owning a house or a car. A third cause of daydreaming is angry feelings. An angry student might dream about dropping a hated math instructor out of a classroom window.
People daydream for a variety of reasons.
See pages 158 and 159 in textbook.
ANSWERS: First oval = boredom
Second oval = lack of something
Third oval = angry feelings
The next slide highlights these major details.
Example: Worker dreams about winning lottery.
Example: Poor person dreams about owning car.
Example: Angry person dreams about dropping teacher out window.

21. PREPARING MAPS
People daydream for a variety of reasons. One cause of daydreaming is boredom, at school or on the job. To make life more interesting, people imagine being somewhere else. For example, a student might dream of lying on the beach and flirting with an attractive person on a nearby blanket. A production worker might dream about winning the lottery or becoming the big boss at the company. Another cause of daydreaming is a lack of something. For instance, a starving person might dream about food, or a poor person might dream about owning a house or a car. A third cause of daydreaming is angry feelings. An angry student might dream about dropping a hated math instructor out of a classroom window.
People daydream for a variety of reasons.
See pages 158 and 159 in textbook.
Boredom
Lack of something
Angry feelings
Example: Worker dreams about winning lottery.
Example: Poor person dreams about owning car.
Example: Angry person dreams about dropping teacher out window.

22. In this chapter, you learned the following:
CHAPTER REVIEW
In this chapter, you learned the following:
• Supporting details go hand in hand with main ideas. They provide the added information you need to make sense of a main idea.
• There are often two levels of supporting details—major and minor.
• List words and addition words can help you to find major and minor supporting details.
• Outlining and mapping are useful note-taking strategies.
• Outlines and maps, or diagrams, show the relationship between the main idea, major details, and minor details of a passage.
See page 162 in textbook.
The next chapter, “Locations of Main Ideas,” will deepen your understanding of the relationship between main ideas and supporting details.