Main Idea or Topic? You Decide! First Grade, Second Grade Reading, ESL by April Brown July 13, 2018 Provide students with an opportunity to closely examine the difference between a topic and main idea in a nonfiction text. Use as a stand-alone activity or a support for the Finding the Main Idea and Details in a Nonfiction Text lesson. Objectives Objectives Academic Students will be able to identify the main idea of a grade level text. Language Students will be able to identify the topic and main idea with grade level words, phrases, and sentences using a graphic organizer for support. Materials and preparation Class set of the Finding the Topic and Main Idea in a Nonfiction Text worksheet Glossary Vocabulary Cards Teacher copy of the Teach Background Knowledge Template Teacher copy of the Write Student-Facing Language Objectives Reference A simple nonfiction book with an easily found topic and main idea sentence Six note cards with the following topics written on them: whales, bees, the ocean, a chicken's life cycle, the human body, mountains Six note cards with the following main ideas written on them: There are many types of whales. Bees are important to Earth. The ocean is home to many living things. A chicken goes through a life cycle. Our bodies help us do many things! Mountains are part of Earth's surface. Large piece of white paper (anchor chart) Reading logs or journals Tape Key terms TIER 3 main idea : usually a sentence that explains the most important thought about the topic main topic: a word or phrase that tells what the book or text is about nonfiction: a text or book that has facts about something real Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/ Attachments Finding the Topic and Main Idea of a Nonfiction Text (PDF) Vocabulary Cards: Main Idea or Topic? You Decide! (PDF) Glossary: Main Idea or Topic? You Decide! (PDF) Teach Background Knowledge Template (PDF) Write Student-Facing Language Objectives Reference (PDF) Introduction (3 minutes) Show the cover of a nonfiction book and review the definition of nonfiction in kid-friendly language. Explain to the students that a nonfiction text or book is about a real topic. Explain that today students will be learning about the difference between a main topic and a main idea in a nonfiction text. Building Academic Language Word (10 minutes) Get out the Vocabulary Card worksheet and tape an anchor chart on the whiteboard. Write and circle the word "nonfiction" on the anchor chart. Under the word nonfiction, write and underline the words "main topic" and "main idea." Clarify the meaning of main topic and main idea, using the kid-friendly definitions on the Vocabulary Card worksheet. Split the students into groups of six. Explain that today they will be playing "We Have, Who Has?" to match the main topic to the connecting main ideas. Pass out a non-matching topic card and main idea card to each group. Ask students to briefly read and review cards. Write the following sentence frames on the board: The topic we have is ____. Who has the main idea that matches? We have the main idea ____. We think the topic and main idea match because ____. Model how to play the game by writing the topic bugs on a note card and the main idea There are many different kinds of bugs in the world on a separate note card. Call a student to the front of the classroom and give the student the main idea card. Finish the first sentence frame aloud and help the volunteer student use the note card to finish the next sentence frame orally. Next, have the student help you decide where to tape the note cards on the anchor chart. The topic card should go under the main topic heading on the anchor chart and the main idea card should go under the main idea heading on the anchor chart. Start with one of the groups and ask them to read their topic card. The group with the matching main idea should raise their hands. Have one of the group members finish the second sentence frame aloud. Encourage student volunteers to come up to tape their note cards under the correct word. Continue this process until all the note cards are taped on the whiteboard. Briefly review the answers and clarify any confusion. Discourse (15 minutes) Project the Finding the Topic and Main Idea of a Nonfiction Text worksheet on the whiteboard and pass out copies to each student. Read the directions aloud and review the word bank and definitions of topic and main idea. Read through the text in Part 1, calling on student volunteers to help you. Ask students what they think the topic of the text is, referring to the title and first sentence of the text for support. Have a student come up to the whiteboard to record the topic. Prompt the students to think about the main idea of the text. Allow a few students to share out. Clarify that the first sentence of the text is the main idea and circle it. Ask a student to rephrase the main idea of the text in their own words and record it on the whiteboard. Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/ Sentence No sentence focus for this lesson plan. Additional EL adaptations BEGINNING Allow students to sit near the front of the classroom during the introduction of the lesson. Provide definitions of main topic, main idea, and nonfiction in student's home language (L1). Write the sentence frames that will be used during the word level activity on note cards prior to the lesson. Have students practice reading the sentence frames aloud. Allow students to work in a small, teacher-led group during the discourse activity and formative assessment. Provide students with a simple paragraph with only 3–4 sentences to help them be successful in searching for the main topic and main idea in the text. Allow students to answer the statements orally with a partner during the closing activity. ADVANCED Encourage students to help you define nonfiction during the introduction and choose another nonfiction book from the classroom library as an example of their understanding. Ask students to come up to the whiteboard to highlight or circle the topic in the title of the text during the discourse activity. Encourage students to help you read the text aloud. Encourage students to record the closing statements in their reading logs or journals. Formative Assessment of Academic Language (8 minutes) Read Part 2 aloud as a whole group, calling on student volunteers to help read the text. Put students into partnerships and have them find the topic and main idea of the text. Have students rephrase the main idea in their own words and record their answers on the worksheet. Allow a few students to share their answers and clarify any confusion as needed. Use student answers to assess student understanding of the main idea and topic of a nonficton text. Review and closing (4 minutes) Write the below statements on the board and have students record their answers as TRUE (T) or FALSE (F) in their reading logs or journals. Draw a smiley face next to TRUE (T) and a frown next to FALSE (F) to help students understand the meaning. The main topic of a nonfiction text is usually a sentence. The main idea of a nonfiction text is a word or phrase. Nonfiction means real. Allow students to share their answers and clarify any confusion. Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/ Name: _______________________________ Date: ______________________ Finding the Topic and Main Idea of a Nonfiction Text Student Directions: Use the word bank to help you figure out the topic and main idea of the nonfiction text below. Complete Part 1 together as a class. Try out Part 2 on your own or with a partner! WORD BANK topic: a word or phrase that tells what the book or text is about main idea: a sentence that explains the most important thought about the topic Part 1: Your Five Senses Your five senses help you understand the world around you! Every day, whether you’re running outside or eating a yummy meal, your five senses are always sending messages to your brain. Go outside! What do you see? From the tiny ants crawling on the ground to the blue bird at the very top of the tree, your eyes help you see everything around you. Have you ever walked into a bakery and felt hungry right away? Feeling hungry is your sense of smell in action! When air carries smells into your nose, your brain recognizes it. Sometimes the smell makes you feel hungry. Sounds are everywhere you go! Some sounds are very loud, like the siren of a fire truck. Other sounds are quiet, like water dripping from the sink. Have you ever felt something that was slimy, sticky, or wet? Your skin sends information about the way things feel to your brain. Then, your brain tells you what to do! People eat food every day! You use your tongue to taste the food you eat. The tiny bumps on your tongue are called taste buds. They tell your brain if the food tastes good or bad. Without your five senses, the world would seem very different! Every day, your brain helps make sense of what you see, smell, hear, touch, and taste! Name: _______________________________ Date: ______________________ The topic of the text is The main idea of the text is Explain the main idea in your own words. Part 2: Mountains There are different types of mountains. Mountains take millions of years to form. Some mountains are made when the Earth’s crust is pushed up in big folds or forced up or down in blocks. A block mountain forms when two of Earth’s tectonic plates move and a big piece of land breaks off. The line where this break takes place is called a fault. The slab of land that is forced up becomes the block mountain. The most common type of mountain is called a fold mountain. Fold mountains form when the tectonic plates push forward slowly over many years, making many folds. Dome mountains form when liquid inside the Earth makes the ground swell or rise. Instead of the Earth breaking, a dome forms. Mountains are incredible landforms on the Earth’s surface. There are many different types of mountains. There is so much to learn about mountains! The topic of the text is The main idea of the text is Explain the main idea in your own words. Vocabulary Cards EL Support Lesson Plan: Main Idea or Topic? You Decide! nonfiction main topic Fish imals An Fish have gills, that enable them to breath underwater. A nonfiction text or book has facts about something real. main idea Fish Fish have gills, that enable them to breath under water. The main idea is usually a sentence that explains the most important thought about the topic. The main topic is a word or phrase that tells what the book or text is about. Glossary for EL Support Lesson Plan: Main Idea or Topic? You Decide! Word Definition nonfiction A nonfiction text or book has facts about something real. main topic The main topic is a word or phrase that tells what the book or text is about. main idea The main idea is usually a sentence that explains the most important thought about the topic. Visual imals An Fish Fish have gills, that enable them to breath underwater. Fish Fish have gills, that enable them to breath under water. Teach Background Knowledge Lesson Topic: Choose a topic from the main content lesson that will help ELs understand the main content lesson. Your non-ELs will already have knowledge about this topic. Total Lesson Time: (20 - 30 minutes) Student-Facing Language Objective: Example: I can learn new vocabulary using pictures and sentence frames. Student ELP Level(s): Consider each student’s ELP level and their academic strengths when choosing scaffolds for the lesson. Potential Scaffolds: Choose some of these material supports and instructional scaffolds based on each EL’s individual strengths and needs. Groupings (pairs, small-groups, a teacher-led group) Word banks, word wall, and bilingual glossaries Sentence frames, sentence stems, and paragraph frames Home language materials Reduced linguistic load, repetition, rephrasing and modeling Practice new academic skills with familiar topics Materials & Resources List List the materials you’ll use in the lesson. Key Vocabulary Words (5-8 words) List the words with student-friendly definitions in English. Provide definitions in student’s home language when appropriate. Copyright © 2018 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved Find worksheets, games,More lessons & more at education.com/resources worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets © 2007 - 2019 Education.com Introduction Access EL’s prior knowledge about the lesson topic with a brief comprehension check. Potential activities: Creating captions for images Opinionnaires Carousel brainstorming Conversations with sentence starters Time estimate for Introduction (3 - 5 minutes) Explicit Instruction of Background Knowledge Model a learning activity that embeds the teaching of academic language and background knowledge. Potential activities: Lunch brunch discussion Teacher-created, adjusted text and questions Brief videos or visuals Text-based instruction Home-language connections Pre-teach a small number of vocabulary words Show real-world objects Complete word family or bilingual glossaries Word walls or word bank creation Time Estimate for Explicit Instruction (4 - 6 minutes) Guided Practice Provide an opportunity for students (in pairs or small groups) to practice the skill or information taught during Explicit Instruction, offering appropriate scaffolds as needed. Time Estimate for Guided Practice (5 - 7 minutes) Copyright © 2018&Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved Find worksheets, games, lessons more at education.com/resources More worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets © 2007 - 2019 Education.com Formative Assessment Ask students to show comprehension of new background knowledge and associated skills through an oral or written task. Provide appropriate scaffolds dependent on their ELP level. Potential assessments: Act out concepts Hands on tasks Drawings, models, or graphs Graphic organizer completion Captions of images Reading response or content area logs Retellings Role plays Audio or video recordings Oral interviews Time estimate for Assessment (5 - 7 minutes) Review and Closing Refer to the student objective and relate information to future lessons. Allow students to share thoughts about whether they reached their objective and/or mention lingering questions. Provide sentence stems or frames for their discussion. Time estimate for Review and Closing (3 - 5 minutes) Copyright © 2018 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved Find worksheets, games,More lessons & more at education.com/resources worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets © 2007 - 2019 Education.com Write Student-Facing Language Objectives A teacher-facing language objective: A student-facing language objective: begins with “Students will be able to...” is designed to raise students' self-awareness of and promote their language development. incorporates a language function, grammar structure, and supports or scaffolds. is intended to guide the teacher’s lesson planning and instruction. begins with “I can...” is designed to raise students' self-awareness of and promote their language development. incorporates a language function, grammar structure, and supports or scaffolds. is easy to understand for students at all levels of English proficiency. Steps to convert a teacher-facing objective to a student-facing objective: 1. 2. Replace “Students will be able to” with “I can.” Simplify challenging words but maintain key vocabulary words you’ll address in the lesson. Students will be able to describe a character with adjectives using graphic organizers. Language Function Grammar Structure Support/ Scaffold I can talk about a character with adjectives using graphic organizers. Language Function Language Functions locate show sort tell contrast create describe ask questions brainstorm classify identify infer interpret collect compare Grammar Structure Support/ Scaffold Grammar Structures nouns modals verb forms conjunctions sentence structure pronouns comparatives adverbs academic vocabulary adjectives phrases prepositions complex sentences Supports/Scaffolds graphic organizers teacher modeling word banks/walls sentence starters strategic grouping home language supports © 2018 Education.com LLC Allat Rights Reserved Find worksheets,Copyright games, lessons & more education.com/resources More worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets © 2007 - 2019 Education.com
