Main Idea and Supporting Details
➔ Topic: what a piece of writing is about; its subject
matter
➔ Main idea: most important idea in a paragraph, or
what the writer’s main point is about the topic.
➔ Topic Sentence: a sentence that states or leads into
the main idea of a paragraph
Supporting Detail
Supporting detail: words, phrases, or sentences that tell
more about the main idea or topic sentence; types
include:
Reasons: details that tell why an opinion is valid or an event occurs
Facts: statements that can be proved
Statistics: facts expressed in numbers
Examples: specific instances that explain or support a point
Sensory details: details that appeal to one or more of the five senses
Anecdotes: brief stories about a character or an event
Context Clues
➔ Context Clues: words or phrases surrounding a
difficult word that can help you define its
meaning.
➔ Remember, look for familiar words close to the
unfamiliar word or phrase. By using these
context clues, you can discover the meaning of
new words.
Inferences
➔ Inference: an idea or conclusion that is drawn from
evidence and reasoning, much like an educated guess.
(“Reading between the lines” and finding clues to infer
beyond the literal meaning of a passage.)
◆
By making inferences, you can understand the meaning
of what the author has suggested but not directly stated.
So look for clues in the passage that will help you make
an inference about what the author is suggesting.
Predicting Outcomes
★ When you are reading a passage, you can often
predict what might happen based on what you
already know about a character or situation.
★ First understand the character or situation, then
apply what you know to figure out what may
happen next.
Setting & Atmosphere
• Setting: the place, time, and atmosphere of which a
story takes place.
• Atmosphere: the feeling or mood associated with the
physical environment.
• Visualizing the setting helps you better understand what
you are reading.
• Try to picture the setting, the characters, and the story in
your mind as you read.
Character
• When you are reading a passage, try to get to know the
characters:
• What does the character look like?
• How does the character behave?
• What does the character think?
• What do others say or think about the character?
Author’s Tone
• Tone = the attitude the author takes towards
his/her subject of writing.
• When you are reading a passage, ask yourself what feeling it
has.
• Is it serious or funny?
• Notice how the author's word choices and style affect
the feeling of the piece.
AUTHOR'S PURPOSE
• When you read a passage, it's important to think
about why the author wrote the piece.
• Does the author want to entertain, inform, or persuade?
• Try to decide what the author's purpose was in writing
the passage on the next slide.
Figurative Language
• Figurative language: words/phrases written that are not meant
to be taken literally, but are written to clarify or make a point.
The words or phrases mean something different than what is
directly stated. (simile, metaphor)
• Simile = a comparison between two things using "like" or "as“
• Metaphor = a comparison between two things without "like" or "as“
• Personification = giving inanimate objects human characteristics
Dialogue
• Dialogue--what characters say to each other—
• Can let your know what a character is feeling or
thinking.
• It can also help you identify conflict.
• The conflict is the issue or problem that arises in
the story that in the end is usually resolved.