Carolyn Beaty

Main Ideas and Supporting Details February 28th

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to teach students how to find the main idea and supporting details in an informational/nonfiction text. I differentiate throughout the lesson by making sure each students gets a text that matches their reading level, as well as varying how students respond and the types of higher order thinking questions they must answer. Standards: Iowa Core > Literacy > Reading: Informational Texts > Grade 3 > Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. Iowa Core > Literacy > Reading: Informational Texts > Grade 3 > Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. Iowa Core > Literacy > Reading: Informational Texts > Grade 3 > Use text features and search tools to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. Objectives: Third grade students will be able to determine the main idea of sections of informational text with 90% accuracy. Third grade students will be able to find supporting details to a main idea in informational text with 90% accuracy. Third grade students will be able to read an informational text and comprehend what they read with 80% accuracy. Third grade students will be able to answer questions regarding the information in a text with 80% accuracy. Third grade students will be able to write the main ideas of a story and the supporting details in a graphic organizer format with 90% accuracy. Third grade students will be able to discuss in small groups about the text and the main ideas and supporting details with 90% accuracy. Materials: Focus Wall Spiral notebooks Pencils Teacher guides Journeys Student book Watch Out! Polar Bears! by Bo Grayson Journeys 3.4.20 Beating the Heat, by Lee S. Justice Journeys 3.4.20 Living in Trees, by Alexandra Behr Journeys 3.4.20 Procedure: Whole Group: 1. Introduction: This week we are going to be working on our target skill of finding main ideas and supporting details in a nonfiction/informational text. a. What is a main idea?

b. c. d. e.

Where are the main ideas usually found? Can there be a main idea of a paragraph and of an entire text? What are details? Is there a difference between details in a text and supporting details for the main idea?

2. Talk about what a main idea is with students. Facilitate a whole group discussion on main ideas in nonfiction text. What is the main idea that the author wants us to know? Discuss with students that the main idea of a paragraph or section in a nonfiction text is typically located in the beginning of the paragraph, often times it is the first sentence. You can make sure that it is the main idea by checking to see if the rest of the paragraph is related to and supports that idea. 3. Discuss supporting details in a nonfiction text. Talk about how the supporting details need to connect to the main idea. It is almost like finding evidence that proves the main idea. Give examples of details that support a main idea and details that do not support the main idea. a. Main idea: Our classroom is very organized i. Details: 1. Our desks are need and tidy (yes) 2. We always put away our supplies after using them (yes) 3. The lunch choices for today are macaroni and cheese or hot dog (no) a. Discuss how this is true, and that it is related to school, but it does not support our main idea. 4. We know where to turn in all of our completed work (yes) 4. Send students back to their desks to complete their seat work for literacy including their spelling sort, and vocabulary for the week. Small Group: 5. Call back red group (10:00-10:30) and yellow group (10:30-11:00) and hand out Watch Out! Polar Bears! to each student. 6. Begin building background for the students. Help students think about types of bears they know about and about polar bears. a. What are some different kinds of bears that you know about? b. Where do these bears live? c. What do you know about polar bears? 7. Tell students that this is a nonfiction/informational text. This means that the words and photos will give factual information about the topic. What are some other nonfiction/informational books you have read? 8. Introduce the text to students. Have them first turn to page 2. Explain that this book contains interesting information about polar bears. a. Look at the heading arctic home. What can you tell bout the arctic form the map, the photo, and the caption? b. What special features do you think polar bears need to help them survive in a place with a cold climate? 9. Page 3. Have students study the diagram, and read the caption with them.

a. How do you think each of the polar bears body parts helps it survive? 10. Page 5. Draw attention to the diagram and the fur background behind it. This shows a close-up of polar bear fur. a. How might a layer of fur be helpful? b. How many layers cover the polar bears body? 11. Page 8. Draw attention to the section head great swimmers and the photograph. a. Read the caption polar bear paws make good paddles. Point out the close up inset photo of a paw. b. How could this paw work like a canoe paddle in the water? 12. Page 14. Draw attention to the final section heading watch out! a. Why do you think that the author is warning readers to watch out? 13. Have students read the book silently to themselves. Take a running record of a student as they whisper read to you. 14. Share responses o What did you learn about polar bears that you did not know before? o Do you think that polar bears could survive anywhere other than in the arctic? Why or why not? Discuss book o Where do polar bears live? o What parts of a polar bears body helps it to survive in a cold environment? o What is a polar bears favorite food? How do you know? o How do you know this is a nonfiction book? Give examples. Are there nonfiction text features? Introduce target skill. Discuss with students that the target skill for this week is finding main ideas and details. Ask students what they already know about this skill and what it means. o What is a main idea? Where are they usually located? o What are details? When I read informational text, I look for the most important information about a topic. Then I try to find details that support or add to the main idea. I know that the main idea often is given first. When I read the section titled staying dry (page 10). I see that the first sentence says A polar bears fur also helps it to stay dry when it swims. Thats the most important, or main idea, in the section. The details are that there is oil in the bears fur, and this oil keeps the cold water from getting close to the bears skin. Graphic organizer. Explain to students that they will be finding details for the main idea you give them. Find two or more details for the main idea. The main idea is A polar bears body keeps it warm Where do you think you could look for supporting details? Give students work time. Discuss how they filled out their graphic organizer. Review target skill. o This book contains a lot of information. So as I read, I look for main ideas. Many times the main idea comes at the beginning of a paragraph. On page 6, under the subheading cool clothing I read the people in the tropics dress in light, loose fitting clothing. Thats the most important idea of the paragraph. The paragraph tells me tat loose clothing lets air move around the body, and air passes easily through light materials. These are details about the main idea.

o Have students read the paragraph on page 8 and write the main idea. Then have them write details about the main idea. 15. Call back green group (11:00-11:20) and hand out Beating the Heat to each student. 16. Begin building background for the students. a. What is your favorite thing to do on a really hot day? b. What do you do to stay cool on a hot day? c. What if you did not have air-conditioning, or a pool? 17. Explain that this is a nonfiction/ informational text. a. What are some other examples of nonfiction text that you have read? 18. Introduce the Text to the students. a. Turn to page 4. This section describes how heat affects people. b. What does your body do when it is really hot? c. Why do you think you sweat? d. What could happen if you got too hot, or overheated? 19. Turn to page 6. Point out that this page has two headings. a. The red heading hot and humid is the main heading. It tells what this section of the book is mostly about. A humid place has a wet climate, or mostly wet weather. The black subheading, cool clothing, gives information about the topic of the main heading. b. What kind of clothing keeps you cool in hot weather? c. What kind of clothing do you think that people in very hot climates wear? 20. Turn to page 10-11. read the heading with students. Explain that this section of the book tells about hot places that are dry, not humid. a. How might the way people dress and live in a hot, dry place be different from the way people in hot, wet places dress and live? b. Look at the man in the photos on page 11. He is wearing several layer of clothing. Does that surprise you? He even has a layer on his head. 21. Discuss with students that the target skill for this week is finding main ideas and details. Ask students what they already know about this skill and what it means. a. What is a main idea? Where are they usually located? b. What are details? 22. Explain to students that they will be reading Beat the Heat and filling out the graphic organizer in the back of the book. Have them write the main idea on their paper, and tell them to come up with at least two supporting details. Give students work time. 23. Discuss how they filled out their graphic organizer. 24. Review target skill. a. This book contains a lot of information. So as I read, I look for main ideas. Many times the main idea comes at the beginning of a paragraph. On page 6, under the subheading cool clothing I read the people in the tropics dress in light, loose fitting clothing. Thats the most important idea of the paragraph. The paragraph tells me tat loose clothing lets air move around the body, and air passes easily through light materials. These are details about the main idea. b. Have students read the paragraph on page 8 and write the main idea. Then have them write details about the main idea. 25. Introduce the Connect To Folklore section and the Making Connections sections for the week.

26. Explain to students that they will need to read the short story/play, and then complete the text to self, text to text, and text to world sections in their spirals. 27. Remind students that it is important to label each section in their notebooks so they are easy to find. 28. Explain that if a making connections section says to talk with other students, they can choose to do it by themselves or with another student, but no matter what they choose they need to record their thinking in their notebooks. 29. Call back blue group (11:30-12:00) and pass out Living in Trees to each student. Begin building background for the students. o Ask students to share what they know about tree houses. o Have you ever been in a tree house? o What could you see from that place? o Do you think someone could live in this tree house (cover)? o Tell students that this is an informational/nonfiction book, so the words and photos will give factual information about how people live and work in trees. What other nonfiction books have you read? Introduce the text. Page 3-4. Direct attention to the globe and read the call-out and label with students. Point out that Papua New Guinea is very close to the equator. o Parts of the world near the equator are very hot. The tree house on page 4 is in New Guinea. Why do you think people in hot place might live in tree houses? Page 7. Have students study the diagram and read the labels with them. o Did you know that the rainforest has different layers? o What do you see on the floor of the rainforest? o How is the understory different? o What is the understory under? Page 10-11. This section of the book tells how scientists study the canopy of a rainforest which is the top layer where many plants and animals live. Look carefully at both pictures. They show two ways scientists can reach the canopy in other to study it. o Why do you think scientists have invented these ways instead of just climbing up the trees? Discuss with students that the target skill for this week is finding main ideas and details. Ask students what they already know about this skill and what it means. o What is a main idea? Where are they usually located? o What are details? Explain to students that they will be reading Living in Trees and filling out the graphic organizer in the back of the book. Have them write the main idea on their paper, and tell them to come up with at least two supporting details. 30. Tell them to create one more graphic organizer, choosing a main idea from the book and writing at least two supporting details. 31. Allow students time to complete their graphic organizers. 32. Review target skill. a. Have students read the paragraph on page 10 and find the main idea. Why do you think this is the main idea? b. Have them find at least three supporting details about the main idea.

33. Introduce the Connect To Folklore section and the Making Connections sections for the week. 34. Explain to students that they will need to read the short story/play, and then complete the text to self, text to text, and text to world sections in their spirals. 35. Remind students that it is important to label each section in their notebooks so they are easy to find. 36. Explain that if a making connections section says to talk with other students, they can choose to do it by themselves or with another student, but no matter what they choose they need to record their thinking in their notebooks. Assessment: Assessment will be done informally throughout the week by listening to how students answer discussion questions and participate in group discussion. I will also be able to assess how students are understanding the target skill by looking at their spiral notebooks and completion of the graphic organizer. I will formally assess some students reading and accuracy by take and running record. I will be able to assess each students understanding of main idea and details by the common formative assessment (CFA) test at the end of the week. Differentiation: This lesson is differentiated for both struggling learners and advanced learners. The books that students are using as a text to learn about main ideas and details were selected for their reading comprehension levels so students are reading at an instructional level. This lesson is also differentiated by the questions I ask students in each group and the kind of language I use so that my students are able to succeed. I also differentiated the graphic organizer for each group of students to meet their needs and abilities. Finally, I differentiated this lesson by giving two groups extension activities to help them make connections from their reading to their life, other texts, and to the world. It is so important to differentiate instruction so that each student can succeed and reach their learning goals.