Standard: 5.RI.2 – Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
Grade level: Grade 5
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: Reading: Informational Text
Teacher Overview
This standard emphasizes the ability to determine multiple main ideas within a text and explain how they are supported by key details. This skill is crucial for students to effectively comprehend and summarize informational texts, which is an essential part of their literacy development. Students should be familiar with identifying the main idea and supporting details in simpler texts. They should also be able to summarize short passages.
After mastering this standard, students will be able to compare and contrast multiple texts, evaluate the credibility of sources, and integrate information from various texts on the same topic.
Common Misconception 1
A common misconception is that the first sentence of a paragraph always contains the main idea. This is incorrect because the main idea can appear anywhere in the text and is often supported by details throughout the passage.
Intervention 1
Encourage students to identify repeated ideas and supporting details throughout the text. Use graphic organizers to help students visually map out the main ideas and supporting details.
Common Misconception 2
Another misconception is that summarizing a text means rewriting it in their own words without focusing on the main ideas. This approach misses the essence of summarization, which is to distill the text to its core ideas and supporting details.
Intervention 2
Teach students to differentiate between main ideas and details. Use exercises that require students to pick out the main ideas and support them with key details from the text.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should understand how to identify the main idea of a single paragraph and recognize supporting details. They should also have basic summarization skills.
Subsequent Knowledge
Students will develop the ability to compare and contrast multiple texts, evaluate the credibility of sources, and integrate information from several texts on the same topic.
Instructional Activities
- Create graphic organizers to map out main ideas and supporting details
- Conduct group discussions to identify main ideas in different texts
- Practice summarizing texts with a focus on main ideas and key details
- Use news articles to practice identifying main ideas and summarizing
