Main Idea and Supporting Details
The main idea is the author’s key message. It is supported with details that usually answer the “W” and “H” questions (who, what, when, where, why, and how). Find the main idea in the beginning of a paragraph in the “topic sentence” . It is sometimes found at the end of a paragraph as a summary statement.
Sometimes, you are asked to think about a question and come up with your own ideas for the answer. In this instance, you still have to think about your main idea and how you will support your idea with details. This kind of question means that you have to think before you begin to write. You might find that you easily think about your main idea and supporting details.
Here is an example of this type of question:
“Should you do your homework while watching TV?”
My main idea is my answer to this question. “You should never do homework while watching TV.”
My supporting details: 1. You won’t enjoy the TV show. 2. You may be distracted by the show and take longer to finish your homework than you normally would take. 3. You might make a mistake or not be able to think about your homework clearly. 4. You might not be able to collaborate with your partner easily if your TV show is playing at the same time.
So, I have at least four ideas to support my main idea. I would write my paragraph with my main idea and use transition words to help the supporting details flow easily.
However, some questions take more thought. Often, a graphic organizer helps you to record your ideas down in an organized way. There are many types of organizers that can be used. One type of organizer for making decisions is called PMI. You can see an example of the PMI organizer in another post on the Go Read and Write blog.
