Selecting main ideas/ important ideas

Selecting main ideas - relevant info.

Supporting ideas: present facts, reasons, examples, definitions, comparison, contrasts.They are most important because they sell the main idea.

Grasping the Main Idea:

The main idea is the most important piece of information the author wants you to know about the concept of that paragraph.

+ Info

A writer will state his/her main idea explicitly somewhere in the paragraph. That main idea may be stated at the beginning of the paragraph, in the middle, or at the end. The sentence in which the main idea is stated is the topic sentence of that paragraph.

Identifying the Topic:

Ask yourself : "What is this about?" Introductory: the main ideas of the chapter or section; Transitional: Function is to tie together what you have read so far. Summarizing: Restate briefly the main ideas of the chapter or section. It may also draw some conclusion from these ideas, or speculate on some conclusion based on the evidence he/she has presented.