Open and read a short passage on local history,
Rescuing a Piece of Local History.
You'll find it linked to the book icon on the right.
Then we'll work through another multiple choice
question. Keep the passage open as we work through
this example. This time don't read the answers
before reading the passage. We'll use
a different strategy with this question.
Which sentence best states a main idea of this selection?
Think:
What are the key words in
this question? "
best, main idea" You
should recognize the question is asking about a
major or important idea of the passage.
Does the title reveal
anything special about the article?
It sounds like something is discovered (rescued) that
holds historical value for the local community.
Are there subtitles? Yes,
there are three subtitles:"Brushing Off
the Cobwebs,""Preservation
by Committee," and "No Stopping
Young Historians." These three subtitles
outline the article for us before reading. We can
predict this article is about young, determined historians
(students), who discover something old and maybe covered
up, and work together in groups to get the job done
(by committee).
Are there pictures to help
support important ideas?
Yes. Students looking into an abandoned mine shaft
seems to be important to the passage.
Let's think about this question and the
possible answers in a little different way.
After reading the passage,
identify some key phrases you think are main
ideas. What would you write down if you were
taking notes on the passage, or highlighting
important phrases?
Then look for a similar answer in the possible answer
choices.
Phrases to highlight:
teacher asked students to find
new ways to study history
junior high students in Kent
decided best way was to piece together story of town
student quote: "We wanted
an experience that would teach us more than we could learn
from a book."
caption under picture: students looking
down an abandoned mine shaft
students go to town's site and
discover parts of the old town, design a map and dig up
artifacts such as old pottery
they divide into committees
to get all the important work accomplished
currently developing an eighth
grade curriculum about Franklin, historical preservation
and community service
class won state's 1994 Community
Problem Solving Award, but they aren't stopping there
five year plan is to have Franklin
listed on the National Historic Registry
These are all key points or supporting details in
the passage. Your job is to determine which of the
following answers best states a main
idea. Remember
that a main idea has to be a focus, a reason, a
statement
that is at the core of the article. If you get confused
because all answers look like they are in the article,
ask yourself if everything in the article circles
around the statement. The main idea should be at
the core of the article; all other ideas should
connect
to the main core idea.
Multiple Choice Answers:
Yes
No
Maybe
Answers
A.
Students need to study the past if they are
going to understand the present.
B.
Winning an award motivates students to do their
best work.
C.
Working with a state government is an important
goal for junior high students.
D.
Students can learn history in ways other than
using books.
Which answer did you choose right away? If you choose answer
D, you were correct. Why? You proved it before you even
read the answers because you figured out the main idea yourself.
