Central Idea Unit Lessons

Josh Senters

Standard 8 - Key Ideas and Details Grade 8
8.1-Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well as inferences drawn from the text.
8.2- Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the
text.
8.3- Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal
aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
Understandings of Unit
-Students understand Central Idea is a summary of a story.
-Students understand that particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story can help with Central Idea.
-Students will understand setting and plot can help provide information for Central Idea.
Materials/Resources needed:
Youtube access, paper, pencil, pre-cut newspaper articles

Lesson 1:
Students will be introduced to the main of Central Idea. The lesson will begin with asking the students
some questions to see if they know what central idea is and what it means. Then I will explain to the
students that central idea is the same thing as a summary.
Activity1:
Students will be shown a couple of funny and realistic commercials on tube. Then the students will be
asked to talk about the different commercials as a group.
Assessment 1:
Students will be asked to write a central ide of one of the commercials of their choice and use
supporting detail from commercials in writing their central idea of the commercial.


Lesson 2:
As a whole class students will listen to me read a short story to them. Then after reading the short
story to the class I will demonstrate how to write central idea of the story with using dialogue from the
story and supporting details from the story.
Activity 2:
Students will be placed into small reading groups and will be given different short stories to read about
on their reading levels. Then after reading the stories the students will then write the central idea of the
story the group read.
Assessment 2:
The groups then will share their central ideas that they have written with the class as a whole group.
Lesson 3:
Students will be given different newspaper articles that have been cut out of different newspapers. The
students then will read over their article that they have chosen and write what they think the central
idea of the article is.
Activity 3:
Students then will be placed with a partner to share their central idea of the article with that they have
read and written about. The partner then will look to make sure they feel like the central idea of the
article is well represented in the writing of the central idea.
Assessments 3:
Students will turn in their newspaper article with their written central idea of the article.
Lesson 4:
Students will listen to central idea of an event that happened in my life. I will use supporting details in
it and demonstrate how telling a simple event in my life is a central idea.
Activity 4:
Students will share as a group with each other of different events that happened in their lives.
Students will use prior knowledge to relate events of their lives to writing central ideas.
Assessment 4:
Students will write about what they think a great central idea should look like and what all should
contain in it.