Ciara Hall

Ms. Hamm

EDR 390

2018, October 15

What Is Important About this?

Introduction

Many students are asked to read a chapter from a text book or an educational article in

order to learn more about the content they are exploring in class. These are excellent tools to use

for the expansion of knowledge, but are entirely pointless if students cannot ascertain what is

important in the sea of words they are bogged down with in the texts. As adults, we are able to

pick out bits of information that are mere details put in place to enhance the text, and then

determine what the main idea is by looking at the passage as a whole. We were taught to find an

umbrella statement that encompasses the overall purpose of the passage, without allowing those

pesky detail bits to distract our focus. This is not a natural process, and it is one that children

often struggle with as they are trying to pull meaning from a text. It is a teacher’s job to teach

them the reading strategy of determining importance and the main idea of a text.

Most students find comprehending an informational text far more difficult than

comprehending a fictional one. The reason for this is because text books, for example, are often a

grade level or two above a student’s actual grade level. Also, many students, quite frankly, find
informational, nonfiction texts boring and pointless. As expected, with this mindset, it is almost

impossible for them to construct any sort of meaning from what they read. Teachers may not be

able to completely break this negative disposition toward informational texts, but they can try.

Finding reading materials that they can connect with on a more personal level is an excellent

place to start! In order to teach their students, a teacher must first know them.

Teaching Main Idea

So, what does it mean to find the main idea of a text exactly? Many children ask this very

question as they learn to read. They may ask, “What is the point of reading this?” They are

actually asking a very important question and one which a teacher is required to teach strategies

for her students to be equipped to answer.

The main idea of a paragraph is what the entire paragraph is about. It is often times found

in a single sentence, at the beginning or end of the paragraph. It is the summarizing statement

that brings the whole passage together. When the main idea sentence is found, it may be helpful

for the student to underline it, so that they can have that visual. The main idea sentence, or thesis

statement, is often not difficult to locate, because the author will conveniently state it directly.

This is not always the case, however (“Finding the Main Idea”).

Sometimes, the main idea is implied. This means that the author has not stated the main

idea in a single sentence, and the student must use details in the passage to determine the main

idea (Landmark Outreach). This is when the student must ask themselves, “What is the passage

trying to teach me or tell me about?” or “What concept is the supporting details trying to enhance
(Landmark Outreach)?” Once the student has answered this question, they will need to write

down what they think the main idea is and go back to the passage to see if their hypothesis

makes sense. There main idea statement must be a complete sentence and must express a

complete thought (Texas Gateway, 2018). If the written statement is contradicted by a detail in

the text, then that is probably not the main idea (“Finding the Main Idea”).

Using Trade Books

As mentioned above, teaching the comprehension strategy of determining importance, or

finding the main idea of a text, can be extremely challenging for a teacher if the students are not

interested in what they are reading. The informational texts that students use are not always

going to be exciting, but they should most definitely be engaging. How does one choose texts

that are engaging for students, but still serve the purpose of students finding the main idea? A

teacher should consider introducing their students to trade books!

Trade books come in a wide variety, and students are bound to find a few that capture

their interest. Is it acceptable for the books to have pictures even when the students are not in

primary grades—of course it is! Many trade books have pictures to help make what the students

are reading about come to life. For example, if the students are reading an informational trade

book about slave life in the south, there will probably be vivid pictures to help transport the

students to that time period, so that they are better able to empathize with the slaves. According

to our text book (chapter 11), students have this overwhelming desire to learn about new things.

Why not satisfy that hunger by allowing them to pick a trade book that matches their particular
interest. A teacher may find that a student has developed a stronger understanding of determining

the importance of a text if they only have a book to connect with on some level.

Trade books can be used across the curriculum. A teacher may argue, “I don’t like to use

anything but the text book in science.” In all actuality, a teacher is majorly shorting her students

if this is the case. Trade books can majorly enhance the science materials with colorful pictures

and engaging text. The science teacher could teach students about science related content while

teaching the students to find the main idea of what they are reading. Many teachers may say that

they are a science teacher, so it is not their job to teach reading strategies. This is where they

would be wrong yet again (Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz, 2011).

Reading across the Curriculum

All teachers should consider themselves teachers of reading (Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz,

2011). This is a unique concept to behold to most teachers, since schools are so

departmentalized. If students need to learn how to find the main idea of what they are reading,

that should not be any concern to anyone but the reading teacher and her students, right?

Actually, teachers of all subjects should be teaching their students to find the main idea of what

they are reading, no matter the material, and help them learn to summarize, because this is how

the teacher will know if the students have truly learned the material. If they can write a clear and

concise summary, with the main idea, complete with supporting details from the text, the teacher

knows that the children understand exactly what they were supposed to learn. Not to mention, all
subjects require students to engage in some type of reading, so why not help them apply the

strategies wherever and whenever they can.

The most learning takes place if teachers are able to connect what the students are

learning across the curriculum. As discussed in the book STEM-Infusing the Elementary

Classroom, our brains are not designed to learn things in isolation as the school system is set up

to make us think (Reagan, 2016). When we learn things, we first try to connect it back to

something we already know—prior knowledge. Making connections help us learn things easier

and quicker than if we were to try to learn something without any prior knowledge whatsoever

(Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz, 2011). This is why integrating reading strategies across the

curriculum is so very crucial for student success. We definitely want students to learn to read,

but we also want them to be able to read to learn (Vacca, Vacca, and Mraz, 2011).

Personal Application

The statement that absolutely resonates in my heart as I come to the end of this paper is,

“Every teacher is a teacher of reading.” In my future classroom, no matter what subject I am

teaching, I will be sure that I integrate reading strategies into my lessons. I want my students to

be able to pick up any book, informational text included, and determine what the important

information is that they need to take away from it—whether it be for a report or just for their

own personal gain of knowledge. I want to make sure that my students have a variety of books to

choose from in the classroom, so that they are able to easily find something that peaks their

interest. Fostering a love of reading and learning will be my top priority as a teacher.
 References

“Finding the Main Idea” retrieved from

https://www.mpc.edu/home/showdocument?id=12790
Landmark Outreach. “Finding the Main Idea Strategies”. Retrieved from

https://www.landmarkoutreach.org/strategies/finding-main-idea/

Reagan, M. (2016). STEM-Infusing the Elementary Classroom Corwin

Texas Gateway. (2018). “Reading for Main Idea and Supporting Details” retrieved from

https://www.texasgateway.org/resource/reading-main-idea-and-supporting-ideas-english-iii-

reading

Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. A. L., & Mraz, M. (2011). Content Area Reading (10th edition). Boston:
Pearson