Week 6-7 (GETTING THE MAIN IDEA and SUMMARIZING)

GETTING THE MAIN IDEA
Week 6-7: Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are
expected to:
a. Recognize topic sentences in given passages,
b. Identify the main idea and supporting details in a passage; and
c. Write the main ideas in your own words.
Big Picture in Focus: ULO a. Recognize topic sentences in given passages.

ULO b. Identify the main idea and supporting details in a
passage
ULO c. Write main ideas in your own words.
Metalanguage
In this section, you are expected to demonstrate skills in identifying the

overall idea of a selection, find the topic sentence in a paragraph, and state its
main idea into simple, accurate expression. Specifically, you are expected to
identify expressed or implied the main idea and to look for the most important
ideas in the text. There will be a series of texts in which you can practice applying
the skill learned in this unit. In each text, an assessment to test your
comprehension will be given to determine your understanding of the skill
discussed.
1. Idea. This is a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action. In

writing, a writer may give many ideas in one text. However, there is only but
one idea; all the rest of the expressed ideas are called supporting ideas.
2. Main Idea. The main idea is defined as the point the writer expresses
about the topic. This is considered as the backbone of the text where all
the details revolve around it.
3. Supporting Ideas/Details. These are details in the text that help in the
formation of the main idea. These may be big or small details.
4. Getting the Main Idea as a Skill. In order to find the main idea, one
needs to know the topic of the paragraph or composition.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for the sixth
week of the course, you need to fully understand the following essential
knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding pages. Please note that you
are not limited to exclusively refer to these resources. Thus, you are expected to
utilize other books, research articles, and other resources that are available in the
university’s library, e.g., ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
Main Idea
 Every story or paragraph has a main idea.

 The main idea tells you what the story is about.
 The main idea may be the lesson learned or
moral of a story.
 The main idea is the most important part of
a story or paragraph.
Supporting Details
 The supporting details are the things that describe the main idea.
 These supporting details make the main idea stronger.
Topic Sentence. The topic sentence presents or describes the point of

the paragraph; in other words, it is the main idea of the paragraph. It can
be located at the beginning, middle, or last of the paragraph.
Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence
◼ Read the first sentence of the paragraph very carefully because most authors state their
topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph.
◼ Browse the sentences in the paragraph to identify what they describe. The sentence that
best describes the topic of the paragraph is the topic sentence.
◼ Find the concept or idea being tackled, which is a colloquial term, is the “big word” in the
paragraph. The sentence that defines the big word is usually the topic sentence.
◼ Identify the purpose of the paragraph. The sentence that presents or describes the
purpose is the topic sentence.
◼ Observe the writing style of the author. Focus specifically on where he/she usually
places his/her topic sentence.
Self-Help: You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand
the lesson:
*https://www.cuesta.edu/student/resources/ssc/study_guides/reading_comp/
307_read_main_idea.html
*https://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/mainidea/
SUMMARIZING
Week 6-7: Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO): At the end of the unit, you are expected
to:
a. Acquire skills and techniques in summarizing

b. Summarize a paragraph.
Big Picture in Focus: ULO a. Acquire skills and techniques in summarizing

ULO b. Summarize a paragraph.
Metalanguage
In this section, you are expected to demonstrate skills in identifying the

overall idea of a selection then learn how to reduce a text. Specifically, you are
expected to learn to highlight important details in a text and condensing a material
without compromising its substance. There will be a series of texts in which you
can practice applying the skill learned in this unit. In each text, an assessment to
test your comprehension will be given to determine your understanding of the skill
discussed.
1. Summary. This is a brief statement or account of the main points of something.

In texts, this is the condensed version from the original one. However, the
summary must be comprehensive and must cover the main points succinctly.
2. Summarizing as a Skill. It is how we take larger selections of text and reduce

them to their bare essentials: the gist, the key ideas, the main points that are
worth noting and remembering.
Essential Knowledge
To perform the aforesaid big picture (unit learning outcomes) for the
seventh week of the course, you need to fully understand the following essential
knowledge that will be laid down in the succeeding pages. Please note that you
are not limited to refer to these resources exclusively. Thus, you are expected to
utilize other books, research articles, and other resources that are available in the
university’s library, e.g., ebrary, search.proquest.com, etc.
1. Summarizing in Relation to Reading. A summary can also be the general idea

in brief form; it’s distillation, condensation, or reduction of a larger work into its
primary notions. In reading longer compositions, a good reader will find that each
paragraph contains a major topic which is part of the development of the overall
central point.
2. Summarizing Techniques
Making a habit of summarizing what you read is a useful tool to improve
reading comprehension, and also a valuable critical thinking exercise. To arrive
at a relevant summary, the reader may follow these simple steps in summarizing.
a. Read the information source several times read so many times as needed for
you to fully understand the material
b. Look up unfamiliar words and then if they’re too difficult for understanding
you may rephrase them with your own words
c. Construct the sentences clearly, don’t forget to include the main points you
want to deliver: for this jot down on the piece of paper the main concept
d. Keep it brief: don’t lose the original essence but try to make it look more
laconic, reduce, and delete all the unessential sentences ruthlessly.
e. In the paragraph, don’t be tempted by the desire to stick your own
interpretation, draw the distinct like between your opinion and someone’s
thoughts.
f. Don’t bore your readers, vary the introduction of your sources, f. g “according
to” next time can be substituted by “some authors or sources conclude that…
and other variants.”
Self-Help: You can also refer to the sources below to help you further understand
the lesson:
*Graham, S., & Hebert, M. A. (2010). Writing to read: Evidence for how writing can
improve reading. A Carnegie Corporation Time to Act Report. Washington, DC: Alliance
for Excellent Education.
* https://lincs.ed.gov/stateresources/federalinitiatives/teal/guide/teachsumm.
Retrieved April 28, 2020
*Muskingum College Center for Advancement and Learning: Reading Comprehension
* https://teachingmadepractical.com/teaching-summarizing/. Retrieved April 28, 2020

* https://www.englishgrammar.org/summarize-passage/.Retrived April 28, 2020

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GETTING THE MAIN IDEA

Big Picture in Focus: ULO a. Recognize topic sentences in given passages.

In this section, you are expected to demonstrate skills in identifying the

1. Idea. This is a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action. In

 Every story or paragraph has a main idea.

Topic Sentence. The topic sentence presents or describes the point of

Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence

a. Acquire skills and techniques in summarizing

Big Picture in Focus: ULO a. Acquire skills and techniques in summarizing

In this section, you are expected to demonstrate skills in identifying the

1. Summary. This is a brief statement or account of the main points of something.

2. Summarizing as a Skill. It is how we take larger selections of text and reduce

1. Summarizing in Relation to Reading. A summary can also be the general idea

*Muskingum College Center for Advancement and Learning: Reading Comprehension

* https://teachingmadepractical.com/teaching-summarizing/. Retrieved April 28, 2020

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