Locating Main Idea

Lesson 3
Learning Competencies
The learners will…

• Use knowledge of text structure to glean the information he/she needs;

• States the thesis statement of an academic text.

2
 Self-Audit (p. 22)
Usually – 3, Sometimes, - 2, Seldom – 1, Never – 0
1. I look for the main idea of a text to understand what it is about.
2. I read a paragraph carefully to get its topic sentence.
3. I use the title to make inferences about the purpose of the text.
4. I look for signal words or phrases to look for the main idea.
5. I observe the writing pattern of the author to find the topic sentences in the
paragraphs.

3
 Self-Audit (p. 22)
Usually – 3, Sometimes, - 2, Seldom – 1, Never – 0
6. I look for the thesis statement to evaluate the author’s arguments.
7. I summarize a text based on its thesis statement.
8. I write the main idea in my own words to understand the text better.
9. I look for the topic sentence by looking for the sentence which discusses the
key word.
10. I look for the topic sentence using the details in the thesis statement.

4
 Main Idea
Two Types of Main Idea
whole point of a text Stated – or written directly in
never a word, a phrase nor a the passage
question, it is stated in a Implied – not found within the
declarative sentence text and should be formulated
or expressed using own
words
 Main Idea
01 02
Thesis Topic
Statement Sentence

6
 Thesis Statement
 presents or describes the point of a text
 usually presented in the abstract or executive
summary or found at the last part of the introduction
 written in a declarative sentence

7
A strong thesis statement has the
following characteristics:
 It tells the readers the purpose, aim, or objective of the paper.
 It presents and summarizes the argument or claim of the writer.
 It provides a sneak peek of the content of the paper.
 It gives the readers an idea of how the writer will explain,
interpret, and elaborate on the significance of the topic being
discussed in the paper.

8
Previous studies revealed that meaning-focused instruction (MFI) and form-focused instruction (FFI) are
two of the most effective approaches in developing the overall language skills of second language
learners, separately. However, no experimental studies have been conducted to prove their effectiveness
when integrated. This study, therefore, aims to fill in this gap by investigating the effects of combining
MFI and FFI in developing the speaking, writing, and grammar skills of selected secondary ESL students
in public high schools in the Philippines. The participants involved in this study are 480 third year high
school students. These students were divided into four groups: Group A (n=120) received both the MFI
and FFI, Group B (n=120) received MMI only, Group C (n=120) received FFI only, and Group D
(n=120) received the standard English programme for secondary ESL students. Findings revealed that
students from Group A, B, and C significantly improved in their speaking, writing, and grammar skills
but not Group D. Based on ANOVA, findings further showed that students from Group A have
outperformed students from Groups B, C, and D. From these findings, it is concluded that combining
MFI and FFL is an effective way in significantly Improving the language skills of students. Future
directions and implications for teaching are also discussed.

9
Filipinos are frequent moviegoers. Perhaps because of the comic relief that comes
promise, or the fairytale ending we all want to have that the rom-coms provide, we
indulge in cinematography of moving pictures. In the 1984 Guinness Book of World
Records, the Philippine was listed as the nation with the world's most avid film-going
public, averaging 19 trips to cinema per year, per person (Yeatter, 2007). In a more
recent statistic, the country has also been known to have the highest level of theatre
admission in South-East Asia, with 63 million movie care in 2004 "Phil Indie films.
n.d.). More often than not movie theatres all over the Metro are filed with people who
want to break out from their usual working routine to catch a two-hour movie with
friends. Oddly enough, however, we as constant consumers of these motion pictures
tend to patronize those that are made particularly International.
In some cases, the thesis statement in the last part of the
introduction is replaced with a purpose statement.
Purpose statement – introduced by signal phrases that present
the purpose, scope, or direction of the text as well as its focus.
Example:

11
There is a challenge posted to higher education. That is to attune its present educational goals,
objectives, and mission-vision to the demands of a globalized world. Consequently, institutions,
especially in the developing countries, have started to reconstruct their global dynamics of
knowledge production through establishing linkages among institutions across nations.
Generally, the common set of internationalization of higher education highlights the importance
of promoting cultural diversity and fostering intercultural understanding., respect, and tolerance
among people (Turner and Robinson, 2007). These reiterations of what internationalization of
higher education should emphasize are actually based on the profound belief that the cultural
heritage of people is universal and humankind shares the bond of humanity and global
citizenship in the process of advancement of knowledge (Wing, 2010). Exploratory in nature,
this paper aims to examine the key concepts on IHE. Specifically, this paper reviews articles
which will shed light on the significant ideas, and proposes a preliminary framework for IHE in
the Philippines.

12
 Strategies in Locating the Thesis
Statement
The following strategies are also useful in helping you locate the thesis
statement of a text:
1. Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose.
2. If the text has no abstract or executive summary, read the first few
paragraphs as the thesis statement is usually located there.
3. In other cases, you may also check the conclusion where the authors sum
up and review their main points.
 Topic Sentence
 presents or describes the point of a paragraph
 main idea of a paragraph
 can be located at the beginning, in the middle, or at
the last part of a paragraph.

14
A strong topic sentence has the following
characteristics:
 It discusses a topic that is directly related to the thesis
statement.
 It introduces the topic of a paragraph.
 It serves as a transition by linking the topic discussed in the
present paragraph to the previous one.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is the agency
responsible for human development concerns such as the provision of social
services such as those provided in day care centers. For instance, DSWD is
implementing the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) nationwide. This is
in addition to the regular meals served to Day Care Center Children as part of
DSWD's program to ensure that day care children are well nourished as they
attend classes

Source: "Education for All, 2015 National Review Report Philippines (2015)
Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) plays a crucial role in
ensuring that children are taught the skills and knowledge essential in building
a learner's interest to acquire education in life. Recognizing the benefits of
ECCD to a person's well-being and the country, RA No 8980 or the ECCD
Act was legislated to institutionalize a national ECCD system. Through the
ECCD ACT, a comprehensive, integrative, and sustainable ECCD framework
of the country was developed. SECCD Act promotes multisectoral and inter-
agency collaboration under the coordination of a national ECCD Council
Source: "Education for All 2015 National Review Report Philippines" (2015)
Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence
The following strategies are also useful in helping you locate the topic
sentence in a paragraph:
1. Read the first sentence of the paragraph very carefully because most
authors state their topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph.
2. Browse the sentences in the paragraph to identify what they state. The
sentence that states the main idea of the paragraph is the topic sentence.
3. Find the concept or idea being tackled, which in colloquial term is the “big
word” in the paragraph. The sentence that defines the big word is usually
the topic sentence.

18
Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence
4. Identify the purpose of the paragraph. The sentence that presents or
describes the purpose is the topic sentence.

5. Observe the writing style of the author. Focus specifically on where

19
 True or False
________1.
FALSE A paragraph can have two or more topic sentences.
________2.
TRUE The abstract presents the thesis of the text.
________3.
TRUE By observing the writing style of the author, you can determine
the location of the topic sentence.
________4.
TRUE Locating the thesis statement or topic sentence while reading a
text can save time.
________5.
TRUE Most of the time, the author begins the paragraph with a topic
sentence.
20
 True or False
TRUE
________6. Sometimes, the main idea is presented at the end of a
paragraph.
FALSE
________7. The main idea is always stated in the first part of a paragraph.
________8. The thesis of a text is in question form.
FALSE
________9. When an abstract is not provided, the thesis statement is not
FALSE
evident in the text.
________10. You don’t have to read the full text if you know how to spot its
FALSE
main idea.
Thanks!
Any questions?

22
 Activity Time!
LAS 3_Locating Main Idea
(Let’s Practice I., A-J pp.27-32, textbook)