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Type
a paragraph from your class's
social studies
textbook on a sheet of acetate and project it with the overhead
projector.
Have
a child read the selection aloud
and involve
the class in a discussion of the main idea.
Ask
which words from the selection can
be omitted
from the passage without losing or distorting the author's
message.
As
children decide which words are
unnecessary,
cross them out with an erasable marker.
Have
the students reread the passage
several times
during this procedure to make sure that the kernel of the paragraph is
still intact.
Erase
your cross-out marks and read the original paragraph again.
Invite
a child to state the main idea in his or her own words.
As
a follow-up, distribute
copies with
two or
three other paragraphs from the same textbook.
Instruct
the children to independently cross out the unnecessary words and then
state the main idea in as few words as possible. When they become
reasonably skilled at isolating main ideas, reverse the process by
having them build a paragraph around a thought expressed in a single
sentence.
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