Super Citizens Award

Let’s explore this video about Elizabeth.

The who + what strategy to find the main idea

There are many strategies to determine the main idea of a nonfiction text.

The main idea is what the learner understands about the topic of the text.

To understand the main idea of this Super Citizens Award video, we will use the who + what = main idea strategy.

In this video, we know the who: it is Elizabeth.

Now we need to figure out the what.

Choose 1-3 important pieces of information from the Super Citizens Award video that you think are essential to describing the topic of the video.

Complete the Main Idea Map template in your notebook, or use the following fillable and printable document, or use another method of your choice.

How can nonfiction text features help?

In the Minds On, we used one strategy (the who + what strategy) to identify the main idea. In this activity, we are going to examine the nonfiction text features that help us determine the main idea.

Consider the nonfiction What’s the Main Idea chart. Nonfiction texts often include text features that involve important ideas. The chart can help you discover the information that will allow you to determine the main idea.

Select an article about your favourite sport, an animal habitat you would like to explore, or another topic of your choice. Use the following organizer to identify important information about each text feature and use those clues to determine the main idea of the article.

Questions to consider:

• How did the text features help you to understand the main idea in the article?
• Which text features provided the best clues?
• What did the article teach you about the topic?

Record your responses using a method of your choice.

Let’s practice!

Explore another nonfiction passage or article on a topic of your choice.

As you explore the article, consider the following questions:

• Which nonfiction text features are included in the article?
• How can I use the nonfiction text features to help me determine the main idea?

Using the graphic organizer below, record a supporting detail from the text. When you have written all of your details, use these clues to help you determine the main idea of the text. You may also choose another method of your choice to record your work.

What’s the main idea?

Consider the following questions:

• Which non-fiction text features helped you understand the main idea in the article?
• Were you able to connect to the main idea of the article? If so, how?
• What did you learn from the article?
• If the author could add any other text features to help clarify main idea, what could those be?

Record your ideas using a method of your choice.

Reflection

As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.