Read the Paragraph:
There are four stages in the life cycle of a painted lady butterfly. The first stage is the egg. They are very tiny blue eggs. The second stage is the caterpillar. The third stage is the pupa. This is where the caterpillar forms a hard shell and hangs from a twig until it is ready to turn into a beautiful painted lady butterfly.
Stand when you see the central idea below.
1. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
Four stages in the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly.
2. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
The painted lady butterfly
3. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
The first stage is the egg.
4. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
There are four stages in the life cycle of a painted lady butterfly.
Explanations of choices for the butterfly paragraph:
1. This one is very cleverly disguised. It looks long enough to be a complete sentence, and it ends in a period.
However, there is not verb. It does not say anything about the four stages in the life of a butterfly.
It could be used as a title.
2. This one is just a subject. It is not a complete sentence. It is too general to even be the topic of the paragraph. It could cover not only the stages in the butterfly's life, but also where it lives, what it eats, whether it is endangered, what it looks like, what predators it has, and so on.
3. This is one detail from the paragraph. The paragraph covers all four stages, not just one.
4. This is the central idea. It tells us what the paragraph is about, and makes a statement. It is a complete sentence.
Let's try it again.
There are events that can change the Earth's surface very quickly. Volcanoes can erupt and spread lava, rock, and ash for several miles. Earthquakes can leave large cracks in the Earth's surface. Either one of these can make a big difference in a short amount of time.
Stand when you see the central idea below.
5. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
Volcanoes and earthquakes
6. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
Either one of these can make a big difference in a short amount of time.
7. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
Events that can change the Earth's surface very quickly.
8. Is this the central idea? If so, stand up.
Some events can very quickly change the Earth's surface.
Explanations of choices for the changing earth's surface paragraph:
5. This could be part of the topic, but it is not a sentence, and is too broad for this paragraph. The paragraph would have to go on and on, telling everything there is to know about earthquakes and volcanoes.
6. This is a complete sentence, but it does not tell what the paragraph is about -- the subject/topic of the paragraph.
7. This is another tricky one. It may look like a sentence, but the word "that" keeps it from being a sentence. It could be used for a title, but not for a central idea.
8. This is it. It is a complete sentence that includes the topic and what the author is saying about it.
P.S. For extra credit, can you think of one more event that could actually change the surface of the earth (its topography) very quickly?
I'm eliminating hurricanes and tornadoes because the changes they cause are not in the earth's surface, but in what rests on the earth's surface. Could you convince me to change my mind on that?
Central Idea will be a complete sentence.
It will include
- the idea the author wants you to learn about the topic.
- It will NOT be a question. It will be a complete statement.
- It will be broad enough to cover the big idea(s) in the chapter or paragraph or other passage.
- It will be narrow enough so it's NOT including things that are not in the chapter or paragraph or other passage.
- When you are looking for the central idea of something you are reading, the central idea you find will NOT include your own opinions about the chapter or paragraph or other passage.
Central idea is also called main idea or topic sentence.
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More practice for central idea:
Learning about Main Idea packet
