More on Central Idea
Too Narrow, Too Broad, Just Right
A Narrow or a Broad Topic?
Main Idea:
Summary of the passage
What you would say to a friend to briefly summarize the passage or article or essay
NOT too broad & NOT too narrow
The overall idea of the passage
Just enough information to get what it is about
What the author wants the reader to know about the subject
It helps you make sense of the passage
It could be used as a topic sentence or thesis statement
The focus of the passage
Narrow Idea:
Details about the main idea
Gives descriptive or elaborative information
May describe something in the passage
Helps us visualize part of the passage
Not enough information to get the whole idea
It could be a fact from the passage
Makes you want to know more
One single part of the overall subject
A specific idea or concept in the passage
Describes something that happened or what someone did
Broad Idea:
Lacks details
Too general
Doesn’t really describe very much
Covers many possible topics
Too big to be main idea
Doesn’t help visualize much in the passage
Can go lots of different directions
Open idea
Wide, a variety of topics can fit within this statement
