What is the paragraph mostly about?

What is the most important idea given about the topic?

Look for details that tell about the main idea. If you can't locate any details, you probably don't have the main idea.

Remember that the main idea is sometimes right in the passage. Other times you have to use details to figure out the main idea.

Look for the topic.

Read the passage

Ask yourself: What is the entire paragraph or passage about, or to what does most of what I

read seem to refer? The answer to these questions will give you the TOPIC.. Next, find the Main Idea or central theme

Ask yourself: What is the most general statement made about the topic?

Go back and examine each sentence

What seems to be repeated, hinted at, or emphasized in most sentences?

Is there one general idea in the passage which is repeated?

If so, that is probably the MAIN IDEA

If not, then you have to infer what the main idea is, because it is not stated

3. If the strategies in step 2 didn't work, try these:

-Think of each sentence in the passage as a factor in an addition problem. For example, try to

figure out what each of the specific statements made in the passage add up to, or where they lead:

(A specific statement) + (A specific statement) + (A specific statement) = Total: The Main Idea (A General Statement)

-All of the sentences in a passage might not add up to the main idea. Only add up those that are connected by the same idea.

Ask yourself: In what direction does each of these specific points seem to lead? The answer gives you the MAIN IDEA

-Ask yourself: Is there a general statement that applies to most of these idea? The answer gives you the MAIN IDEA

The following four paragraphs have "Moraine Valley " as their general topic. However, each has a different mode of discourse. Please identify the mode and write a main idea in your own words for each paragraph. Do not copy the text! Here is some information to help you: Topic: Common Subject or idea (Like the title to the paragraph). The topic is a phrase, not a sentence Author's Purpose: Choose only 1 and write it on the line: Expository, Narrative, Descriptive, Persuasive

Use the power point that can be found in canvas to help you understand the meaning of author's purpose Main Idea: Use the Finding the Main Idea Study Guide to help you. The main ide is one complete sentence. Make sure there is a capital, period, subject, and predicate. Avoid run-ons and fragments A. Moraine Valley Community College is the second-largest community college in Illinois. (Only the College of DuPage is larger.) The main campus is located in Palos Hills, with satellite locations in Tinley Park and Blue Island. MVCC serves District 524, which covers 139 square miles andrepresents a population of about 400,000. The district's 26 communities range from Alsip to Oak Lawn to Worth. Approximately 36,000 students are enrolled annually at MVCC, which offers 115 degree and certificate programs. Students can earn an associate's degree and then transfer to a four-year college or university. Moraine also offers training opportunities in high-tech industries, business, health science, industrial technology, and public service. A wide variety of continuing education and non-credit classes are also available. Topic:_______________________________ Author's Purpose: Main idea in 1 complete sentence: B. After a winter snowstorm, the campus of Moraine Valley is transformed. A blanket of snow covers the grassy areas that serve as soccer and baseball fields in warmer weather. Sunshine glints off the snow drifts, reflecting light like a pile of diamonds. Icicles, sharp as daggers, hang from the eaves of the buildings. In the

frosty weather, students bundled up in bright colors walk quickly along the sidewalks to their classes, slipping on patches of ice. As they talk, their breath hangs in the frigid air like fog. Topic:________________________ Author's Purpose: Main idea in 1 complete sentence: c. Kim was recently a student at Moraine Valley. A graduate of Sandburg High School, she enrolled at Moraine because she wanted to save money. Tuition is less expensive at Moraine, compared to four-year colleges in Illinois. Kim lived at home and found a job that allowed her to put some money in the bank. She took classes for more than two years at Moraine, mostly general education, but a few additional classes in art and music, which she enjoyed. Thanks to the money she saved, she was able to enroll as a junior at Illinois State, where nearly all of her credits from Moraine transferred. Topic:__________________________ Author's Purpose: Main idea in 1 complete sentence: D. Moraine Valley is a great place to start a college education. There are 115 degree and certificate programs to choose from! Think you can't do it because you're working? You might be surprised to know that 85 percent of Moraine students are working and going to school at the same time. If they can do it, so can you! Classes are offered not just during the day, but during the evenings and weekends, as well as online. This is really convenient for those with unpredictable schedules. Of those students who earn an associate degree from Moraine, 85 percent go on to a four-year school. What's more, 98 percent of these graduates would recommend Moraine Valley! Another important point to consider is that those who earn an associate's degree will make more money than their peers who have only a high school diploma. The typical Moraine graduate will see an increase in annual earnings of $11,400, or approximately $407,700 over the course of a working lifetime. Moraine Valley is an excellent choice and a good value for students.

Topic:____________________________ Author's Purpose: