Supporting Details: Developing The Main Idea of Text

Supporting Details
Developing the Main Idea of Text

Supporting Details: Introduction
• We learned in the last module that the author’s main point on some
subject is the Topic Sentence, the umbrella statement that “covers” all
the other information in the paragraph like examples, research
findings, arguments, facts, and any other specific details.
• All of these specific details are called SUPPORTING DETAILS.
• Supporting details are critical to good reading comprehension
because without specific information, accurately understanding the
meaning of the broad, general main idea is difficult.
• For example, a friend might say, “That new movie I watched last night
on Netflix was great!”
• I don’t know if I want to see it or not. What does she mean by great?
• But if she says, “That new movie I watched last night on Netflix was
Great! I was so mad when the roommate spread all those lies about
Lisa. But Lisa came out on top when she met the new cameraman. I
cried my eyes out when he proposed to her at that fancy restaurant. A
real three Kleenex movie!”
• The additional specific information, the supporting details of the main
idea about a “great movie,” clarify the general statement, and I can
decide. Maybe I will watch it with my girlfriend; or aw-w-w, I do not
think so.
• Clearly, in this example and in any paragraph, or in multiple paragraph
texts, the topic sentence and the supporting details have a very close
relationship and connection.
• But a WORD OF CAUTION. WARNING!
• When students are introduced to unfamiliar words or a new, unknown
technical term, and they neglect to figure out the meaning of these
new concepts, the students often mistakenly elevate one or more of
the supporting details to become the author’s main idea.
• The result is a basic comprehension error that might have serious
consequences for accurate learning.
• When the topic sentence is unclear and the student cannot get the
gist of the word or sentence from context or word analysis, the safe
method to gain understanding is using a dictionary or Wikipedia for
background information. Do not raise support details to main idea.
Supporting Details: Major
• College textbooks use two types of supporting details to develop the
author’s main ideas: MAJOR SUPPORT and MINOR SUPPORT.
• General statements like topic sentences are open to misinterpretation
because broad statements are not specific. Authors use major
support details in sentences to avoid confusion and clarify their intent
and make their paragraphs more persuasive.
• These major support sentences focus the idea and answer questions a
reader may have after reading the topic sentence.
• Together, the topic sentence and the major support sentences of the
paragraph form the basic structure or the framework for the author’s
information.
• The major support detail is closely connected to the main idea and
directly explains, illustrates, or develops in some fashion the topic
sentence. Major support sentences may define technical terms,
suggest reasons, quote research findings, list dates of events, or
quote other experts. The form of the support sentence depends on
the main idea they develop.
• For example, Developing a good serve in tennis requires a player to
master several physical movements all at the same time. First, she
must toss the ball overhead accurately. At the same time, she must
also move feet, legs, and hips to support hitting the ball. And finally,
she must cock the racket over her shoulder preparing to hit the ball at
the top of her toss.
• The first sentence is the topic sentence. But what are the movements
required for a good tennis serve?
• The text suggests three specific movements in three major support
detail sentences: toss ball overhead, move body into position to hit
the ball, and cock racket behind the shoulder to hit the ball.
• The major supporting details also have signals, or transition words,
that help the reader follow the movement from one specific detail to
the next.
• The specific transition words in this paragraph are: First, At the same
time, and finally- which ends the paragraph and the major support for
the main idea.
Supporting Details: Minor
• College textbook information is conveyed in paragraphs built on topic
sentences and major support details. However, a second type of
supporting detail, the MINOR SUPPORT, is used by authors to extend
the information of the major support details.
• Unlike the role of major support details (developing main ideas) the
role of the minor support detail sentences is to develop the major
support details, not the main idea directly.
• An important reading skill for good reading comprehension is
identifying major and minor supporting details and distinguishing the
difference between them.
• Let’s return to the text about serving a tennis ball, adding minor support
ideas. Major support are red and minor support are green.
• Developing a good serve in tennis requires a player to master several
physical movements all at the same time. First, she must toss the ball
overhead accurately. Consideration must be given to position of the sun
and wind conditions. Hitting the ball when blinded by the sun is
complicated, and wind can make the ball become a tricky moving target.
At the same time, she must also move feet, legs, and hips to support
hitting the ball. And finally, she must cock the racket over her shoulder
preparing to hit the ball at the top of the toss. Failing to prepare the
racket allows the ball to drop too low for an accurate serve.
• Notice that the minor support details do not develop the main idea
directly. Their purpose is to expand and extend the idea of the major
support with even more narrow, more specific details.
• The minor support details are the narrowest, the most specific
information or sentences in the paragraph. The topic sentence is the
broadest information or the most general sentence in the paragraph.
• When students take notes on reading assignments, capturing the
information contained in the topic sentences and major support ideas is
the most critical. Whether the minor details need to be included in
notes is a judgement call and depends on text and purpose of the notes.

Supporting Details: Developing The Main Idea of Text

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Supporting Details: Developing The Main Idea of Text

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Supporting Details

Developing the Main Idea of Text

You might also like