This document discusses how authors use supporting details to develop the main idea in a text. It explains that there are two types of supporting details: major supports and minor supports. Major supports directly clarify and develop the main idea by answering questions about it. Minor supports further develop the major supports with more specific details. Identifying the difference between major and minor supports is an important reading skill for comprehension.
This document discusses how authors use supporting details to develop the main idea in a text. It explains that there are two types of supporting details: major supports and minor supports. Major supports directly clarify and develop the main idea by answering questions about it. Minor supports further develop the major supports with more specific details. Identifying the difference between major and minor supports is an important reading skill for comprehension.
This document discusses how authors use supporting details to develop the main idea in a text. It explains that there are two types of supporting details: major supports and minor supports. Major supports directly clarify and develop the main idea by answering questions about it. Minor supports further develop the major supports with more specific details. Identifying the difference between major and minor supports is an important reading skill for comprehension.
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.