Lesson 2 - Supporting Details

Summary

This educational script discusses the importance of identifying main ideas and supporting details in reading comprehension. It uses examples like a cartoon and a paragraph to illustrate how to recognize main points and their supporting evidence. The script highlights the use of addition words and list words to locate supporting details, and it introduces outlining and mapping as strategies to better understand and visualize the relationship between main ideas and their supporting details.

Takeaways

• 📰 Supporting details explain a main idea through reasons, examples, facts, and other evidence.
• 🤔 The main idea in the cartoon is that reading the morning paper negatively affects the man's health.
• 📊 In a paragraph about women in politics, the main idea is that women are underrepresented in U.S. politics for several reasons.
• 📉 The first reason is that women are underrepresented in law and business, fields that typically lead to political careers.
• 🕒 The second reason is that the irregular hours of political roles are seen as incompatible with motherhood.
• 💼 The third reason is that men have been reluctant to give women positions of power and present them as viable candidates.
• 📑 Addition words like 'First,' 'In addition,' and 'Last' help identify supporting details in a paragraph.
• 📝 Outlining helps clarify the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details.
• 🗺️ Mapping or diagramming is another method to visualize the connection between a main idea and its supporting points.
• 📚 Skilled readers look for both the main idea and its supporting evidence, using outlines and maps to deepen understanding.

Q & A

What are supporting details?

Supporting details are reasons, examples, facts, steps, or other kinds of evidence that explain a main idea.

What is the main idea of the cartoon mentioned in the script?

The main idea of the cartoon is that reading the morning paper is bad for the man's health.

What are the supporting reasons provided in the cartoon for the main idea?

The supporting reasons are that the political news raises the man’s blood pressure, the business report makes him depressed, and the sports page makes him mad.

What is the main idea of the paragraph about women in U.S. politics?

The main idea is that women are underrepresented in U.S. politics for a number of reasons.

What are the three reasons given to support the main idea about women being underrepresented in U.S. politics?

The three reasons are: (1) Women are underrepresented in law and business, (2) A politician’s hours are incompatible with the role of a mother, and (3) Men have been reluctant to give women power.

What words signal major details in the paragraph about women in U.S. politics?

The words that signal major details are 'First,' 'In addition,' and 'Last.'

How can looking for 'addition words' help in finding supporting details?

Looking for addition words like 'first,' 'in addition,' and 'last' helps you identify the supporting details for a main idea.

What are some common addition words mentioned in the script?

Some common addition words are: 'one,' 'for one thing,' 'in addition,' 'first of all,' 'another,' 'last,' 'second,' 'also,' and 'finally.'

What is the purpose of an outline according to the script?

An outline helps you understand and see the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details.

What is a 'map' or 'diagram' in the context of outlining a paragraph?

A map or diagram is a visual outline that shows the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details using circles, boxes, or other shapes.

Outlines

00:00

📰 Understanding Main Ideas and Supporting Details

This paragraph discusses the concept of main ideas and supporting details, using a cartoon and a paragraph about women's underrepresentation in U.S. politics as examples. The cartoon illustrates how reading the morning paper negatively impacts a man's health due to various sections of the paper. The paragraph on women in politics presents a main idea that is supported by three reasons: women's underrepresentation in law and business, the incompatibility of political hours with motherhood, and men's reluctance to share power. The paragraph emphasizes the use of addition words like 'First,' 'In addition,' and 'Last' to identify supporting details. It also introduces outlining and mapping as tools to understand the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details, providing an example outline for the paragraph on women in politics.

05:05

🤔 Reasons People Lie: A Visual Overview

The second paragraph explores the various reasons why people lie, such as to avoid hurting someone's feelings, to prevent arguments, to fit in, and to avoid spending time with someone. It uses a map to visually represent these reasons, highlighting the main idea that lying serves different purposes. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of identifying the main point of a text and its supporting evidence, suggesting that outlining and mapping are effective strategies for deepening understanding. It encourages readers to ask about the main idea and supporting details of any text they encounter.

Keywords

💡Supporting details

Supporting details are the reasons, examples, facts, steps, or other kinds of evidence that explain a main idea. In the video script, supporting details are used to explain why reading the morning paper is bad for the man's health (political news raises blood pressure, business report makes him depressed, sports page makes him mad) and why women are underrepresented in U.S. politics (underrepresented in law and business, irregular hours conflict with motherhood, men reluctant to give up power). These details provide the evidence that backs up the main ideas presented.

💡Main idea

The main idea is the central point or theme of a piece of writing or a conversation. In the script, the main ideas are that reading the morning paper negatively impacts the man's health and that women are underrepresented in U.S. politics. These ideas are the focus around which the supporting details are organized.

💡Addition words

Addition words, such as 'First,' 'In addition,' and 'Last,' are used to signal major details in a text. They help readers identify the supporting details of a main idea. In the script, these words are highlighted as tools to find the reasons behind the underrepresentation of women in politics.

💡Outline

An outline is a structured summary of the main points and supporting details of a piece of writing. It helps to visualize the relationship between the main idea and its supporting details. In the script, an outline is provided for the paragraph about women in politics, showing the main idea and the three supporting reasons.

💡List words

List words are terms that indicate a series of items or points are about to be listed. Words like 'several kinds of,' 'various causes,' and 'a number of reasons' are examples. In the script, 'a number of reasons' is used to signal that a list of reasons for women's underrepresentation in politics is coming.

💡Maps or diagrams

Maps or diagrams are visual representations of the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details. They use shapes like circles or boxes to show connections. The script mentions that maps can be a helpful tool to understand the structure of a paragraph, like the one about people lying for different reasons.

💡Underrepresentation

Underrepresentation refers to a situation where a particular group is not fairly represented in a particular area, in this case, women in U.S. politics. The script discusses this concept in the context of the disparity between the number of men and women in political office.

💡Irregular hours

Irregular hours refer to work schedules that are not standard or predictable, often involving long or unusual hours. In the script, it is mentioned as a reason why women might be underrepresented in politics, as these hours can conflict with the role of a mother.

💡Motherhood

Motherhood is the state or experience of being a mother. In the script, it is discussed as a role that may conflict with the demands of a political career, which often requires irregular hours and a significant time commitment.

💡Reluctance

Reluctance is a feeling of unwillingness or hesitation. In the context of the script, it is used to describe men's resistance to incorporating women into decision-making roles or presenting them as viable candidates in politics.

💡Skilled reader

A skilled reader is someone who can effectively identify the main idea or point of a text and understand the support provided for that main idea. The script emphasizes the importance of this skill in comprehending and analyzing written material.

Highlights

Supporting details are crucial for explaining a main idea, including reasons, examples, facts, steps, or other evidence.

In a cartoon, the main idea is conveyed through the man's health being negatively affected by reading the morning paper.

Political news raises the man's blood pressure, business reports make him depressed, and sports pages make him mad, all serving as supporting reasons in the cartoon.

A paragraph is analyzed to demonstrate the main idea that women are underrepresented in U.S. politics and the reasons behind it.

The first reason for women's underrepresentation is their lower presence in law and business, which are common starting points for politicians.

The second reason highlighted is the incompatibility of a politician's irregular hours with the role of a mother.

The third reason provided is men's reluctance to share power and include women in decision-making or as viable candidates.

Addition words such as 'First,' 'In addition,' and 'Last' signal the major supporting details in a text.

Common addition words are essential for identifying supporting details and include 'one for one thing,' 'in addition,' 'first of all,' and 'last.'

An outline is a tool for understanding the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details, starting with the main idea followed by a list of details.

An example outline is provided for the paragraph about women's underrepresentation in politics, detailing the three reasons.

List words like 'several kinds of,' 'various causes,' and 'a number of effects' indicate an upcoming list of details.

The use of list words in the paragraph on women's underrepresentation signals the main idea and the list of supporting reasons.

Maps or diagrams are visual outlines that show the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details using shapes.

A map is provided for a paragraph on reasons why people lie, visually setting off the major details.

The paragraph on lying is summarized, highlighting the different reasons such as avoiding hurt feelings, fights, fitting in, and avoiding time with someone.

Skilled readers look for the main idea and supporting points, using outlining and mapping to deepen their understanding of a text.

Transcripts

Supporting details are reasons, examples, facts, steps, or other kinds of evidence

that explain a main idea.

Look at the following cartoon.

In the cartoon, the main idea is that reading the morning paper is bad for the man’s health.

The supporting reasons are that the political news raises his blood pressure, the business

report makes him depressed, and the sports page makes him mad.

Now take a look at the following paragraph:

Eight million more women than men are of voting age, and more women than men vote in U.S.

national elections. However, men greatly outnumber women in political office. Since 1789, over

1,800 men have served in the U.S. Senate, but only 30 women have served. Women are underrepresented

in U.S. politics for a number of reasons. First, women are still underrepresented in

law and business, the careers from which most politicians emerge. In addition, most women

find that the irregular hours kept by those who run for office are incompatible with their

role as mother. Fathers, in contrast, whose ordinary roles are more likely to take them

away from home, are less likely to feel this conflict. Last, preferring to hold on to their

positions of power, men have been reluctant to incorporate women into centers of decision-making

or to present them as viable candidates.

The main idea is “Women are underrepresented in U.S. politics for a number of reasons.”

Take a minute to see if you can pick out the three reasons that are given to

support this main idea.

There are three reasons that support the main idea. Notice that each is marked by words

that signal major details. These words, also known as addition words, are

“First,” “In addition,” and “Last.” Looking for addition words such as these can help

you find supporting details for a main idea. Here are some common addition words:

one for one thing

in addition first of all

another last

second also

finally

Addition words will often help when you study a paragraph by outlining it.

Here is a quick review of outlining.

An outline helps you understand and see clearly the relationship between a main idea and its

supporting details. Outlines start with a main idea followed by a numbered list of supporting

details. Here is an outline of the paragraph about women.

The main idea is that women are underrepresented in U.S. politics.

The first reason is that women are still underrepresented in law and business,

the usual starting for politicians.

The second reason is that a politician’s

hours are incompatible with the role of a mother.

The third reason is that men have been reluctant to give women power.

Now let’s look at a helpful outlining tip.

Here are some common list words that tell you a list of details is coming:

several kinds of various causes

a few reasons a number of effects

a series of three factors

four steps among the results

several advantages

In the paragraph on women we’ve already looked at, you’ll note that list words were

used that signaled the main idea:

Women are underrepresented in U.S. politics for a number of reasons.

Once we saw “a number of reasons,” we could guess that a list of supporting reasons

was about to follow.

In addition to using outlines, you can also use maps to show the relationship between

a main idea and its supporting details.

Maps, or diagrams, are highly visual outlines in which circles, boxes, or other shapes show

the relationship between a main idea and its supporting details. Here is a paragraph we

considered in the first chapter:

People lie for different reasons. One common reason is to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.

For example, a friend might ask, “Do you like my new haircut?” If you think it’s

ugly, you might still answer something like, “I really do.” Another common reason for

lying is to avoid a fight. Say a friend angers you and then asks, “Are you upset with me?”

You might answer, “No,” to avoid an argument. People also lie so that they’ll fit in,

as when you listen to a boring person and politely say, “That’s so interesting.”

Finally, people lie to avoid spending more time with someone. For instance, you might

lie, “I have to go now.”

Here is a map of this passage. You’ll see how it sets off the major details in a very

visual way.

The point is that people lie for different reasons: to avoid hurting feelings; to avoid

a fight; to fit in; and to avoid spending time with someone.

To summarize, then, a skilled reader is one who looks for the main idea or point of a

selection as well as the support for that main idea.

Ask yourself, “What is the point of a selection?” as well as “What support is offered for

the point?” Then use outlining and mapping as ways to set off clearly the main idea and

its support. The very act of outlining or mapping helps you deepen your understanding

of a selection.