10.16.4 Main Ideas, Topic Sentences, and Thesis Statements

main idea

the primary thought or concept of a text. It is the one, general idea that all of the other details of the text support. If you can identify who or what the text was about, or summarize the text correctly, you have most likely grasped the main idea.

thesis statement

the thesis statement is the one key sentence that states the main idea for an entire essay.

topic sentence

the very first sentence of a paragraph, containing the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence is used to determine what the details of that paragraph will be about and serves as an overall introduction of the main concept, or main idea, of that particular paragraph

Using the Sentence-Phrase-Word Method:

1. The reader READS the entire text. 2. The reader chooses and highlights the one single WORD that he thinks the text is about. 3. Remember, it's just ONE word! 4. The reader then chooses the one PHRASE that he thinks the entire text is about and highlights the phrase. 5. Lastly, the reader will select and highlight the one single SENTENCE that he thinks best captures the whole meaning of the text. This should be the main idea.

A quality thesis statement is imperative for three specific reasons:

1. The thesis provides the point you want to prove within your paper. 2. It narrows down your topic and gives focus to your paper. 3. Thesis statements provide direction for your paper.

Let's Look at the TOPIC SENTENCE:

1. The topic sentence is typically the very first sentence in a paragraph. 2. Being able to identify the topic sentence will help you identify the main idea for that specific paragraph. 3. The topic sentence can help the reader know what to expect for the rest of the paragraph.

sentence-phrase-word

a learning technique, used to help students interact with the text in order to identify and determine the main idea in literary passages. The use of highlighting specific portions of the text, such as a single key sentence, phrase, or word, will ultimately help the reader to achieve a better grasp of the main idea and, therefore, the overall purpose of the text.

Ways to Visualize the Main Idea:

1. Consider a bull's-eye. The main idea is the exact center, or ultimate target, of the text. Everything else around it gets you close to the target, but those points are the ultimate goal. This is like all of the supporting details and content of the text. They get you close to the "target"-the main idea. 2. Consider your hand. It's like the palm of your hand is the main idea, and each finger is equal to a supporting detail of the text.

How to Determine the Main Idea:

1. Determine the TOPIC of the text. 2. Determine what the author is saying about that particular topic-THIS is the MAIN IDEA.