Reading: Reading for Detail: B1 Lesson 1: Understanding Main Ideas and Supporting Details in Straightforward Factual Texts
CEFR Level: B1 (Intermediate)
Target Reading Sub-skill: Reading for Detail
Specific Focus: Understanding Main Ideas and Supporting Details in Straightforward Factual Texts
What You Will Learn
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Identify the main idea of a paragraph in a factual text.
- Identify supporting details that give more information about the main idea.
- Understand how supporting details develop or explain the main idea.
Hello Cambodian Learners!
When you read texts that give information, like an article about a place in Cambodia or a description of a traditional craft, each paragraph usually has a main idea. Then, other sentences give more specific information, examples, or explanations about that main idea. These are called supporting details. Understanding both helps you learn effectively from what you read!
Main Ideas and Supporting Details
The main idea is the most important point of a paragraph. It's what the paragraph is mostly about.
Supporting details are facts, examples, reasons, or explanations that tell you more about the main idea.
Example: Click the paragraph to hear it.
The Mekong River
Main Idea: The Mekong River is one of the longest and most important rivers in Southeast Asia.
Supporting Details:
- It flows through six countries.
- Many people depend on it for fishing and farming.
- It provides water for rice fields in Cambodia.
- It's a key transportation route in Cambodia.
Practice Time!
Activity 1: Identify the Main Idea
Read each paragraph. Then choose the sentence that best states the main idea of that paragraph.
Activity 2: Find Supporting Details
Read the paragraph. The main idea is given. Click on two sentences in the paragraph that are supporting details for that main idea.
Quick Quiz!
Great Job!
Understanding main ideas and supporting details is key to comprehending factual texts. This skill will help you learn a lot from your reading!