Can I put these ideas into my own words?
Are there vocabulary words I don’t know?
Do I clearly see how all the information fits together?
Can I predict what I will be reading next?
Summarize it.
Repeat Ideas out loud to yourself in your own words.
Write it down.
Draw a picture to illustrate what you’ve read.
Explain it to another person.
Quiz yourself.
These are the important words that determine the meaning of the sentence.
You are to report to the principal’s office immediately and take your books with you.
ANSWER: you report principal’s office immediately take books
The flood destroyed homes, bridges, and roads as it swept through the canyon.
Many states experience wide temperature changes during the four seasons.
Concentration is required as you read these sentences if you wish to identify the key words.
Once you can identify key words in a sentence, it is easier to pick out the author’s main idea in a paragraph.
Every paragraph has a main idea.
All other sentences work to develop or support this idea.
Ask yourself as you read:
What points are the authors making?
What details support these ideas?
REMEMBER:
Key Words
Main Idea
Major Points