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In order to deepen your understanding of how to think critically about multiple sources in science, explore the following slideshow. You will learn how to read an initial piece of text to identify the central idea and key details related to the science content you are learning. You will then have an opportunity to read additional texts and think about similarities and differences. By staying focused on the central idea and key details in multiple sources, you will make sure that you target the most important content. You will evaluate how the information in multiple sources supports or contradicts the information in the text in order to build your knowledge of the content that you are learning.


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Comparing Multiple Sources

central idea magnified

Begin by reading an initial piece of text and identifying the central idea. The central idea is the most important idea that the author wants you to gain. Read the entire text one time through in order to identify the central idea. If the content is challenging, you may need to read more than once to clarify your understanding.

Ask yourself:

  • What is the author's overall purpose?
  • What is the most important idea?
graphic with arrow pointing from title to central idea

Notice the title of the text. Frequently, the title helps you to identify or clarify the central idea in the text. This will help you later when thinking about the similarities and differences between an initial piece of text and an additional piece of text on the same topic.

Ask yourself:

  • How does the title help me to better understand the central idea?
  • How does the title represent the author's overall purpose?
graphic showing key details pointing to central idea

Now that you have found the central idea of an initial piece of text, look for the key ideas that help you better understand the central idea.

Ask yourself:

  • What are the key details that support the central idea?
  • How do the key details help to illustrate the author's overall purpose?
graphic with arrow pointing from title to central idea

Keeping in mind what you learned from the text, prepare to read an additional piece of text. Before reading, ask yourself:

  • How does the title of the additional text give you clues about its central idea?
venn diagram with text 1 and text

While reading, compare and contrast the information gained from both texts. Ask yourself:

  • How are the central ideas similar?
  • How are they different?

If the content is challenging, you may need to reread the texts a few times in order to clarify how the additional text confirms or contradicts the central idea in the initial text.

venn diagram with text 1 and text

After reading both texts, think again about the similarities and differences between the two. Consider the following questions:

  • How are the key details between the texts similar?
  • How are they different?
  • How do the key details in each of the texts support or contradict each other?