Central Idea and Summarizing: Ocean Waves
Text Version

(Soft background music plays throughout)

Image description: A mock news article titled “The Daily News” is shown on the title page. As the narration begins, we zoom in on the article and scroll the text.

Narration: To identify the central ideas, start by reading the text and looking for key details. Key details are significant pieces of information like facts, examples, definitions, quotations and text features presented by the author. Remember that not all information in a text is a key detail.

Image description: The words “key details” appear in a box above the news article. The words “facts,” “examples,” “definitions,” “quotations” and “text features” appear surrounding the article. These words and the article disappear, and then the words “significant facts,” “significant examples,” “significant definitions,” “significant quotations” and “significant text features” appear surrounding the article.

Narration: It is your job as the reader to determine what the key details are. They are the most important pieces of information in the text.

Image description:  The words “significant facts,” “significant examples,” “significant definitions,” “significant quotations” and “significant text features” are repositioned so that each appears with an arrow pointing to a separate box labeled “Key details.”

Narration: Next, decide what big ideas are supported by the key details. These are the central ideas.

Image description: The words “Central Ideas” appear above the previous image.

Narration: You may want to highlight, underline and/or take notes to help you identify the central ideas and supporting key details.

Image description: The article reappears with several areas highlighted. An arrow labeled “key detail” points to the first highlighted section.

Narration: In many texts, individual paragraphs or sections composed of several paragraphs have key details that support their own central ideas.

Image description: Three large boxes with arrows pointing to different highlighted sections of the text show a diagram with several boxes labeled “key details” pointing to a box labeled “central idea.”

Narration: Once you have found the central ideas in different sections, decide what big idea is supported by the central ideas and key details. This is the overall central idea of the text. All the central ideas from different sections of the text should support the overall central idea.

Image description: The previous image fades as the diagrams with central ideas and key details appear on a row at the bottom of the screen. Then the words “overall central idea” appear above these boxes. Arrows point from the central idea diagrams to the “overall central idea.”

Narration: Now that you have determined the central ideas, you can begin to develop a summary of the text. Remember, the summary is written in your own words, not in the author's words. A summary contains the overall central idea and the most important central ideas from different sections. Not all central ideas from different sections of the text are as important as others. Since the summary should be short, just focus on the most important central ideas and supporting details.

Image description: The article reappears and the word “summary” appears beside it. Then the words “overall central idea” appears and is followed by three bullet points named “central idea.”

Narration:  Including key details in your summary will help to convey the meaning of the most important ideas in the text.

Image description: Supporting key details appears as a sub topic beneath two of the central idea bullets. The words “supporting key details”are highlighted.

Narration: Remember, your sentences must be written in your own words.