[ESEEINEIParagraphs Almost everything you read is made up of paragraphs. If you learn how to understand paragraphs, you'll read more quickly and understand more. Two main steps in understanding a paragraph are: 1. Find the subject. What is the paragraph about? 2. Find the main idea. What does the author say about the subject? Sentences and paragraphs are the basic units of writing. ‘Most paragraphs have several sentences. Taken together, all of the sentences in a paragraph express one large thought. When you've found that one thought, you've found the subject of the paragraph. Every paragraph also contains a main idea. The main idea is what the writer is saying about the subject. “chimps” or Subject Lavelexploration” - “Chimps have learned sign language.” Nain idea —>- or “Cave exploration can be dangerous.” A paragraph does not stand by itself. Every paragraph is related to the other paragraphs around it and to the larger chapter or book as a whole. Each of the paragraphs in the larger work adds a little bit of meaning.Gi Finding the Subject When you want to know what's going on in a paragraph, the first thing to look for is the subject. Ask yourself, “What's the main thing being written about in this paragraph?” Here's where to look for the subject: Look at the title or heading. 2. Look at the first sentence. Look at any names, key words, or repeated words. With that in mind, read this paragraph. ‘As ranching grew in the Southwest in the mid 1800s, a new figure arose—the cowboy, Many cowboy stories tell about brave men who captured (Repeated \wild horses by day and told jokes around campfires (words) xt night. But real cowboys worked long hours for — ttle pay. They risked their lives in blizzards to guard herds on the open prairies. They rounded up cattle and branded them by burning their ranch’s mark into the animals’ hides. And the cowboys drove cattle hundreds of miles to railroads so that they could be shipped across the country. By using a few simple steps, you can determine that the cowboy is the subject of the paragraph. Subject: the cowboy First Sentence: “a new figure arose—the cowboy” Repeated Words: cowboy and cattle Reading Know-how i Finding the Main Idea If you know the subject of a paragraph, you can find ‘the main idea. Just ask what the author is saying about the subject. You'll sometimes find a paragraph’s main idea in the first sentence or in the last sentence. Other times youl need to figure out the main idea for yourself. Main Idea in the First Sentence ‘Main If you've ever tried to swat a fly, you know it’s Hafd to hit. That's because fly can detect moving objects extremely well Flies view the world through compound eyes—eyes with multiple lenses. (Gens) © Each lens faces a different direction and views a tails} small part of a scene. The parts add up toa complete picture in the insect’s brain, which tells a fly to fly away fast! In the first sentence, you learn the subject of the paragraph— the fly. Then you lear what the main idea is—that a fly is “hard to hit.” The rest of the paragraph gives details that explain why. Subject: a fly Main Idea: Flies are hard to hit. Detail 1: Flies detect moving objects well. Detail 2: They have compound eyes with multiple lenses. Detail 3: Lenses face in different directions. Detail 4: Images are combined in flies’ brains.Main Idea in the Last Sentence Sometimes writers like to build up details in a paragraph and then sum them up at the end. When that happens, you'll find the main idea in the last sentence. Read this example. Reverently he removed the wrapping and held nd-white photo. It seemed to be of (tie up a bla tous) someone’liingreem. On a table sat a big, Olde (Ghioned radio. In front of it WiniAaWland Woman stood together. ThoaiianiWas in a aad the Womaniwasin allufly gown. They were Molding hands, as if they were about {6 dance! They were so ‘This paragraph lists details that the narrator sees in a photo. The last sentence states the main idea—that these people in the photo are his parents. ! Subject: a photo Detail 1: living room Detail 2: old-fashioned radio Detail 3: man and woman standing together Detail 4: dressed in a tuxedo and a gown Detail 5: holding hands and about to dance Main Idea: These two young people in the photo are his parents. Implied Main Idea Sometimes an author doesn’t state the main idea. As the reader, it’s your job to read the paragraph and figure out what the main idea is. On the day Kristy’s father went off to war, she (Four) Onna) (Oo) fle woods, HerCuyeshhure HetkestbumnediShe =) Q crossed thelbridge over the purling stream and dashed info the leaf she and her father had built near the edge of the flower-filled woodland meadow. This paragraph offers you many details about what Kristy does when her father leaves. But it's up to you, as the reader, to infer how she feels and figure out the main idea. The implied main idea is that Kristy is very upset that her father is going to war. Subject: Kristy Detail 12 burst out back door and ran to woods Detail 2: eyes hurt Detail 3: chest burned Detail 4: crossed bridge and dashed into the lean-to Implied Main Idea: Kristy is very upset that her father is leaving for the war.@IWUWT Ta rz T Paragraphs 6, ® You need a plan to follow when you're looking Paragraphs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are lengthy for the main idea in paragraphs. Try this one. descriptions. Others are short listings of events. Paragraphs perform a number of different jobs. Both as a reader and as 11. First, find the subject. Look at: a writer, you know about four general kinds of paragraphs. * the title or heading « the first sentence = any names, key words, or repeated words aC ars Narrative Paragraphs Persuasive Paragraphs ‘They tell a story or * They express an opinion experience. or viewpoint. 2. Next, decide what the ‘about the subject. © Ask yourself: “What does the writer say about it in the first sentence?” “What's the writer saying about it in the last sentence?” "what are the details in the paragraph about?” * Then put together what the writer is saying about the subject. State the idea in your Descriptive Paragraphs _Expesitory Paragraphs * They describe. © They explain. The Trouble with Paragraphs ‘As a reader, you soon realize that no paragraph is perfectly one kind or another. The paragraphs you read seem to have alittle description, a little explanation, and a little something else. For example, look at this paragraph and one reader's notes about it. NS 3. Use a Main Idea Organizer to keep track i." of what the paragraph is about. © Write the main idea at the top. | ‘© List details in smaller boxes. ! © Then sum it all up. Write the conclusion. Primi ‘Andrew Marcus wanted freckles. Nicky Lane had freckles. He had about a million of them. They covered his face, his ears and the back of his neck. ‘Andrew didn't have any freckles, He had two warts on his finger. But they didn't do him any good at all If he had freckles like Nicky, his mother would never know if his neck was dirty. So he wouldn't have to wash. And then he'd never be late for school. SEE 3 oe nerus®