IDENTIFYING

MAIN TOPIC
Reading
Finding Topics

◦ To understand a paragraph, its important to find the

topic
◦ The topic is the idea to which all of the details in the
paragraph refer
◦ A topic is usually expressed as a word or phrase
Can you find the topic?

◦ Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world

depends upon it. Every creature needs water to
survive. Without water, we would not last long.
Water makes our world beautiful.

Topic – WATER
◦ We could see that the topic was water because it was
repeated again and again
◦ This is a good way to help us find a topic - looking
for repeated words or phrases
 Now try this one!

Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In

Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial
times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to
taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some
colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to
Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been
transported to the 1700s.
◦We could tell that the topic of the paragraph is
Williamsburg because it was repeated several
times
Finding the topic

◦ The topic of a paragraph is not always repeated over

and over in the same way
◦ Sometimes, you need to look for multiple reference
that is, words or phrases that refer to the same thing
Looking for multiple reference

◦ Here is the Williamsburg paragraph again. Notice how Williamsburg can

be replaced by other words or phrases

◦ Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In this Virginia town, you

can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes
who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample
some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to this place will
make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.
◦ Williamsburg is referred to in several different ways
◦ This Virginia town and this place both refer back to
Williamsburg
◦ The topic is still Williamsburg
Look for the topic in this paragraph

◦ Mabul island is a small island off the south-eastern coast of Sabah

in Malaysia. The island has been a fishing village since the 1970s.
In the 1990s, it first became popular to divers due to its proximity
to Sipadan island. People worldwide flock here all year round for
the chance to encounter and photograph not just the reefs and
colourful fish, but also the incredible variety of tiny, and sometimes
rare, marine life in the surrounding waters of this beautiful island.
Did you figure out the topic?

◦ Authors sometimes refer to the same idea in different ways

◦ Mabul Island and small island are really the same place
◦ When you are trying to figure out a topic, look for different
ways of saying the same thing
 To Do:

PLEASE READ THE HANDOUTS COMPLETE ALL THE GIVEN COMPLETE ALL THE TASKS
FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING TASK IN E-LEARNING WITHIN THE TIMEFRAME
 Prepared by: NSMN

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