• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Central ideas in complex texts; Why did the author include this detail?). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Is the proposed answer correct? Scientists studying the Arctic fox noticed something odd: one fox had walked more than 3,500 kilometres in 76 days, from Norway to Canada. What is the main purpose of the specific figures? → to make the fox's journey vivid and impressive (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) → yes, it is correctPrompt: Ask: what would be lost if this detail were removed?
2. Urban foxes are often seen as pests: they tip over bins and wail at night. Yet studies suggest they also control rat populations and rarely pose a danger to people. Understanding their role may help cities manage them more humanely. Which choice best states the central idea? (Rats are a growing problem in cities. / Foxes are dangerous and should be removed. / Foxes tip over bins. / Urban foxes have benefits as well as drawbacks, which should shape how cities treat them.) → Urban foxes have benefits as well as drawbacks, which should shape how cities treat them.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
3. Is the proposed answer correct? The company advertises its trainers as 'built to last'. Our tests found that the soles of three out of five pairs had split within two months. Why does the writer quote the slogan 'built to last'? → to agree with the company (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) → no, it is not correctPrompt: Ask: what would be lost if this detail were removed?

• Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
• Share the objective: Main idea of a short academic text (SAT). Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: For decades, researchers assumed that octopuses, being solitary, had little need for complex social behaviour. However, divers off the coast of Australia have recorded groups of gloomy octopuses living together, sharing dens and even signalling to one another by changing colour. These observations suggest that octopus social life may be richer than once believed. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
• Step 1: The main idea is the central claim the whole text supports; details are evidence for it.
• Step 2: The text sets up an old assumption and presents evidence against it.
• Step 3: So the answer is: New observations challenge the view that octopuses have little social behaviour.
• Answer: New observations challenge the view that octopuses have little social behaviour.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Archaeologists once believed that the people of a Neolithic village abandoned it because of war. New analysis of seeds and pollen in the soil, however, shows a sudden drop in rainfall at the time. The researchers now argue that drought, not conflict, is the more likely explanation. Which choice best states the main idea of the text? (Neolithic villages were often at war. / Pollen can survive for thousands of years. / New environmental evidence suggests drought rather than war led people to leave the village. / Archaeologists dislike changing their minds.) → New environmental evidence suggests drought rather than war led people to leave the village.Prompt: Which choice covers the WHOLE text, not just one detail?
2. Some species of trees share nutrients through underground networks of fungi. Through these networks, larger trees can pass sugars to young seedlings growing in the shade. Which choice best states the main idea of the text? (Trees can share nutrients with each other through fungal networks. / Sugar is bad for trees. / Seedlings prefer the shade. / Fungi are a type of tree.) → Trees can share nutrients with each other through fungal networks.Prompt: What is the text mostly about?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. In many cities, the hottest neighbourhoods are those with the fewest trees and the most paved surfaces. Researchers in several countries have found that planting street trees and adding green roofs can lower local summer temperatures by several degrees, reducing health risks during heatwaves. Which choice best states the main idea of the text? (Adding greenery to cities can cool hot neighbourhoods and reduce heat-related risks. / Heatwaves only happen in large cities. / Green roofs are difficult to build. / Paved surfaces are cheaper than trees.) → Adding greenery to cities can cool hot neighbourhoods and reduce heat-related risks.Prompt: Which choice covers the WHOLE text, not just one detail?
2. Honeybees perform a 'waggle dance' to tell other bees where food is. The angle of the dance shows the direction of the food relative to the sun, and the length of the waggle shows the distance. Which choice best states the main idea of the text? (Honeybees like the sun. / Honeybees communicate the location of food through a dance. / Food is often far from the hive. / Bees dance for fun.) → Honeybees communicate the location of food through a dance.Prompt: What is the text mostly about?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-11.