• 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? The new bridge was hailed as a triumph of engineering. Within a week, however, it had begun to sway alarmingly in the wind, and engineers closed it for repairs. Why does the writer mention that the bridge was 'hailed as a triumph'? → to contrast early praise with the problems that followed (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) → yes, it is correctPrompt: Ask: what would be lost if this detail were removed?
2. Many people assume that creativity is a rare gift. Psychologists, however, increasingly describe it as a skill that grows with practice, feedback and a willingness to fail. Which choice best states the central idea? (Psychologists study failure. / Most people are not creative. / Creativity may be a learnable skill rather than an inborn gift. / Feedback is always negative.) → Creativity may be a learnable skill rather than an inborn gift.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
3. Is the proposed answer correct? The new bridge was hailed as a triumph of engineering. Within a week, however, it had begun to sway alarmingly in the wind, and engineers closed it for repairs. Why does the writer mention that the bridge was 'hailed as a triumph'? → to prove the bridge was safe (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. The composer Florence Price became the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra, in 1933. Her music blended European classical forms with African American spirituals. Which choice best states the main idea of the text? (Orchestras only played European music. / Florence Price was a famous singer. / Symphonies are very long. / Florence Price was a groundbreaking composer who combined different musical traditions.) → Florence Price was a groundbreaking composer who combined different musical traditions.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. Before the printing press, books were copied by hand, which could take months. Printing made books far cheaper and faster to produce, helping ideas spread across Europe. Which choice best states the main idea of the text? (Books took months to read. / The printing press made books cheaper and helped ideas spread. / Europe had few books. / Copying by hand was a popular hobby.) → The printing press made books cheaper and helped ideas spread.Prompt: What is the text mostly about?
2. The architect Diébédo Francis Kéré grew up in Gando, Burkina Faso, where his school was a hot, dark concrete building. When he returned as an architect, he designed a new school using local clay bricks and a raised, ventilated roof that kept classrooms cool without air conditioning. The project, built with the help of villagers, became a model for sustainable design. Which choice best states the main idea of the text? (Concrete is the best material for hot climates. / Burkina Faso has many architects. / Kéré designed a school that uses local materials and clever design to stay cool, and it became a model of sustainability. / Kéré disliked going to school as a child.) → Kéré designed a school that uses local materials and clever design to stay cool, and it became a model of sustainability.Prompt: Which choice covers the WHOLE text, not just one detail?

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