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English lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 45 minutes

Main idea and supporting details

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.3.2CCSS RI.4.2England: Y3/4 Reading (main ideas)England: KS2 SATs Reading

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Main idea and supporting details.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: What is it mostly about?

Leads to: Author's purpose; Text structure (cause–effect, compare, problem–solution); Summarising

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (What is it mostly about?). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Buses take people to work. Trains go fast on tracks. Planes fly in the sky. What is this mostly about? (going to work / planes / the sky / ways to travel) → ways to travelPrompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
  2. Cats like to sleep. They sleep in the sun. They sleep on beds. Some cats sleep most of the day! What is this mostly about? (the sun / cats sleeping / beds / dogs playing) → cats sleepingPrompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
  3. Teeth help us bite and chew. Brush them twice a day to keep them clean and strong. What is this mostly about? (food / brushes / teeth / bedtime) → teethPrompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?

Hook · 5 min

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

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Sloths move very slowly. They hang upside down in trees for most of the day. They even sleep and eat upside down. Moving slowly helps them save energy. What is the main idea?
  • Step 1: The main idea covers the whole text; details only cover a part.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: Sloths live slow, upside-down lives in trees.
  • Answer: Sloths live slow, upside-down lives in trees.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Dolphins are very smart. They can learn tricks, solve puzzles and recognise themselves in a mirror. They also talk to each other with clicks and whistles. What is the main idea? (Dolphins live in the sea. / Dolphins whistle. / Dolphins like mirrors. / Dolphins are intelligent animals.) → Dolphins are intelligent animals.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
  2. Recycling helps our planet. When we recycle paper, fewer trees are cut down. Recycling cans saves energy. It also means less rubbish goes into the ground. What is the main idea? (Rubbish is smelly. / Cans are made of metal. / Recycling helps the planet in many ways. / Paper comes from trees.) → Recycling helps the planet in many ways.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?

You do: independent practice · 10 min

  • 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Spiders are not insects. Insects have six legs, but spiders have eight. Insects have three body parts, while spiders have two. Most insects have wings; spiders never do. What is the main idea? (Spiders have eight legs. / Spiders are different from insects in several ways. / Insects can fly. / Spiders are scary.) → Spiders are different from insects in several ways.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?
  2. Recycling helps our planet. When we recycle paper, fewer trees are cut down. Recycling cans saves energy. It also means less rubbish goes into the ground. What is the main idea? (Paper comes from trees. / Cans are made of metal. / Rubbish is smelly. / Recycling helps the planet in many ways.) → Recycling helps the planet in many ways.Prompt: What is the WHOLE text mostly about, not just one part?

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: What is it mostly about?.
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Author's purpose; Text structure (cause–effect, compare, problem–solution); Summarising.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-3.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Main idea and supporting details

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Dolphins are very smart. They can learn tricks, solve puzzles and recognise themselves in a mirror. They also talk to each other with clicks and whistles. What is the main idea?

    • A. Dolphins like mirrors.
    • B. Dolphins are intelligent animals.
    • C. Dolphins whistle.
    • D. Dolphins live in the sea.

The Lemonade Stand

Marcus wanted a new bike helmet, but it cost twenty dollars. He had only five. "Why not set up a lemonade stand?" suggested his grandmother. She helped him squeeze a big bowl of lemons and stir in sugar and cold water. Marcus painted a sign that said LEMONADE – 50 CENTS. On Saturday morning, Marcus put his table at the end of the driveway. For the first hour, nobody came. Cars zoomed past. Marcus began to think it was a silly idea. Then he noticed that people were walking to the park across the road for a football match. He picked up his sign and moved the table right next to the park gate. Within ten minutes, a line had formed. By lunchtime, the jug was empty. Marcus counted his coins. He had earned exactly fifteen dollars. With the five he already had, it was enough. "You did it!" said Grandma. "We did it," said Marcus. "And next time, I'll think about where the customers are before I start."

  1. Question 2

    Read "The Lemonade Stand". Which sentence best sums up the story?

    • A. Marcus earns money for a helmet by solving a problem with his lemonade stand.
    • B. Marcus and his grandmother make lemonade.
    • C. Marcus paints a sign.
    • D. A football match is played in the park.

The Fennec Fox

The fennec fox is the smallest fox in the world. It weighs about as much as a bag of sugar. It lives in the Sahara Desert in North Africa, one of the hottest places on Earth. The first thing most people notice about the fennec fox is its enormous ears. They can be as long as 15 centimetres, which is huge for such a small animal. The ears do two important jobs. First, they let heat escape from the fox's body, helping it to stay cool. Second, they are so sensitive that the fox can hear insects moving under the sand. The fennec fox has other ways to survive in the desert, too. Thick fur on the bottoms of its feet protects it from the burning sand. During the hottest part of the day, it rests in a cool burrow underground. It comes out to hunt at night, when the air is cooler. Water is hard to find in the desert, but the fennec fox can go a long time without drinking. It gets most of the water it needs from the food it eats, such as insects, plants and small animals.

  1. Question 3

    Read "The Fennec Fox". What is the main idea of the whole text?

    • A. The Sahara is very hot.
    • B. The fennec fox is the size of a bag of sugar.
    • C. The fennec fox has special features that help it survive in the desert.
    • D. Foxes eat insects.

Inside a Volcano

Deep beneath our feet, the Earth is extremely hot – hot enough to melt rock. This melted rock is called magma. Because magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, it slowly rises upward. Sometimes it collects in a huge underground pool called a magma chamber. A volcano forms where magma finds a way to the surface. When the pressure in the magma chamber becomes too great, the magma bursts out through cracks or vents. Once it reaches the surface, it is called lava. Over time, layers of cooled lava and ash can build up to form a mountain. Most volcanoes are found near the edges of tectonic plates, the giant slabs of rock that make up the Earth's outer layer. More than half of the world's active volcanoes surround the Pacific Ocean, in a horseshoe-shaped zone known as the Ring of Fire. Scientists sort volcanoes into three groups. Active volcanoes have erupted recently and could erupt again. Dormant volcanoes have not erupted for a very long time but might wake up in the future. Extinct volcanoes are not expected to erupt ever again. Although eruptions can be deadly, volcanoes also bring benefits. Volcanic ash breaks down into rich soil, which is why many farms are found on the slopes of old volcanoes. In some countries, such as Iceland, the heat from underground is used to warm homes and produce electricity.

  1. Question 4

    Read "Inside a Volcano". Which is the best summary of the text?

    • A. It tells the story of a famous eruption.
    • B. It explains how volcanoes form, where they are found, how they are classified and how they affect people.
    • C. It argues that volcanoes should be studied more.
    • D. It explains how to climb a volcano safely.

Where Does a Can Go?

You finish a fizzy drink and drop the empty can into the recycling bin. That is not the end of the can's story. It is the start of a new one. First, a truck collects the recycling and takes it to a sorting centre. There, machines separate the materials. A giant magnet pulls out steel cans. Aluminium cans (aluminum in the US) are not magnetic, so a different machine pushes them aside. Next, the aluminium cans are squashed into huge blocks and taken to a factory. The cans are shredded into small pieces, cleaned, and melted in a furnace. The hot liquid metal is poured into moulds and cooled into long bars. Then the bars are rolled out into thin sheets, like dough under a rolling pin. The sheets are cut and shaped into brand-new cans, filled with drinks, and sent to the shops. A recycled can can be back on a shelf in about sixty days. Recycling aluminium is a big help to our planet. Making a can from old cans uses about 95 percent less energy than making one from new metal dug out of the ground. Aluminium can be recycled again and again without getting worse, so the can in your hand might once have been part of hundreds of other cans.

  1. Question 5

    Read "Where Does a Can Go?". What is this text mostly about?

    • A. why fizzy drinks are bad for you
    • B. how to build a factory
    • C. how an aluminium can is recycled into a new can
    • D. how magnets work

A Day at the Fire Station

Firefighters do much more than put out fires. At Station 9, the day begins at eight o'clock sharp with a check of every piece of equipment. The crew test the hoses, check the air tanks and make sure the ladders slide smoothly. "If something is broken, we need to know now, not when there's an emergency," says Captain Rivera. After the checks, the firefighters exercise for an hour. Their job is very physical. They must carry heavy hoses, climb ladders in thick protective suits and sometimes carry people to safety. In the afternoon, the crew often visit schools to teach children about fire safety. They show how to check smoke alarms and explain why you should never hide during a fire. "Get out, stay out, and call for help," Captain Rivera tells every class. When the alarm rings, everything changes. The crew pull on their gear, jump into the fire engine and are on their way in less than a minute. Calls might be for a house fire, a car accident or even a cat stuck up a tree. Whatever the emergency, the firefighters of Station 9 are ready.

  1. Question 6

    Read "A Day at the Fire Station". What is the main idea of this text?

    • A. Fire engines are red.
    • B. Firefighters have many different jobs during a day.
    • C. Smoke alarms need batteries.
    • D. Cats get stuck in trees.

The Vault at the Top of the World

On a frozen island in the Arctic Ocean, between Norway and the North Pole, a narrow concrete doorway sticks out of the side of a mountain. Behind it, a tunnel leads deep into the rock. This is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, and it holds more than a million packets of seeds from almost every country on Earth. Why keep seeds in a mountain? Farmers all over the world depend on many different varieties of crops, such as types of rice that survive floods or kinds of wheat that resist disease. If a variety disappears because of war, natural disaster or simple accident, it may be lost for ever. The vault is a back-up copy, like saving a precious file in two places. The location was chosen with care. The vault is high enough above sea level to stay dry even if ice caps melt. Inside, the seeds are kept at about minus 18 degrees Celsius, cold enough to keep many of them alive for decades or even centuries. The surrounding rock is permanently frozen, so even if the power failed, the seeds would stay cold. The vault opened in 2008. In 2015, it was used for the first time: scientists who had lost access to their own seed bank during a war in Syria withdrew samples, grew new plants and later sent fresh seeds back to the vault. The back-up had worked. No one hopes the vault will be needed often. But like a fire extinguisher in a school corridor, it is reassuring to know it is there.

  1. Question 7

    Read "The Vault at the Top of the World". What is the main idea of the text?

    • A. The seed vault protects copies of crop seeds in case they are lost elsewhere.
    • B. Wheat is better than rice.
    • C. The vault has a concrete door.
    • D. Norway is a cold country.

  1. Question 8

    Exercise is good for your body and your mind. It makes your heart and muscles stronger. It can also help you sleep better and feel happier. What is the main idea?

    • A. Sleep is important.
    • B. Muscles are strong.
    • C. Running is fun.
    • D. Exercise has many benefits.

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Answer key: Main idea and supporting details

  1. 1. B. Dolphins are intelligent animals.

  2. 2. A. Marcus earns money for a helmet by solving a problem with his lemonade stand.

  3. 3. C. The fennec fox has special features that help it survive in the desert.

  4. 4. B. It explains how volcanoes form, where they are found, how they are classified and how they affect people.

  5. 5. C. how an aluminium can is recycled into a new can

  6. 6. B. Firefighters have many different jobs during a day.

  7. 7. A. The seed vault protects copies of crop seeds in case they are lost elsewhere.

  8. 8. D. Exercise has many benefits.