1.2: The Main Idea
1.2.1: Identifying the Main Idea
The active reading strategies you practiced in Subunit 1.1 are designed to help you identify, understand, and remember the most important ideas in a reading or lecture. In this subunit, you will learn to identify the main idea, topic sentence, and theme of a paragraph. To begin, read this lecture and complete the included activities, in which you identify the main ideas from the excerpts of "A Scandal in Bohemia," which is part of the active reading assignment in Subunit 1.5.
1.2.2: Supporting the Main Idea
In this course you will practice writing analytical paragraphs in which you state the main idea clearly in a topic sentence and support the main idea with evidence and examples. Read this lecture and complete the included activities, in which you identify the main ideas and supporting details of different paragraphs. When you are done, check your work against the “Main Ideas and Supporting Sentences” Practice Activity Answer Key.
1.2.3: Topic Sentences
Now that you understand how to break down a paragraph into the main idea and supporting sentences, follow the link to learn some tips for developing effective topic sentences in your own writing. Once you have completed the reading, take a few moments to reflect and apply what you've learned. For practice, try writing a topic sentence that summarizes the main idea of Unit 1 of this course.