Research Findings
Altogether, there are myriad strategies for helping students to identify the main idea of an expository piece. For most struggling readers the process of determining the main idea is not often explicated. However, researchers have noted that students who are taught processes for locating main idea often outscore their peers who have not received explicit training. Therefore, it is important that teachers are explicitly teaching and modeling main idea identification strategies like summarizing, the Main Idea strategy, self-monitoring, and rereading. Furthermore, teachers need to handpick expository passages that are slightly below-grade level, are of student interest, and have implicit main ideas so that they can steadily increase complexity while teaching text structure. Additionally, the use of visual aids can often help to streamline and clarify the process for students.
Benefits for Students
While high-level readers often intuitively understand how to dissect expository passages and locate the main idea, striving readers are often not equipped with the tools necessary to both decode a passage and wade through extraneous details. Most strategies taught to low-performing readers are limited to finding literal main ideas (Schumaker, Denton, & Deshler, 1984; cited in Boudah, 2013). However, state testing requirements often monitor a student’s ability to locate inferential main ideas. And, for almost all reading purposes, successful comprehension hinges on a reader's ability to detect a main idea (Van den Broek, Lynch, & Naslund, 2003). Therefore, it becomes essential that English teachers explicitly instruct low-level readers on how to identify the main idea in order to aid comprehension and build reading agency.
Impact on Instructional Decisions
With all of this in mind, it is important to be deliberate about the particular texts, strategies, and methods used to teach main idea. Although there are many options to choose from, it is clear that consistency, practice, and feedback are necessary for struggling readers to improve their main idea identification skills. Moving forward, it will be important to investigate the best method of presenting successful comprehension strategies to aid student understanding.
Connection to Action Plan
Based on the strategies found in the literature, I utilized summarizing, rereading, the MAIN-I strategy, and modeling to inform my teaching. Additionally, I chose expository passages that were slightly below grade level and included inferential main ideas.
Altogether, there are myriad strategies for helping students to identify the main idea of an expository piece. For most struggling readers the process of determining the main idea is not often explicated. However, researchers have noted that students who are taught processes for locating main idea often outscore their peers who have not received explicit training. Therefore, it is important that teachers are explicitly teaching and modeling main idea identification strategies like summarizing, the Main Idea strategy, self-monitoring, and rereading. Furthermore, teachers need to handpick expository passages that are slightly below-grade level, are of student interest, and have implicit main ideas so that they can steadily increase complexity while teaching text structure. Additionally, the use of visual aids can often help to streamline and clarify the process for students.
Benefits for Students
While high-level readers often intuitively understand how to dissect expository passages and locate the main idea, striving readers are often not equipped with the tools necessary to both decode a passage and wade through extraneous details. Most strategies taught to low-performing readers are limited to finding literal main ideas (Schumaker, Denton, & Deshler, 1984; cited in Boudah, 2013). However, state testing requirements often monitor a student’s ability to locate inferential main ideas. And, for almost all reading purposes, successful comprehension hinges on a reader's ability to detect a main idea (Van den Broek, Lynch, & Naslund, 2003). Therefore, it becomes essential that English teachers explicitly instruct low-level readers on how to identify the main idea in order to aid comprehension and build reading agency.
Impact on Instructional Decisions
With all of this in mind, it is important to be deliberate about the particular texts, strategies, and methods used to teach main idea. Although there are many options to choose from, it is clear that consistency, practice, and feedback are necessary for struggling readers to improve their main idea identification skills. Moving forward, it will be important to investigate the best method of presenting successful comprehension strategies to aid student understanding.
Connection to Action Plan
Based on the strategies found in the literature, I utilized summarizing, rereading, the MAIN-I strategy, and modeling to inform my teaching. Additionally, I chose expository passages that were slightly below grade level and included inferential main ideas.