Do all Sentences Support the Main Idea?
If students can identify the main idea of a passage, then they should have a good idea about the other sentences in the passage. When the student sees sentences that do not support the main idea of a passage, those sentences do not belong to the paragraph. Those sentences are not supporting details and detract from the main idea. If students are able to identify the main idea of a passage, the effect is twofold. First, they know what the paragraph is about, and second, they are able to identify those sentences that work as supporting details–those details that add to the overall purpose of the paragraph. Those sentences that do not contribute to the overall effect of the paragraph are irrelevant and should be eliminated.
