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Modified In-School Off-School Approach Modules (MISOSA)
Distance Education for Elementary Schools
SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Revised 2010
by the Learning Resource Management and Development System (LRMDS),
DepEd - Division of Negros Occidental
under the Strengthening the Implementation of Basic Education
in Selected Provinces in the Visayas (STRIVE).
This edition has been revised with permission for online distribution through the Learning Resource Management Development System (LRMDS) Portal
Section 9 of Presidential Decree No. 49 provides:
“No copyright shall subsist in any work of the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines. However,
prior approval of the government agency or office wherein
the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of
such work for profit.”
GRADE IV
IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEA
GETTING READY
Hello?
Do you love to read? Well, if you do love reading you can go places.
Reading helps you understand everything around the world.
In this module, you will be able to identify the main idea of a paragraph. Knowing the main idea will help you understand what the paragraph is all about.
Are you ready now?
GRADE IV
REVIEW TIME
When you were still in Grade III you learned to distinguish the small ideas from big ideas.
For as start, try answering the following exercises if you can still recall your apst lesson.
A. Which is the big idea?
Write the letter of the correct answer.
Example:
a. animals b. insects c. toys
Answer: a
Begin here:
1. a. flowers
b. grasses c. trees
2.
a. insect b. animals c. birds dogs
cats ducks cows
rose camia sampaguita
GRADE IV
3. a. fruits
b. grasses c. vegetables
4.
a. hobby
b. Household chores c. Sports
B. Tell whether the word in the box is a big idea or a small idea. Write the letter of the correct answer.
1.
yoyo
cart a. big idea
doll b. small idea
2.
atis
mangoes a. big idea fruits b. small idea
3.
twigs
roots a. big idea trunk b. small idea leaves
maya dove parrot
Washing the plates Cleaning the house Watering the garden
toys
papaya
GRADE IV
C. Look for the big idea in the box. Write the letter of the correct answer.
1. nose
eyes lips 2. flowers leaves stem roots 3. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Sunday 4. makopa banana avocado pineapple 5. March April September December 6.
milk or chocolate egg
bread papaya
a. parts of the head b. parts of the body c. parts of the arms
a. parts of a flower b. parts of a plant c. parts of a root
a. name of months b. days and week c. number of days a. name of months b. days and week c. number of days a. name of months b. days and week c. number of days a. name of months b. days and week c. number of days a. name of months b. days and week c. number of days
a. fruits b. trees c. grasses a. fruits b. trees c. grasses a. months b. days c. year
GRADE IV
7.
books desks blackboard
8.
plates cups pots glasses
STUDY TIME
Read the paragraph.
This paragraph tells about trees.
The sentences: Trees are important, tells what the paragraph is all about. It is the key sentence. The key sentence gives the main idea of the paragraph.
a. things at home b. things in school c. things in the kitchen
a. things in the sala b. things in the kitchen c. things in the bedroom
GRADE IV
The nectar is the food of the butterflies. This is the sweet liquid found among some flowers. Butterflies sip the nectar from the flowers. They flit from one flower to another to sip the nectar
Let’s continue.
Read the study these paragraphs.
1.
What is the story all about?
It is about the giraffe
Where is the key sentence of the maid idea? Is it in the beginning, middle or the end?
The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world.
2.
This paragraph tells about scientists.
The key sentence is –Scientists are hard workers.
Sentences 1, 2, and 3 are all related to the key sentence. They give the details that support the sentence.
3.
Read the questions.
1. What is the paragraph about? a. the butterflies
b. nectar from the flowers c. the food of the butterflies
Have you seen a giraffe? It is three times as tall as a man. It has long thin legs. It has a very high. the giraffe is the tallest animal in the world.
1Scientists study things around them. 2They read and read and read. 3
GRADE IV
Answer: the food of the butterflies
2. What is the key sentence of the paragraph? a. Butterflies sip the nectar from the flowers b. The nectar is the food of the butterflies.
c. This is the sweet liquid found among some flowers.
3. Read these sentences.
The nectar is the food of the butterflies.
- This is sweet liquid found among some flowers. - Butterflies sip the nectar from the flower.
- They flit from one flower to another to sip.
You will notice that the other sentences are related to the key sentence. They tell something about the key sentence. These sentences give the details that support the key sentences.
4. What is a good title for this paragraph?
a. Food for the Butterflies
b. The Butterflies and the Flower c. The Nectar from the flower
Answer: Food for the Butterflies
The Title of the paragraph is related to the key sentence.
The key sentence is Sentence 5. Milk is good for you. All the other sentences are related to it. The key sentences sums up between 1,2,3 and 4. The key sentence is at the end of the paragraph.
1
GRADE IV
KEEP IN MIND
The main idea of a paragraph is what the paragraph is about. You often read to find the main idea of a paragraph. When someone gives a talk, or tells a story, think about what the person is talking about.
You may not remember all the little details given but you can tell all the important details. If you can do this, the whole story or selection will be clear to you.
Let’s have some more examples.
PRACTICE TIME
A. Read this selection.
Answer the questions that follow.
The key sentence gives the main idea of the paragraph. It may be found at the beginning, at the middle or at the end of the paragraph.
GRADE IV
Write the letter of the correct answer in your notebook.
1. Which is the key sentence of the paragraph?
a. It curls its tail around a seaweed. b. It is head looks like the head of a pony.
c. A fish that doesn’t look like a fish is the seahorse.
2. Where is the key sentence found?
a. at the beginning b. at the middle c. at the end
3. Why this fish is called a seahorse?
a. It curls its tail around a seaweed. b. It eats grass like a horse.
c. Its head looks like the head of a pony.
Let’s have more Practice. Read the following selection.
1. Whales live in ocean. They swim with their tails as fishes do. Their front legs look like the fins of a fish. Some of them have fins on their backs just as fishes have. It is not surprising that many people think whales are a kind of fish.
GRADE IV
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer in your notebook.
1. The main idea of paragraph 1 is ____.
a. Whales live in oceans.
b. Some of them have fins on their backs as fishes have.
c. It is not surprising that may people think whales are a kind of fish.
2. The main idea of paragraph 2 is _____.
a. Mother whales nurse their babies with milk from their bodies. b. Whales don’t have gills.
c. Whales are mammals.
3. A good title for this selctio0n is ____. a. Ocean Mammals
b. Whales, not fish c. Swimming Mammals
3.
Copy the letter of the correct answer.
1. The paragraph tells about _______.
a. the homes of honeybees
b. the places where honeybees build their homes c. what a beehive is
2. The key sentence is _____.
a. They build their homes in all kinds of places b. They make their homes on hollow trees c. The home of a honeybee is called a beehive
GRADE IV
3. The key sentence is found at the ____ of the paragraph.
a. beginning b. middle c. end
B. Read the selection. Answer the questions that follow.
A. Fish lay their eggs in different places. Some fish lay their
eggs in mud. Others lay their eggs in stones or underwater roots. Still others lay their eggs on top of the water.
B. Some fish blow bubbles on the water. These bubbles stick
together and make a nest. The bubbles nest floats to the top of the water like an umbrella. The bubble nest is a unique fish nest. It is strong. The wind a waves cannot break it.
C. The male fish puts the eggs the mother fish has laid into the
bubble nest. He watches over the nest. When an egg falls out from the bubble nest, he puts it back. The male fish takes care of the eggs in the bubble nest.
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer in your notebook.
1. Which is the key sentence of paragraph A? a. Fish lay eggs in different places. b. Some fish by lay their eggs in mud. c. Others lay their eggs on stones
d. Still others lay their eggs on top of the water.
2. Which is the key sentence of paragraph B?
a. The bubbles nest floats to the top of the water like an umbrella. b. The bubble nest is a unique fish nest.
GRADE IV
3. What is the key sentence of paragraph C?
a. The male fish puts the eggs into the bubble nest. b. He watches over the nest.
c. When an egg falls out from the bubble nest, he outs it back. d. The male fish takes care of the eggs in the bubble nest.
Here are other exercises for you to do.
Exercise 1
Read the paragraph and find out what it is all about. Write the letter of the main idea in your notebook.
1. In the beginning, there was no human life on earth. A giant hawk pecked at a floating bamboo. The bamboo split open. Out came Malakas, the first man and Maganda, the first woman.
a. The first man and woman came from a bamboo that split open. b. A giant hawk found a bamboo and split it open.
GRADE IV
2. Malakas and Maganda lived together. They had many sons. But these sons grew up lazy and stubborn. Malakas drove them away.
a. The sons went and lived in the forest.
b. The different classes of men came from the caves. c. The sons became slaves when they left their parents. d. The sons lived in forests, rocks and caves
Source: English for All Times
GRADE IV
Exercises 2
Read the story and answer the questions that follow. The questions will help your find the main idea of each paragraph. Write your answer in your notebook.
GRADE IV
GRADE IV
4. Others less adventure could have been discouraged. But not the brothers! They went on with their explorations. This time they threw stones at the beehive. Out flew the angry bees, buzzing towards the boys. The two boys ran as fast as the boys nursed swollen noses and ears.
GRADE IV
Which paragraph tells:
1. how strange the barrio was to Dan and Arturo.
2. that t he boys realized the beauty of barrio life and hoped to be back there. 3. about a humorous beehive are
4. an accident that makes us sorry for the boys.
You learned that a paragraph always has a main idea. This main idea is usually stated directly in the paragraph. It may be in the beginning, the middle or at the end of the paragraph.
TEST YOURSELF:
A. Read the selection. Answer the questions that follow.
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer in your notebook.
1. What does the selection tell?
a. The work of the queen ant b. How ants live and work together c. Where ants build homes
Ants live and work together. They live in ant cities. They work hard to build their cities in tree tops. Others build in the ground. Some ants even build their cities in pieces of old wood.
GRADE IV
2. Which is the key sentence of the first paragraph?
a. Ants live and work together. b. They live in ant cities.
c. They work hard to build the ant cities. d. Some ants build their cities in tree tops.
3. Which is the key sentence of the second paragraph?
a. Some worker ants dig tunnels. b. Still others build storerooms. c. They stand watch ready to fight.
d. Every ant has his own work to do in Ant City.
B. Read the paragraph. Copy the key sentence in each paragraph.
1. Palay and corn grow in soil. Vegetables grow in soil. The fruit trees grow in soil too. Most of the food we eat grow in soil.
2. Soil is made when ground rocks mix with decayed matter. They mix with dead animals too. Soil has been formed in this manner for a long, long time.
3. Scientists study things around them. They read and read. They work patiently on their experiments. Scientists are really hard workers.
4. Houses are made of different materials. Some are made of nipa and bamboo. Others are made of wood. There are also houses made of stones and bricks.
