Literature - EC: L.N.1.3.1
Continuum of Activities
The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.
This continuum of activities offers:
- Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
- Questions/activities that grow in complexity
- Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance
English Language Arts, Literature
- For each paragraph in a text, underline one sentence that best illustrates the main idea.
- For each paragraph in a text, draw circles around at least two details that support the main idea.
- Explain the main idea for each paragraph in your own words.
- Compare the main ideas you have identified and explained for each paragraph and decide which two best illustrate the main idea of the entire text.
- In your own words, explain the main idea of a text, paying attention to your two most important paragraphs, and any other important information such as the title.
- Investigate whether or not this main idea is directly stated in the text or whether it is implied.
- Students are able to correctly identify information in a paragraph that illustrates the main idea of that paragraph. This information is usually, but not uniformly, found in the first two sentences of a paragraph.
- Students are able to accurately identify at least two supporting details for each main idea within each paragraph. Students are able to differentiate between supporting details and main ideas and can justify these decisions in writing or in speech.
- In the margins, students are able to paraphrase and explain in their own words the main idea of each paragraph.
- Students are able to compare the purpose of different paragraphs and can distinguish more important paragraphs from less important paragraphs.
- Students are able to put the main idea of an entire text in their own words. Students are able to distinguish the subject matter (what the text is mostly about) from the main idea and/or purpose (what the text is mostly meant to do). Make sure students pay attention to titles during this objective.
- Students are able to correctly differentiate when the main idea of a text is directly stated or when it is only implied. Students may also be able to explain which kinds of texts their prefer to read or find more challenging.
Suggested Rubric: This rubric may be used to assess a student’s overall mastery of the standard or eligible content.