Point and Support

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Erika Boney

Point and Support

 

Proposal Design Guide

Designers for Learning - Adult Learning Zone

Part 1: Lesson Description

Lesson Title: Highlighting the Main Idea and Supporting Details: Identifying the Main Idea in a Memo

Abstract

This module is intended for students who are working to acquire their GED. The reading level is Level C  with a want to learn job related skills. The learners will be able to identify the point, and supporting, and apply them to this understanding to their jobs. There is a reading, written and oral component to this module. There are interactive, independent, reading, writing and speaking components.  This is intended for a class lesson can be conducted in a blended classroom or adapted to be used in  brick and motor classroom. There are interactive, independent, reading, writing and speaking components. Determining the point and support are important to the learner's success in a job. By the end of this lesson, learners will have a firm grasp on how to apply this skill in their everyday lives, and further understand how to apply it on the GED test.

Learner Audience / Primary Users

Teachers, Administrators, Students, Professional Developers

Educational Use

  • Curriculum / Instruction
  • Assessment, Mini-Lesson, Professional Development, Home School, Informal Education.

College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Alignment

  • Level: Adult Education
  • Grade Level: C  CCR Anchor 6
  • Subject: Language Arts
  • Domain or Strand: Reading Informational Texts
  • Domain: English Language Arts/Literacy
  • Strand: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening
  • Sub-strand: Reading and Writing of Informational Text, Literature
  • Standard Description:
  • Determine the point of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. (RI.4.2).
  • Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. (RI.2.6)

Standard Description:

To become college and career ready, students need to grapple with works of exceptional craft and thought whose range extends across genres, cultures, and centuries. By engaging with increasingly complex readings, students gain the ability to evaluate intricate arguments and the capacity to surmount the challenges posed by complex texts. Standards 1 and 10 play a special role since they operate whenever students are reading: Standard 1 outlines the command of evidence required to support any analysis of text (e.g., analyzing structure, ideas, or the meaning of word as defined by Standards 2-9); Standard 10 defines the range and complexity of what students need to read.

Language

English

Material Type

  • Instructional Material
  • Homework and Assignments
  • Teaching and Learning Strategies
  • Images, illustrations, video.
  • Assessments

Learning Goals

The purpose of this lesson is for learners to be able to:

  • To determine the main idea in an informational text
  • Differentiate between the main idea and supporting details in an informational text.

Keywords

  • Designers for Learning
  • Adult Education
  • Main Idea
  • Supporting Details
  • Memo

Time Required for Lesson

30 minutes

Prior Knowledge

The students will need to have achieved previous standards from ABE and pre-GED.

Intermediate level of speaking and listening skills

Required Resources

Access to a computer with internet

Highlighters (two different colors)

Memo copies

Paper

Pencils

Lesson Author & License

  • Lesson Author: Erika Boney

Part 2: Lesson

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:

  • Identify  the main idea and details of a given text with 80% accuracy.
  • Compare the point and support of a given text  with 80% accuracy.

Lesson Topics

Key topics covered in this lesson include:

English/Reading/Language Arts

Context Summary

This lesson seeks to build reading comprehension skills. An important task of reading comprehension is to determine the importance and meanings of individual words, sentences, paragraphs, sections, chapters, and entire texts. Good readers must be able to decipher the meanings of words within sentences, of sentences within paragraphs, and so on. As readers begin to differentiate between the point, main idea,  they better understand the purpose of the supports, or details—which further strengthens their ability to apply their knowledge to job related situations, such as calling in sick.

Relevance to Practice

In a job situation, adults will be presented with moments where they will have to call in sick from work.  If the process is not followed properly this could cost a person their jobs.  In order to  and understand the purpose and key details they will need to accomplish the task. Procedures may be communicated in the form of a memo.   For instance, a memo on emergency procedures. It is essential for adult learners to be able to comprehend job-related texts. This lesson aims to build these skills.

Key Terms and Concepts

  • Point: What the text is mostly about? The idea that is repeatedly mentioned or constantly referred to in a given passage, paragraph or story is the main idea.
  • Support: The smaller ideas that are directly or indirectly connected to the main idea of the text are called supporting details.

Instructional Strategies and Activities

Warm-Up

Time: 3 minutes

The facilitator will post the following paragraph for learners.

When feeling sick, it is soothing to eat comfort foods. These foods will differ for each individual. For some, it may be chicken noodle soup while others it may be beans and rice. The type of food is unimportant, but the feeling associated with the food helps the sick person feel better.

  1. The facilitator will allow students to think about  the most important idea in the paragraph.
  2. Next, the facilitator will direct students to pair up and  discuss the most important idea in the paragraph.
  3. Students will share with the group their ideas and the process they took to get to their answers.

Introduction

Time: 1 minute

The facilitator will explain the objective.

Today we will learn how to:

  • Determine the differences between the point and its support in a text.

Presentation / Modeling / Demonstration

Time: 10 minutes

The learners will view the following Zaption video and answer the questions while viewing the video. Main Idea Video

Following the video, learners will discuss the strategies discussed in the video strategies used to find the point and support.

Model how to find the point and support with two different color highlighters (example: yellow for the main idea, green for the supporting detail) with text below. 

Good Reasons to Call in Sick

  Sometimes taking a  day off from work is unavoidable. There are several good reasons why an employee should call in sick. If you wake up with a  contagious illness, such as a cold or flu, you should miss work. . Another good reason to take call in sick is if your child or other immediate family members are sick.  Your boss would appreciate you not coming in when could have a contagious illness so that you don't spread this illness to other people.  In the even of severe weather, such as a snowstorm, it would be safest for you to take a day off from work. This will be an acceptable reason to keep you safe.  Taking a day off from work is sometimes necessary in the even of severe weather, and illness. 

Author: Erika Boney

Creative Commons  by 4

 

Guided Practice

Time: 10 minutes

Give learners a copy of the following paragraph on how to call in sick.

In today’s high-pressure work environment, many workers feel the need to come to work even when sick. Whether you are truly under the weather or just need a “mental health day,” following sensible procedures to determine when and how to call in sick will make it easier for you to keep you boss and co-workers happy and healthy.

If you wake up not feeling well you should first gauge your potential effectiveness, or how well you could do your job if you went in. If you can’t stand up, see straight, stay awake, or go ten minutes without running for the toilet, you won't likely be helpful at work. It would be advised for you to stay home. However, if you have a previously treated sprained angle and you work in an office you can still do you day to day work. So missing a day from work may not be needed.

Now that you have gauged that you will not be effective at work, you will have to call in. The best time to call is usually sometime between when you normally wake up and when you leave for work. This says “I tried, but it’s obvious it’s just not happening today." When speaking with your boss, be clear, direct, and brief in explaining why you need to stay home. Don't exaggerate your symptoms with fake coughs to make your symptoms sound worse. Unless, you are a fantastic phone actor, this may send a message that you boss should be suspicious. Always ensure that you end the phone call with an apology for the inconvenience that your absence may cause. When you return to work, be very polite and nice to others for picking up extra duties when you were absent. 

Author: Erika Boney 

Creative Commons  by 4

Next, Separate learners into small groups.

 Students will do the following with the text:

1. Read the text.

2. Reread and decide which sentence would identify the point

3.Use a different color highlighter to highlight words or sentences that would be considered the support.

4. Discuss with a partner your reasoning for why the highlighted sentence is the main idea. 

Evaluation

Time: 4 minutes

The learners will take a sample quiz to test understanding of main idea and supporting details.

Name_____________________________________________ Date_________________________________________________
                                                                                Point and Support Quiz

Read the following passage. Select the point of the passage

Cesar Estrada Chavez (1927-1993) was a Mexican- American labor leader who used non-violent methods to fight for the rights of migrant farm workers in the southwestern United States. Migrant workers often move from farm to farm or from town to town to find work. It is usually difficult work and does not pay a high wage. Chavez was influenced greatly by the peaceful philosophies of St. Francis of Assisi and Mohandas Gandhi.

A. Cesar Chavez was a migrant worker

B. Cesar Chavez helped migrant workers move from farm to farm

C.Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American labor leader who used non-violence

D. Cesar liked to fight

Write 1 support that could be found in the paragraph. How do you know that this is a support?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Read the following passage. Select the point of the passage

Transportation is how people travel.  In Chicago, people travel to work in many ways.  Some walk.  Some drive cars.  Many take a bus to work.  And others take a train.  The buses and trains are part of public transportation.  They are part of a system.  A system is how a lot of parts work together.  The parts of public transportation in Chicago are all part of the Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA.  Long ago, people walked to other places when they lived here.  Or they rode on horses.  Today, there are thousands of people who work in public transportation

A. Transportation is how people travel.

B. In Chicago, people travel to work in many ways.

C. The buses and trains are part of public transportation. 

Explain how do you know that this is the correct response?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Circle any good reason(s) for an employee to miss work. 

A. Going to the beach

B. Spending time with children

C. Contagious illness

D. Mental Health Day

E. Severe Weather

F. Illness of an immediate family member

Write a paragraph explaining how you will take a day off from work.  Underline the point of your paragraph. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Google forms version of this quiz

Author Erika Boney

Creative Commons  by 4

Application

Time: 3 minutes

The learners will reflect on the steps that are to be taken in order to find the point or support in a text. The learner will ask themselves will explain, which is more important, point or support ? Why?  They will add this to their "brain dump" that they will recreate prior to taking their GED test.

Part 3: Supplementary Resources & References

Supplementary Resources

None

References

Lesson 1 - Main Ideas [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from      

       http://zapt.io/tuprqp7h




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