Understanding Key Details in Informational Text
Understanding Key Details in Informational Text Objective: The student will be able to identify and explain key details in an informational text to demonstrate comprehension.
Learning Objectives
- Students will learn to listen and read an informational passage carefully.
- Students will identify at least three key details from the text.
- Students will explain how these details help understand the main idea.
Materials Needed
- A short informational text appropriate for 1st grade (e.g., about animals or plants)
- Pencil
- Notebook or worksheet for drawing and writing
- Colored pencils or crayons
Key Vocabulary
- Informational text
- A type of writing that gives facts about a topic.
- Key details
- The important pieces of information that help us understand the main idea.
- Main idea
- What the text is mostly about.
Detailed Activities
Read and Identify Key Details
- Read the selected informational text aloud to the student, or have the student read it aloud.
- Discuss the main idea of the text together, asking the student what the text is mostly about.
- Ask the student to point out or name at least three important details that help explain the main idea.
- Write down or draw these key details in the notebook or worksheet.
- Review the key details and talk about how each one helps tell more about the main idea.
Drawing to Reinforce Understanding
- Have the student draw a picture that shows the main idea and some of the key details from the text.
- Ask the student to explain their drawing, describing how the details relate to the main idea.
- Encourage the student to use colors and labels to highlight important parts of their drawing.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- Encourage your child to ask questions during the reading to promote engagement and comprehension.
- If your child struggles to identify key details, try reading the text more than once or breaking it into smaller parts.
- Praise your child’s efforts and remind them that understanding key details helps us become better readers.
Assessment Questions
- What is the main idea of the text we read?
- Can you tell me three important details from the story?
- How do these details help us understand what the text is about?
Extension Ideas
- Read another short informational text on a different topic and repeat the activity to build confidence.
- Create a simple chart with two columns: one for key details and one for the main idea to organize information visually.
- Ask your child to find key details in everyday informational materials like labels or signs.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can read the text aloud to your child and pause to discuss the main idea and details together, gradually encouraging them to read small parts as they gain confidence.
If your child can name important facts from the text and explain how they relate to the main idea, it shows good understanding. Drawing or retelling the information also helps check comprehension.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse key details with minor or unrelated information.
- Students sometimes focus on illustrations rather than text details.
- Students might identify details but struggle to connect them to the main idea.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Provide texts with fewer sentences and simple vocabulary.
- Use pictures to support the text and help identify important facts.
- Read text aloud multiple times and provide more guided questions.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage students to write their own sentences about key details.
- Have students compare key details from two different texts on the same topic.
- Challenge students to find additional facts using books or online resources.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend the first 10 minutes reading and discussing the text together.
- Use the next 20 minutes for identifying and recording key details.
- Finish with 15 minutes of drawing and explaining to reinforce understanding.
Standards
- 1.RI.2 — undefined
Printable Worksheet
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