Understanding Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts
Understanding Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts Objective: Students will be able to explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support specific points in a text and describe how reasons support those points.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the main points the author makes in an informational text.
- Recognize the reasons the author gives to support each point.
- Explain how the reasons help support the author’s points.
Materials Needed
- A short informational text (age-appropriate, about animals or science)
- Paper and pencil
- Highlighters or colored pencils
- Chart paper or whiteboard
Key Vocabulary
- Reason
- A statement that explains why something is true or why someone thinks a certain way.
- Evidence
- Information from the text that supports a reason or an idea.
- Point
- An important idea or opinion the author wants to share.
Detailed Activities
Reading and Highlighting Key Information
- Read the selected informational text aloud together with your child.
- Ask your child to listen carefully to the author’s main points.
- Read the text a second time and help your child highlight or underline sentences that show the author’s points and reasons.
Discussing Author’s Points and Reasons
- Use chart paper or a whiteboard to write down the main points identified in the text.
- Ask your child to share the reasons the author gave to support each point and write those reasons next to the points.
- Guide your child to explain why those reasons support the points by asking questions like ‘How does this reason help make the point stronger?’
Drawing Conclusions and Writing
- Have your child draw a simple diagram or write a few sentences that show one point from the text and the reasons supporting it.
- Encourage your child to use their own words to explain the connection between the reasons and the point.
- Review the drawing or sentences together and praise your child’s understanding.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson focuses on helping students understand how authors support their points with reasons and evidence, a key skill in reading comprehension.
- Take time to discuss vocabulary before reading to make the text easier to understand.
- Encourage your child to express their thoughts and ask questions during the activities to build critical thinking.
Assessment Questions
- What is one important point the author made in the text?
- Can you tell me one reason the author gave to support that point?
- How does that reason help explain or prove the author’s point?
Extension Ideas
- Find another informational text at home or online and practice identifying points and reasons together.
- Create a simple poster showing a point and reasons on a topic your child likes, such as favorite animals or hobbies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try reading the text together a few times and discuss each sentence. Use guiding questions like ‘Why do you think the author wrote this?’ to help your child think about reasons.
Use topics your child enjoys, like animals or sports, and include drawing or coloring activities to keep them interested.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may think every sentence is a reason rather than identifying only those that support a point.
- Some children might confuse facts with reasons and need guidance to distinguish them.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Provide one-on-one reading support and use simpler texts with clear, explicit reasons.
- Use graphic organizers with visuals to help them organize points and reasons.
For Advanced Students:
- Challenge them to find multiple reasons supporting a point and explain which reason is the strongest and why.
- Encourage writing a short paragraph summarizing the author’s argument with their own examples.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend about 15 minutes reading and highlighting key information together.
- Use 15 minutes to discuss and chart the points and reasons.
- Reserve the last 15 minutes for drawing and writing to reinforce understanding.
Standards
- 4.RI.4 — Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
Printable Worksheet
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