Reading Anchor Standard 2 Level A/B

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. (Apply this standard to texts of appropriate complexity as outlined by Standard 10.)

Leveled Standard A
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. (RI.1.2)

Leveled Standard B
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. (RI.3.2)

Teacher Notes

To meet this standard, students must be able to identify central ideas and themes, show how details convey the central ideas or themes, trace the development of central ideas or themes, and summarize the text.

For literature, students need an understanding of literary elements: plot, character, setting, theme, antagonistic forces, problems, resolution, conflict.

For informational texts, students need an understanding of central idea and supporting details.

Examples / Activities
Getting to Work on Time

Students at A level will be introduced to finding a main idea through pictures, and students with reading levels as low as first-grade equivalent will read a passage, retell it, and determine the main idea. Extension activities include practicing time management skills, including filling out a timesheet.

opens in a new window Workforce Readiness Skills:

• 1

  Positive Work Ethic: focus on coming to work every day on time

• 6

  Conflict Resolution: learn to call one’s employer if one is going to be late

• 8

  Speaking and Listening: retell key details of a story; discuss ways to get to work on time with classmates

• 9

  Reading and Writing: read sentences and short passage; write short answers

• 15

  Time, Task, and Resource Management: think about ways to use time wisely

• 16

  Mathematics: complete a time sheet (optional)

• 19

  Information Technology: use online software to locate readings and practice literacy skills

• 20

  Internet Use and Security: read a passage online

GED® Assessment Targets (RLA)
R.2.1 Comprehend explicit details and main ideas in text.
R.2.3 Make sentence level inferences about details that support main ideas.
R.2.4 Infer implied main ideas in paragraphs or whole texts.
R.2.5 Determine which detail(s) support a main idea.
R.3.5 Analyze the roles that details play in complex literary or informational texts.

Resources
opens in a new window Determining Importance: Helping Students Recognize Important Points in Content Text from Ohio State University
opens in a new window IXL.com Interactive Practice: Y.2 Determine the Themes of Myths, Fables, and Folktales
opens in a new window Marshall Adult Education Reading Skills for Today’s Adults
opens in a new window Mount Township Public Schools (NJ) Reading Anchors with Writing and Teacher Prompts
opens in a new window Text Dependent Question Stems Aligned to CCRS