La Grande High School Or

La Grande High School Or

La Grande High School Or

Students are often tested on their reading comprehension skills with teacher-made, state and national multiple choice tests. Teachers can guide students to develop specific test-taking strategies while helping them increase their reading comprehension with this easy lesson plan.

Lesson Initiating Activity to Prompt Reading Comprehension

Teachers should start this lesson by reading aloud a brief excerpt from a novel or short story, such as To Kill a Mockingbird [Grand Central Publishing, 1988] by Harper Lee. Then, they can ask their students what is the main idea of the passage. Once students respond appropriately, teachers can ask students to identify specific details that support the stated main idea.

Understand the Main Idea of a Passage

To start, teachers can explain that the main idea of a passage is basically a brief summary that encompasses more than just one portion of the passage. It should not, however, summarizes events outside of those stated in the passage or analyze the events. Instead, the main idea should be concise, factual, and supported by specific details in the passage.