|
What
is extra information |
When you write or read a
paragraph, all of the sentences should support the
main idea.
Sentences that do not support the
main idea
would be
extra information. |
|
Paragraphs can
have a stated
main idea
(a topic sentence), or an implied
main
idea. But
all the sentences within the
same paragraph should always be about
the same topic.
Let's look at
some sample paragraphs. |
 |
|
The
students had fun on
their field trip. They visited
the Marine Museum. They
were able to tour a tug boat,
and they bought souvenirs in
the gift shop. After the tours
they ate a picnic lunch in the
park.
 |
The
main idea is, "The
students had fun on their field
trip."
The next 3 sentences all tell
about things the students did
that were fun. |
|
Some paragraphs do not have a stated
main idea,
(topic
sentence) but all of the sentences are still on the same
topic.
|
|
The Native Americans used
the trees to build their houses.
They hunted and trapped
animals in the forests for food.
They found roots and berries
that they could eat. Some
plants found in the forests
were used as medicines.
 |
This
paragraph has no
stated
main
idea (topic
sentence). But it is easy to see
that the
main idea
is:
"Native Americans used the
resources of the forest to
survive."
All of the
sentences within
the paragraph tell
about ways
the Native Americans
used
things in the forest. |
|
Since all of the sentences within a paragraph should
support the
main idea,
let's see if you can identify a
sentence in the following paragraph that is
extra information.
|
|
Maria
offered to help her mother clean the house.
She
vacuumed the living room and dusted the furniture. She
picked up the toys in the playroom. She ate a ham sandwich
for lunch. Then she mopped the kitchen floor.
 |
|
Can you
find the
extra information?
Let's look at the paragraph again. |
|
Maria
offered to help her
mother clean the house.
She
vacuumed the living room and
dusted the furniture. She
picked up the toys in the
playroom.
She ate a ham
sandwich for lunch. Then she
mopped the kitchen floor.
|
Did you find the
extra
information? All of the
sentences should tell about
things Maria did to help her
mother clean the house.
"She
ate a ham sandwich for lunch"
is extra
information.
|
Let's
look at another example. Look for the
extra information. |
|
Winter provides
the
opportunity for many outdoor
activities.
Many people enjoy
ice skating on a pond.
Swimming in the pond in
summer can also be fun.
Skiing
can be a thrilling
experience too. After a new
snowfall, you can even build a
snowman!
|
Since the main idea is,
"Winter provides the
opportunity for many outdoor
activities," all of the sentences
should tell about winter
activities. "Swimming in the
pond in summer can also be
fun," is extra information. |
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Remember...
all of the
sentences within a paragraph should be on the same topic or support the
main idea.
Extra information
doesn't support the
main idea.
|
Click on the flower for practice in identifying
extra information.
Copyright © 2001-08
Oswego City School District
Elementary Test Prep
Center
Studyzone.org
|
