Supporting Details

Learning Objective:

  • Identify supporting details in a reading.

LESSON
In this lesson, you will learn how to identify the supporting detailsStatements within a reading that tie directly to major details that support the main idea. These can be provided in examples, statistics, anecdotes, definitions, descriptions, or comparisons within the work. of a readingA piece of writing to be read. A reading can either be a full work (i.e., a book) or partial (i.e., a passage).. Writers use supporting details to give readers more information about their topicsThe subject of a reading. and main ideasThe most important or central thought of a reading selection. It also includes what the author wants the reader to understand about the topic he or she has chosen to write about.. Supporting details help readers answer questions they have about the topic or main idea. A writer may use examples, statistics, anecdotesA brief, interesting story that writers often use to demonstrate a point within a work. (short, interesting stories), definitions, comparisons, or other forms of support to explain a reading's topic or main idea. There are two types of supporting details: major and minor. Major supporting detailsStatements within a reading that tie directly to the work's main idea. These can be provided in examples, statistics, anecdotes, definitions, descriptions, or comparisons within the work. are directly tied to the main idea. Minor supporting detailsSmaller statements within a reading that tie directly to major details. are directly tied to major details.

For example, if you are reading about tornadoes (the main idea), a major detail might be that certain locations on the planet help create tornadoes, and a minor detail would be that "tornado alley," found on the plains of the United States, is where the most tornadoes form.

Supporting Details Process

Use a three-step process to identify supporting details.

Step 1: Identify the topic. To identify the topic of a reading, ask yourself, "What is this about?" The answer provides the topic of the reading. It does not need to be a complete sentence, and it is usually no longer than two or three words.

Step 2: Identify what the author is saying about the topic. To identify what the author is saying about the topic, ask yourself, "What does the author want me to know about the topic?" Again, this does not need to be a sentence and is generally five to seven words long.

Step 3: Identify details that support or explain the main idea. To find the main idea, first take your answer from Step 1, add it to your answer from Step 2, and then find a phraseA set of words that express an idea. A phrase may or may not form a complete sentence. or sentence in the first part of the reading that most closely matches your answers. This will be the main idea of the reading. To identify major supporting details that support that main idea, ask yourself, "What else in the reading helps me to understand the author’s main idea?" To identify minor supporting details, ask of each major detail, "What else in the paragraph helps me to understand this major supporting detail?" Be aware that not all major details require further explanation, so they will not all have minor details supporting them.

+ PRACTICAL APPLICATION+ EXAMPLE+ YOUR TURN+ METACOGNITIVE QUESTIONS