Assignment: READING: LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY

Study Skills 101
2022-07-24T04:31:40Z

Due: Aug 1, 2022 by 11:59pm

Lecture Notes: Levels of Specificity

Levels of Specificity

Knowing the terminology that applies to reading and how we understand what we read is helpful when thinking as a reader. As we engage with reading material this semester, your instructor will ask you about topics, main ideas, and supporting details. Below are basic definitions of the terms and well as examples.

Topic

A topic is a general subject that an author discusses. We can express this in a word or phrase.

EXAMPLES OF A TOPIC

In the article from last week, you might say that the topic is Sir Captain Moore or the fundraising hero of the pandemic. Notice that these are phrases, not complete sentences.

As a student in English class, you might choose a topic for a writing assignment, such as the benefits of a Mediterranean diet or pollution in middle Tennessee. These are starting points of an essay. Your job would be to take the topic and turn it into a thesis statement, to make it a complete sentence with a point to support it.

Main Idea

The main idea is the author's key point, expressed in a complete sentence. There are two kinds of main ideas.

1. A thesis statement is the key point of an entire essay (usually found in the introduction paragraph of an essay).

2. The theme is an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature.

3. A topic sentence is the key point of a body paragraph (usually found at the beginning of the paragraph). Remember that body paragraphs are those other than the introduction or conclusion.

EXAMPLES OF MAIN IDEAS

Look at the article from last week, "British Officer Knighted for Pandemic Fundraising." The second sentence of the article is the thesis statement, meaning it is the main idea of the entire essay:

By the end of that month, the frail centenarian was described as a "national treasure" by Britons. It made headlines worldwide after he paced his 82-foot garden patio for days - pushing his walker to raise funds in support of Britain's state-supported National Health Service (NHS), struggling under the weight of increasing coronavirus patients.

The rest of the article contains information that all supports and explains the thesis statement.

Toward the end of the article, you can see an example of a topic sentence, the main idea of a body paragraph:

In 1968, Capt. Moore married Pamela Paull, an office manager from Gravesend on the Thames estuary outside London.

The rest of the sentences in this paragraph explain Moore's marriage to Pamela.

Supporting Details

Supporting details are sentences that explain and prove the main idea. As a reader, you should look for supporting details to help you understand the main ideas. If you are reading something persuasive, you will want to use the supporting details to decide if the writer's argument is convincing or not. As a writer, you will provide supporting details to communicate your ideas and perspectives to your reader.

EXAMPLES OF SUPPORTING DETAILS

In the article, "British Officer Knighted for Pandemic Fundraising," you will find details supporting the idea that Moore was a "national treasure."

Some of these supporting details are the fact that Moore:

raised "32 million pounds (around $45 million)" for the NHS by using his walker to do laps in his garden

"became the oldest person to have a No. 1 hit single on the British pop charts"

was knighted by "Queen Elizabeth II, herself in isolation in Windsor Castle during a covid-19 lockdown"

GENERAL TO SPECIFIC

TOPIC: MOST GENERAL

MAIN IDEA

SUPPORTING DETAIL: MOST SPECIFIC

Video: What is the Main Idea

This 5:13 video will help you determine the main idea of a paragraph. What are the key things to look for to find the main idea?

What is a main idea? Reading Khan Academy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4swFGRhQoMI&ab_channel=KhanAcademy

After watching the video, complete the LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY QUIZ.

You May Access the Quiz Here

References

Adapted from Gorgie, J., & Hutson, K. (2022, July 20). College Level Reading Support: Readings to Engage Learners. OER Commons. https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89536/overview

Kahn Academy. (2020b, March 27). What is a main idea? | Reading | Khan Academy. Www.youtube.com; Kahn Academy. https://youtu.be/4swFGRhQoMI

Lecture Notes: Levels of Specificity

Levels of Specificity

Knowing the terminology that applies to reading and how we understand what we read is helpful when thinking as a reader. As we engage with reading material this semester, your instructor will ask you about topics, main ideas, and supporting details. Below are basic definitions of the terms and well as examples.

Topic

A topic is a general subject that an author discusses. We can express this in a word or phrase.

EXAMPLES OF A TOPIC

In the article from last week, you might say that the topic is Sir Captain Moore or the fundraising hero of the pandemic. Notice that these are phrases, not complete sentences.

As a student in English class, you might choose a topic for a writing assignment, such as the benefits of a Mediterranean diet or pollution in middle Tennessee. These are starting points of an essay. Your job would be to take the topic and turn it into a thesis statement, to make it a complete sentence with a point to support it.

Main Idea

The main idea is the author's key point, expressed in a complete sentence. There are two kinds of main ideas.

1. A thesis statement is the key point of an entire essay (usually found in the introduction paragraph of an essay).

2. The theme is an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature.

3. A topic sentence is the key point of a body paragraph (usually found at the beginning of the paragraph). Remember that body paragraphs are those other than the introduction or conclusion.

EXAMPLES OF MAIN IDEAS

Look at the article from last week, "British Officer Knighted for Pandemic Fundraising." The second sentence of the article is the thesis statement, meaning it is the main idea of the entire essay:

By the end of that month, the frail centenarian was described as a "national treasure" by Britons. It made headlines worldwide after he paced his 82-foot garden patio for days - pushing his walker to raise funds in support of Britain's state-supported National Health Service (NHS), struggling under the weight of increasing coronavirus patients.

The rest of the article contains information that all supports and explains the thesis statement.

Toward the end of the article, you can see an example of a topic sentence, the main idea of a body paragraph:

In 1968, Capt. Moore married Pamela Paull, an office manager from Gravesend on the Thames estuary outside London.

The rest of the sentences in this paragraph explain Moore's marriage to Pamela.

Supporting Details

Supporting details are sentences that explain and prove the main idea. As a reader, you should look for supporting details to help you understand the main ideas. If you are reading something persuasive, you will want to use the supporting details to decide if the writer's argument is convincing or not. As a writer, you will provide supporting details to communicate your ideas and perspectives to your reader.

EXAMPLES OF SUPPORTING DETAILS

In the article, "British Officer Knighted for Pandemic Fundraising," you will find details supporting the idea that Moore was a "national treasure."

Some of these supporting details are the fact that Moore:

raised "32 million pounds (around $45 million)" for the NHS by using his walker to do laps in his garden

"became the oldest person to have a No. 1 hit single on the British pop charts"

was knighted by "Queen Elizabeth II, herself in isolation in Windsor Castle during a covid-19 lockdown"

GENERAL TO SPECIFIC

TOPIC: MOST GENERAL

MAIN IDEA

SUPPORTING DETAIL: MOST SPECIFIC

Video: What is the Main Idea

This 5:13 video will help you determine the main idea of a paragraph. What are the key things to look for to find the main idea?

What is a main idea? Reading Khan Academy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4swFGRhQoMI&ab_channel=KhanAcademy

After watching the video, complete the LEVELS OF SPECIFICITY QUIZ.

You May Access the Quiz Here

References

Adapted from Gorgie, J., & Hutson, K. (2022, July 20). College Level Reading Support: Readings to Engage Learners. OER Commons. https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89536/overview

Kahn Academy. (2020b, March 27). What is a main idea? | Reading | Khan Academy. Www.youtube.com; Kahn Academy. https://youtu.be/4swFGRhQoMI