Reading nonfiction: central idea and key details (grade 6) · lesson

The central idea

💡 The central idea is what the whole passage is about, not just one fact inside it.

The central idea is the main point of a nonfiction text. Most paragraphs help explain it.

Many answer choices will be true details from the passage. A detail is only one piece. The central idea covers the beginning, middle, and end.

Test each choice. Ask: do most paragraphs talk about this? If only one paragraph does, it is a detail.

🧠 Let's work it out

Passage: paragraph 1 says sea turtles lay eggs on beaches. Paragraph 2 says the babies race to the sea. Paragraph 3 says lights on shore confuse them. Paragraph 4 says some towns turn lights off.

"Baby turtles race to the sea" is one detail.
"Sea turtles start life on beaches, and people can help them get safely to the sea" covers it all.

What do you think comes next?

central idea: the main point of a whole text
detail: one fact or example that helps explain the main point

🔗 Khan Academy: Key ideas and details, longer passages (grade 6) · Khan Academy ↗

Finding the exact detail

💡 When a question says "according to the passage," the answer is written in the text.

Some questions ask for a fact the passage states. Find the key word from the question in the text. Read that sentence and the ones around it.

Wrong choices are often close. One might describe a different part of the passage. Another might sound true but never be stated.

When you type an answer, copy what the passage says. Numbers can be typed as digits or as words.

🧠 Let's work it out

Question: "How long did the first trip take?"

Find "first trip" in the text: "The first trip took six weeks, but later trips took only four."
The answer is six weeks, not four.

What do you think comes next?

key word: an important word from the question you can search for in the text

Details that support an idea

💡 A supporting detail proves the exact point in the question, not just the same topic.

Sometimes a passage makes a comparison, like "a cell works like a factory." Then it gives details to back it up.

To pick supporting details, first ask what the idea means. What does a factory do? It makes things and ships them out. Then find the details that match those parts.

A detail can be true and still not support the idea. It may tell how something was found, not how it works.

🧠 Let's work it out

Idea: "A beaver dam works like a wall."

A wall blocks things and holds them back.
Detail A: "The dam holds back the river." That supports it.
Detail B: "Beavers chew wood with strong teeth." True, but it is not about blocking.
Only A fits.

What do you think comes next?

supporting detail: a fact that helps prove a bigger idea

Claims and reasons

💡 In an argument, the claim is what the author wants, and the reasons explain why.

A claim is what the author wants you to believe or do. It is often in the first paragraph and repeated at the end.

Reasons tell why the claim is right. Authors often signal them with words like "first," "second," and "the main reason."

Do not mix up a claim with a detail, or with the other side's view. A plan to fix a problem the critics raise is not the main claim.

🧠 Let's work it out

Essay: "Our town should build a dog park. First, dogs need room to run. Second, owners could meet neighbors. Some say it costs too much, but a grant could pay."

The claim is "build a dog park."
The two reasons are room to run and meeting neighbors.
The grant only answers the critics.

What do you think comes next?

claim: what the author wants readers to believe or do
reason: a statement that explains why the claim is right