What students are learning
In fifth grade, students are beginning to learn CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2. In family-friendly words, this means they will practice finding at least two important ideas in an informational text, noticing which details support those ideas, and explaining the text’s main message in a short summary.
The three parts of the standard
Students will learn to:
Find two or more main ideas. What important ideas does the author want readers to understand?
Connect ideas to details. Which facts, examples, or other details in the text support each main idea?
Summarize the text. Briefly explain its most important ideas without including every detail or personal opinion.
Topic and main idea: What’s the difference?
The topic is what a text is about. The main idea tells what the author wants readers to understand about that topic.
For example, Pluto could be the topic. A main idea might be that Pluto was once considered a planet but is no longer classified as one because other objects share its orbit. Another text might explain that people continue to debate whether Pluto should be considered a planet. The main ideas depend on what the author says and the details in that particular text.
Helpful words to know
● Main idea: An important idea the author develops in the text.
● Summary: A brief explanation of the text’s most important ideas.
● Support: Details the author uses to explain or strengthen an idea, such as facts, examples, or evidence.
Questions to ask while reading together
Try choosing one or two questions that fit the text:
● What is this text mostly about?
● What does the author want us to understand about the topic?
● What are two important ideas in the text?
● Which details help explain each idea?
● What would you include in a short summary?
● Is there a detail that is interesting but not essential to the summary?
Easy ways to practice at home
Read an article, a nonfiction book, or an informational page together. Invite your child to name the topic, then explain what the author says about it. Ask them to point to details in the text that support their ideas.
Practice giving a short summary that focuses on the author’s important points. Encourage your child to talk about what the text says before sharing a personal reaction. For example, instead of stopping at “I like the part about Pluto,” ask, “What did that part help us understand?”
A little conversation about what we read can go a long way. Thank you for supporting your child as they grow into thoughtful, confident readers!