Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
6.5.G
evaluate details read to determine key ideas;
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
6.6.C
use text evidence to support an appropriate response;
6th Grade Reading - Key Ideas & Details Lesson
A key idea contains important information that contributes to the overall message or point of a section of text. This can also be called the main or central idea.
A text will also offer supporting details to go along with its more general key ideas. Supporting details provide more specific information to further develop a point.
Informational Texts
Motion sickness is a condition that people may get while riding in a moving vehicle, such as a car, train, or even rollercoaster. Symptoms of motion sickness include dizziness, nausea, pale skin, and a lack of appetite. Luckily, there are a number of different ways that motion sickness can be avoided. Shutting your eyes and taking deep breaths in and out can help people calm down and ease their symptoms. For those with an upset stomach, they can eat dry foods like crackers or foods that contain peppermint and/or ginger. There are also bands that people can wear that will put pressure on a certain point on their wrists; this pressure point is supposed to help ease nausea. If those remedies are not effective, there is also medication that people can take to help combat motion sickness. People can take antihistamine pills (both over-the-counter or by prescription) or use a patch that goes behind their ears (by prescription only).
Literary Texts
Sam was usually an optimistic sort of guy, but what had happened today really tested his resolve. The weatherman had predicted a beautiful sunny day, but it turned out to be a dark and rainy deluge. Sam had to present his project on the solar system that day, and carrying his diorama through the rain was disastrous. A stray rock punctured Jupiter, and his asteroid belt, which had once floated proudly, hung limply like wet laundry. Mrs. Monroe, his science teacher, gave him a lecture about being more careful with his work after he finished his presentation. That was only the start of his troubles.
Right before lunch, he realized that he had forgotten his lunch box on the kitchen counter when he was rushing out of the house. Sam had enough change in his backpack to buy a school lunch, but his only options were limp salad or mystery stew. He chose the salad and had only managed a few bites before someone bumped into his table and knocked the bowl to the ground. His stomach grumbled at him irritably for the rest of the day.
It is important that readers are able to recognize key ideas and supporting details in a text. This will help them better understand the text that they are reading.