Will Wonders Never Cease? The Human Powered Speed Challenge.

Learning intention:

I am learning to use literal elements and make inferences to enable me to identify the main idea in a text.

Success criteria:

• I can analyse elements included with an article.
• I can make predictions about the main idea based on the elements included with an article.
• I can discuss information that provides clues about what the main idea is.
• I can identify the main idea of a text.

Essential knowledge:

Ensure students know what the main idea means. Discuss elements such as, the main idea is:

• the most important idea the writer wishes to communicate
• the central argument in a text
• the key topic the text focuses on

Learning resource:

Inform students that all elements of a text can provide clues about what the main idea is. Examine the layout of the article noting elements such as the heading, the sub-heading and the illustration.

Place the students in groups and allocate each group one of the above elements. Inform students they’ll have one minute to predict what the main idea of the article may be, based on their allocated element. Instruct the students to identify the evidence in the text that allows them to draw the conclusions they do.

Sample responses include:

• heading: a speech challenge for vehicles powered by humans
• sub-headings: different elements of a bullet shaped bicycle and races it enters
• the illustration: related to an unusual type of bicycle/a special invention that is powered by pedaling

Display the following headings:

• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• Why

Select students to read the article, Will Wonders Never Cease: The World Human Powered Speed Challenge, aloud. Discuss information included in the article and make notes under the headings. Sample responses are provided below:

• Who (competitors from around the world)
• What (compete in a human-powered speed challenge)
• Where (Nevada, USA)
• When (once a year)
• Why (for a challenge)

Collaboratively discuss the information identified. Display the following sentence starters:

• I think the main idea is…
• I believe this is the main idea due to the following clues in the text…
• Discuss a sample response, for example:
• I think the main idea is…
• I believe this is the main idea due to the following clues in the text…

Place students in small groups and instruct them to share their ideas about the main idea and the reasons for their decision. Once students have had time to discuss their ideas, pair them with another group and have them share their thoughts.

Discuss key ideas, ensuring students note the following:

• There is a race that occurs in Nevada, USA every year.
• The vehicles are powered by humans.
• The bicycles that compete are very fast.
• People travel from all over the world to compete in the race.

Collaboratively summarise the key points into one sentence to express the main idea, for example:

The main idea is that every year people travel from all over the world to compete in a race of human powered vehicles.

Extension:

Provide students with What’s That? also from this issue of Blast Off. Instruct students to work with a partner, analysing the article to identify the main idea. Remind students to analyse all elements of the article before answering the questions:

• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• Why

Instruct students to discuss their ideas about the main idea of the article. Ensure students conclude that the main idea of the article is that Ocean Sunfish have many weird and wonderful features that make them unique from other fish.