Seminar: what does this text actually say?
The class establishes literal meaning of a shared text before interpretation, and separates the two explicitly.
- Close Reading Seminar move: Shared literal reading held apart from interpretation
- Evidence it produces: An agreed statement of what the text says, not what it means
Before you plan from this: the lesson body below is currently near-identical to the other route's. This panel describes the intended difference, which is not authored yet — so choose either route on topic and year band, not on this pitch. Both routes are kept and will be differentiated; neither is being retired.
Lesson 3: Literal Comprehension: Identifying Main Ideas & Supporting Details
Building confident, active readers through Te Ao Māori perspectives, comprehension strategies, and rich Aotearoa texts.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Akoranga | Learning Intentions
The difference between topic, main idea (what the author wants you to understand), and supporting details (facts, examples, statistics), and paragraph topic sentences.
Identify the central main idea of non-fiction passages, extract 3+ supporting evidence details, and summarise paragraphs in 1-2 concise sentences.
🎥 Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Finding Main Ideas & Supporting Evidence
Video: kaiako to select — guidance below.
🎬 Kaiako: Select and embed a video here
Suggested search: "Finding Main Ideas & Supporting Evidence"
Search YouTube for a short clip (5–10 min) on this topic. Verify it is age-appropriate and plays correctly before embedding. Add data-oembed-verified="true" only after verifying via YouTube oEmbed.
🧠 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
How do you separate the most important 'big idea' of an article from all the small background details?
👁️ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)
- Early in the clip: Locate topic sentences at the beginning or end of informational paragraphs.
- Midway: Distinguish main ideas (stools) from supporting detail legs (evidence, facts, stats).
- Later in the clip: Draft 20-word summary 'gist' statements capturing main ideas without copying text verbatim.
🗣️ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako Move: Use highlighters with two colours: yellow for main ideas and green for supporting details in shared reading texts.
Immediate Task: Complete Section 3 of your Reading Journal: Main Idea Stool & Summary Paragraph.
⚡ Whakaoho | Do Now: Reading Warm-Up (10 mins)
Review key reading vocabulary, strategy definitions, and context clues for Lesson 3. Connect previous reading reflections to today's text analysis.
📖 Activity 1: Guided Reading & Strategy Practice (25 mins)
Read selected Aotearoa non-fiction, School Journal articles, or pūrākau passages in pairs. Apply active reading strategies, highlight text evidence, and complete graphic organizers.
📝 Activity 2: Year 7 Reading Journal & Reflection Scaffolding (20 mins)
Draft your formal Reading Journal entry for Lesson 3. Use specific text quotes and reading strategy terminology (e.g., schema, context clues, main idea, evidence-based inference, cause/effect, pūrākau metaphor, author bias, text synthesis) to justify your answers.
🏫 Kaiako Planning & Pedagogy Notes
Year 7 Curriculum Alignment: Te Mataiaho English Phase 3 — Reading and Viewing for meaning. Builds core comprehension, critical literacy, and cultural connectedness through Aotearoa literature and pūrākau.