Lessons & Units :: Main Idea 2nd Grade Unit

Lesson 2: Using Chapter Titles to Determine the Main Idea (Fiction)

Lesson Plan

Pinky and Rex and the Perfect Pumpkin | 500L

Pinky and Rex and the Perfect Pumpkin
Learning Goal
Identify and describe the main idea of a chapter in a fiction text using chapter titles and textual details.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: Pinky and Rex and the Perfect Pumpkin by James Howe

  • Teacher Modeling

    will review how headings help us determine the main idea of a section in nonfiction books. I will discuss how the title of a chapter in a fiction story can also help us determine the main idea. I will introduce Pinky and Rex and the Perfect Pumpkin by James Howe and read the title of Chapter 1, “Abby”. I will think aloud about what the chapter will be about. I will read this chapter. I will model identifying the main details of the text that support the title of the chapter. I will discuss the main idea and how the title helps me determine the main idea.

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I find the main idea of the chapter? Students should respond that you read the title of the chapter and thought about what the chapter may be about. You then read the chapter and paid close attention to important details. Finally, you used the details and title of the chapter to determine what the chapter was mostly about.

  • Guided Practice

    will talk about what we think the main idea of Chapter 2, “The Perfect Day” is. We will read this chapter, determine the main details of the text, identify the main idea and discuss how the title helps us determine the main idea of the chapter.

  • Independent Practice

    will listen as I read the chapter entitled “Pumpkin Picking.” You will determine the main idea of this chapter and identify the main details that support the title and how the title helps you determine the main idea. (Student Independent Practice is provided below in Teacher and Student Materials.)

Build Student Vocabulary snicker

Tier 2 Word: snicker
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story When Rex was making a suggestion for which pumpkin to pick, Abby would not only find something wrong with the pumpkin, she would roll her eyes or snicker or whisper in Pinky’s ear.
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) Snicker means to laugh in a mean or rude way. When Abby was snickering, she was laughing in a way that would hurt Rex’s feelings.
Students repeat the word Say the word snicker with me: snicker.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts Sometimes people snicker when they see someone doing something unusual. I heard a man in the grocery store snicker when he saw a lady with her cart filled with candy. He snickered because he thought she was buying too much.
Students provide examples When might someone snicker? Tell me about by saying “Someone might snicker when_____________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? snicker
Additional Vocabulary Words include, tradition

Build Student Background Knowledge

Pause after reading Chapter 1 and explain that a pumpkin is a member of the squash family. Pumpkins are a fruit, and you can tell this because there are seeds in the middle. Explain that pumpkins have many uses. Native Americans stripped pumpkin skin, flattened it, and used it for making mats. Early Americans used pumpkins to make the crust of a pie, not the filling. Pumpkins can also be used as food for farm animals. Ask: Why are the characters in the story going pumpkin picking?

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

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User Comments

I have been giving my Son, each chapter a day to identify the details that support the chapter. He has been enjoying so far and trying to elaborate on his details.

Submitted by priyaks_1273538 on 12/10/15

Love it! The students enjoyed the story and actually learned identifying the main idea. Tomorrow I am trying the second lesson in this series, Creating a chapter title.

Submitted by Bernadette Fricchione on 10/16/13