Which Summary Covers the Whole Paragraph?
Ms. Okafor's class reads this paragraph: 'Honeybees communicate in a surprising way. When a scout bee finds flowers, it returns to the hive and performs a "waggle dance." The direction of the dance shows which way to fly. The length of the dance shows how far to go. Other bees watch closely and then fly to the flowers.' Students write summaries. Ana writes, 'Bees dance to show other bees where flowers are.' Ben writes, 'Bees are insects that live in hives and make honey.' Cara writes, 'Scout bees are the bees that find flowers.' Ms. Okafor wants students to judge summaries by whether they cover the whole paragraph, not just one part or outside information. The class has practiced asking, 'What is the paragraph mostly about?' and 'Which sentence tells the most important idea?' She also wants students to see that a supporting detail can be important without being the main idea.
1. Which summary is best, and why are the other two not strong summaries of this paragraph?
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Ana's summary is best. The paragraph is mostly about how bees use a dance to communicate the location of flowers. Ana's sentence covers that whole idea: bees, dance, and showing where flowers are. Ben's summary is too broad and includes outside information. Bees making honey may be true, but the paragraph never mentions honey or insects in general. Cara's summary is too narrow. Scout bees finding flowers is only one detail near the beginning; it leaves out the dance, the direction, the distance, and the other bees. A strong summary of one paragraph should cover the main idea and the most important supporting ideas, not just one detail or a fact the reader already knows.
2. Which sentence in the paragraph best states the main idea, and which detail best supports it? Explain the difference between a main idea and a supporting detail.
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The first sentence, 'Honeybees communicate in a surprising way,' best states the main idea because it tells what the whole paragraph is about. A supporting detail is the explanation of the dance: the direction shows which way to fly, and the length shows how far to go. That detail supports the main idea by showing how the communication works. The difference is job, not importance. The main idea is the big point the author wants the reader to understand; a supporting detail explains, proves, or illustrates that point. A detail can be interesting and still not be the main idea. For example, 'Other bees watch closely' is a detail that helps explain the dance, but it does not cover the whole paragraph by itself.