Using the provided Dog Icebreaker handout, ask participants to identify a dog that best expresses how they are feeling today. The instructor can model responses by stating a number and sharing a bit about their day.

If appropriate, follow-up might include "what is it about that dog that you connect to today?" Or "Let's hope that all of us feel like dog #1 at the end of class today."

This lesson includes two texts: Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont and a short, related nonfiction piece. We will learn how to identify the central idea or theme of each text and summarize supporting details that clarify or enhance the central idea or theme of a story.

• Determine the central idea/underlying theme in the story Move Over, Rover! By Karen Beaumont and a related nonfiction text.
• Summarize the key supporting details from both the story and the nonfiction text.

Have the participants share their thoughts on the cover of Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont and ask them to make predictions about what they think the story might be about. Show both the front and back cover of the book.

While the adage "never judge a book by its cover" is valuable, making predictions about a book can help to activate prior knowledge, build curiosity, and identify the central idea or theme of a story.

Possible responses might include:

• It will be a story about a dog and a mouse.
• A mouse family might want to share the doghouse with the dog.
• The friendship between a dog and mouse.
• A dog hides the mouse from the cat.

A central idea can also be called a main idea. In a story or book, this is often called the theme. It may be a lesson in friendship, or the importance of telling the truth.

Repeat some of the predictions participants made about Move Over, Rover! drawing connections to theme.

Write simple definitions for central idea and theme on a board or large tablet that is visible to all.

Being able to identify the central idea is important because it helps a reader to understand the purpose or main point of a text. Simple as it may sound, it helps readers to make connections, retain information, and improve comprehension.

The main idea is supported by details that provide evidence or information that improve understanding. These might be specific examples, facts, or illustrations.

Central Idea: the main idea, the overall message

Theme: the main idea of a story, often a moral or lesson

Supporting Details: additional information or illustrations that help to clarify or enhance the central idea or theme.

Prior to reading Move Over, Rover! aloud, let the participants know that you will be asking "what did you learn from the book?" Encourage listeners to pay attention to the story elements: characters, setting, and plot. Read Move Over, Rover! aloud with expression, take note of the added information provided by the illustrations (i.e., other characters in initial pages, hidden skunk that may have been overlooked).

At the end of reading the book ask: "what did you learn?" "Does this match the predictions?"

It is helpful to ask two questions when determining the central idea or theme and supporting details of a text

1. What do people learn from the reading? (or what does the writer want me to know?)

Now, turn the answer into a question:

2. How do we know that [insert answer to first question]?

The answer the first question is the central idea or theme and the answer to the second question reveals the supporting details.

Character: a figure within a story, may be a person, animal, or being.

Setting: the time, location, and cultural and historical context in which the events of the story occur.

Plot: the sequence of events that make up the story.

Possible answers to "what did you learn?" (central idea/theme)

• Doghouses can provide shelter but also invite wildlife.
• Rover is kind-hearted in offering shelter to those in need.

How do we know that doghouses can provide shelter but also invite wildlife?

How do we know that Rover is kind-hearted?

Using the board or large tablet write down the responses of the participants without judgement. Then review the answers together circling the central idea and supporting details.

Reviewing the supporting details, discuss how these elements contributed to the development of the central idea/theme.

As an extension, ask: What do you notice about language, illustration, repetition, rhyme, alliteration?

Understanding the main idea and key supporting details improves comprehension when reading nonfiction with the purpose of gaining knowledge ("reading to learn"). Sometimes a central idea is clearly stated in a topic sentence; however, it can be implied or split up across a text.

Provide participants with the Central Idea and Supporting Details Handout. Ask participants to read the passage carefully. To assist second language learners and low-literacy learners, consider reading the passage aloud and completing the exercise in pairs.

Using the steps listed on the handout, ask participants to first identify what people learn from reading "Outdoor Doghouses" (step 1). Then turn the answer into in a question (step 2), and finally (step 3) answer how we know [insert central idea]?

Once participants have finished, invite them to share the central idea they identified and the supporting details they found with the class while writing them on a board or tablet. Model grouping similar supporting details based upon similarities and summarize the concepts. For example, sense of security, warm in winter, dry, and cool in summer can be combined into comfort and safety.

Central idea:

An outdoor doghouse can provide benefits for a dog, such as protection from the elements and a sense of security, but also can have potential issues with wildlife.

Supporting details:

• an insulated and raised floor doghouse can provide comfort and safety for a dog.
• potential risks posed by wildlife such as raccoons or skunks.
• ways to mitigate these issues, such as securing the doghouse in a fenced-in area, using a lockable door, and keeping the area around the doghouse clean.

Determining the central idea or theme of a text, whether it is fiction or nonfiction, builds comprehension and critical thinking skills. To do so, ask yourself "what do people learn from reading this?" And to identify supporting details, simply ask "how do I know that ___?"

• Determine the central idea/underlying theme in the story Move Over, Rover! By Karen Beaumont and a related nonfiction text.
• Summarize the key supporting details from both the story and the nonfiction text.

This lesson used a picture book, Move Over, Rover! and a brief nonfiction piece; however, it can be applied to newspaper or magazine articles, textbook chapters, or other forms of written information. Identifying the main idea helps us to better understand or comprehend what we are reading. Identifying the supporting details builds critical thinking skills.

Depending upon the audience, conversation about supporting details could continue into a conversation about questioning the supporting details. "How do we know that?" is a powerful question for critical analysis and can be expanded in future lessons.

For additional resources on the importance of questioning in building engagement and self-advocacy, see the Right Question Institute.