Important question please yall

What’s the question?

“How did yah find the main topic in this text” is the question love.

How did yah know that they wanted to find the ball? Answer: they looked under...they went to the ... How did you know + say the main topic?

Wait what is the context? This is not 5 year old level homework ….because no 5 year old should have homework to begin with! but, where is he encountering the sentence?

I'm confused with what you're asking

“How did yah find the main topic in this text?” - what do you think is the most important meaning in that bit of the story? Why do you think that? “And what do you think would be an appropriate answer?” - maybe just how would you reply? Or what do you think the answer would be?

@Trish Well my 5 year old does! 😊

@Sarah I know how I would reply but I’m also an adult who understands how to find this and why. I used to have a really hard time at communicating especially wit my kids so that’s why after I noticed how I was explaining he was understanding I realized I needed to take a step back and ask for help 😭 I don’t want him to feel like he’s wrong when he just doesn’t understand because I’m explaining wrong but I also can’t just tell him. And I also don’t know a kid appropriate response to it so that I know he actually understands. Also thank you I will ask him in that way and see if that’s better!

“What is this story mostly about? Or “If you had to tell a friend what this book is about in one sentence, what would you say?” This helps them focus on the big idea rather than small details. When you ask children questions always make sure the vocabulary is age appropriate. “Main topic” “text” those are great but not for kids this age….even if they’re advanced.

@Trish doesn’t have to be homework, I read toddler puzzle books and do activity sheets with my daughter and ask her questions like this. Looking for themes, identifying issues, asking her how or why she came to that answer. No right or wrong but getting her to think about what she’s doing in prep for school ☺️

@Mas he already knows the main topic, I’m tryna ask him how did he find it love. But when I just ask how did you find it he doesn’t understand what “it” I’m referring to so then when I say how did you find the main topic he points to it and says it’s there and I found it by pressing the speaker (which is a way the teacher talks through assignments if needed) so yeh.

We always asked “what is the point of the paragraph?” “What is the whole story all about?”

@Trish it is though which is wild! I came into a kindergarten class a month or 2 into the year and they’re writing paragraphs 🤯 back in my day I just coloured and played house all day lol

@S. annalese He understands what those words mean, he was taught them. What I’m trying to get him to do is analyze the text and tell me what in the text made him understand what the main topic is. He knows what the main topic is. He knows what a main topic is. And he also knows how to analyze the text, he knows the answer to my question. I know he does because I’ve watched him do it. It’s not him, it’s me. I’m having a hard time explaining it to him because even though he’s smarter than most 5 year olds (ig) his communication is okayish because I myself have just started learning to communicate better. I hope that gives some insight idk how else to say it lol.

You could ask him what part of the story helped him figure out the main idea. If he has trouble answering start narrowing and scaffolding your questions (meaning, add supports to help him be able to answer). Did you find the main idea from looking at the front cover? From the words, from the pictures? Say the story was about a farm, for example. Was the main idea this mud puddle? Was it this apple tree? Etc. I’m a teacher of 16 years certified in early childhood and I’ve taught all grades pre-k-3 and this is how I’d approach it. Hopefully this makes sense, currently nursing my newborn so awkwardly typing lol

What made you think that “this” was the main topic? How did you find that answer? What were the clues that showed you that “this” was the main topic?

Does his homework actually use the word “yah”? 🥴

I would just ask what's it about or what happened in the story. Main topic is introduced in second grade.

@GMF Giiirl thank you sooo much!

@Kamaira It’s not a story, it’s a text description. Not for my child. Thanks for your input though I appreciate! I will try the different ways a few of yall suggested! 😁💜

@Eviee also something that might help you in general - teachers generally do something called the gradual release of responsibility, or “I do, we do, you do.” This means that at first with a new concept you’re the one showing them and explaining it. Then you start doing it together. And eventually the goal of course is that they can do it themselves. So with this main idea concept, whenever you’re reading a book, you can explain out loud to him how you decided the main idea. “Oh I thought the main idea might be this sandwich, but then I realized the sandwich is only on one page of the book and it’s not what the story is mostly about. Then I went back and checked the pages again and I realized the story is mostly about the friends having a picnic and playing in the park.” And then he’ll start doing what you’re doing after repeated exposure to that procedure if that makes sense. Eventually he’ll be able to do it on his own. But just remember he’s still really young!

While I do know this is a kindergarten concept these days, it’s ok if he’s not able to tell you how he identified the main idea. Or if he’s inconsistent with it.

@GMF See I thought of doing that because I did notice when I throughly explained and showed him he would better understand that because he’s like me a visual learner but for his homework his teacher tells me to let him do the work and assist if needed I personally never know if that method will overstep what his teacher advised (letting him do it himself) because when I did start like that I guess some parents will just do the kids work for them and she noticed that and made a point to tell all parents not to do the work for them or tell them what the answers are yah know? So that’s why I’m finding it difficult because he knows what I’m asking of him it’s just i didn’t know how to ask him without kinda telling him the answer 😭 so I wasn’t sure. I do appreciate you so much! Especially since you’re a teacher, getting it from a teachers mind kinda eases mine haha! I could’ve asked his teacher but she’s so dang busy after class hours Iya hard hearing back same day lol.

@GMF and yeh that’s another thing I think about too, his age. But his school even I noticed he’s very very smart. Like he can read and is able to learn new words by sounding them out and he does it all on his own! But I also don’t want to overwhelm him because like yah said he is still young 😭💜 I been stuck sometimes when I think about it because I also don’t want his school to just throw him into other classes because they feel he’s learned enough 😭 They already put him in a more advanced class because he’s really good at reading 😭 I’m happy but it’s kinda bittersweet because I know how my mother treated me when my school told her I was excelling more than the other kids. So I just don’t want to be my mother, I want to make sure my kid is heard too and not just throw in into these different things. Idk maybe I’m overthinking it?

@GMF he understood! 😊💜