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Core Skills Workout: Central Ideas and Details
NONFICTION: “Your Phone Could Ruin Your Life,” pages 4-9
March 2015
®
THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Central Ideas and Details
A central idea of a text is one of the main points the author is making.
(Sometimes a central idea is called a “main idea.”)
A central idea can always be supported with details from the text.
Directions: Follow the prompts below to explore the central ideas and supporting details in “Your Phone Could Ruin
Your Life.”
1. Reread the section “A New World.” Which sentence below best expresses the central idea of this
section?
A Twenty-five years ago, people used pay phones instead of smartphones.
B These days, you can watch your favorite shows anytime you want.
C In terms of technology, life was very different 25 years ago.
D Film no longer has to be developed because pictures are taken digitally.
2. Read the central idea of the section “Homework Takes Too Long” stated in the box. Then read
the details listed below it. Which detail does NOT support the central idea? Explain your choice
on the lines provided.
Central idea: Digital distractions are not only hard to resist, but they also can have a
negative effect on your brain.
A “If you gave your screens your full attention for seven hours straight and then turned them all
off, that would be one thing.”
B “Sometimes you forget all about what you were supposed to be doing because that YouTube
video is so hilarious, you want to watch it again and again.”
C “The pleasure you get from interacting with your devices floods your brain with a feel-good
chemical called dopamine.”
D “Every time you stop writing or reading to check your phone—even for a moment—you yank
your brain out of its state of concentration.”
I chose _________ because _______________________________________________________________
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©2015 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. TEACHERS MAY PROJECT OR MAKE COPIES OF THIS PAGE TO DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS.
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Core Skills Workout: Central Ideas and Details
NONFICTION: “Your Phone Could Ruin Your Life,” pages 4-9
March 2015
3. Read the details from the section “Boredom Is the Best,” which are listed below. In the box, write a
central idea that these details support.
Central idea of “Boredom Is the Best”:
Detail 1: “Turns out, something happens to our brains when we are bored. Our minds wander. We
come up with new ideas, or new solutions to problems.”
Detail 2: “When was the last time you were bored for more than a few minutes? When, in the course of
your day, do you let your mind wander aimlessly?”
Detail 3: “Some experts worry that your generation will be so busy consuming media that you won’t
be able to create anything of your own.”
4. Consider the central idea of the article “Your Phone Could Ruin Your Life.” Write a supporting
detail from each of the sections listed below.
Central idea: Though modern technology has improved our lives, being distracted by
smartphones is an epidemic in today’s society and can have disastrous effects.
Supporting detail from the introduction:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Supporting detail from “Homework Takes Too Long”:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Supporting detail from “Boredom Is the Best”:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Supporting detail from “Many Questions”:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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©2015 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. TEACHERS MAY PROJECT OR MAKE COPIES OF THIS PAGE TO DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS.
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