Reading using the

BURN strategy

Miss Quimby
 BURN Strategy
1. Box the paragraph.
2. Underline key details.
3. Read your details.
4. Note main idea next to
your box.

Goals:
1.Use BURN strategy to help us find main ideas and key details
2. Mark It and Note it to get ready to organize our information
3. Use accountable talk moves when discussing what we read
 Good Reader
Tip!

Tip:
No one can remember everything, but if we can remember the Main
Ideas and some Key Details, that will help us remember more about what
we read.
 Good
Reader
Tip: GoodTip!
Readers
search for key details
that are clues or pieces
of a puzzle that leads to
main ideas.
 Before we start to BURN some
paragraphs,
lets warm-up by looking at Key Details and
try to determine the Main Idea!

Lets
Practice!
 re oran
d ge
COLORS
purpl
blu
Main Idea e
e

Details
(Clues to the
puzzle)
Remember: Details are clues that are pieces of a puzzle---The details
tell us about the main idea for a paragraph or section of text.

plan tree
ts
a. Living s

things
peopl
Main anima
e
Idea ls
Details
a. Living things
(Clues to the
b. Poisonous
puzzle)
things
c. Happy things
d. Four legged
 chair

table
c. Types of furniture
Main
Idea
couch
a. Types of cars
b. Types of
Details that support Main Idea
material
c. Types of
furniture
d. Types of
 1. Box the paragraph.
2. Underline key details.
3. Read your details.
4. Note main idea next to
your box.

Lets show a passage about Dinosaurs, where someone Boxed the

paragraph
and U nderlined the key details for us. With the teacher, lets Read the
details
and see if we can Note the main ideas!
The last dinosaurs became extinct, or died out, about 65.5 million years ago.
1. Box the
Fossils of dinosaurs were first discovered in the early 1800s. Fossils are remains paragraph.
or impressions of a plant or animal that have been preserved in rock. By studying
these fossils, scientists know that dinosaurs were the ancient cousins of todays
2. Underline
crocodiles, snakes, and lizards. Scientists also believe that todays birds key details.
descended from dinosaurs.
3. Read your
Dinosaurs lived from about 245 to 65.5 million years ago. They were common details.
during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous geologic time periods. Not all the
species, or types, of dinosaur lived at the same time. They also did not all 4. Note main
become extinct at the same time. They died out gradually. Dinosaurs lived
throughout the world, and their fossils have been found on every continent. They
idea next to your
lived in all different kinds of environments as well, ranging from tropical forests to box.
dry, sandy deserts.

Dinosaurs were all different sizes. Some dinosaurs were smaller than a chicken.
Others weighed as much as 100 tonsmore than 10 times as much as the
largest elephants. Dinosaurs did not have any hair. Their skin had a bumpy or
pebbly surface. Some scientists believe that dinosaurs were gray or green in
color. These colors would have helped the dinosaurs blend in with their
surroundings. Other scientists think that dinosaurs were very colorful. Bright
colors would have helped males get the attention of females.
 Can You Guess the Main Idea from the Key Details?
Key Details from Main Idea #1:

-Remains of plants &

Main Idea # 1: animals that have been
preserved in rock
Fossils of -Dinosaur Fossils first
dinosaurs discovered in 1800s.
Topic:

Dinosaurs Key Details from Main Idea #2:

Main Idea # 2:
Where -Lived 245 to 65.5 million years ago
-Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous periods
they lived -Lived in tropical forests to dry, sandy
deserts

Main Idea # 3: Key Details from Main Idea #2:

Physical -Different sizes

features & -Didnt have hair
behaviors -Grey or green in color
-Bright colors would help
males attract females
 Time to
Practice!
Lets learn how to BURN a
paragraph!
1. Box the paragraph. I Do
Key details tell us the main
2. Underline key details. We Do
idea of a paragraph
3. Read your details. You Do
4. Note main idea next to
your box.
The group recently reported that food ads on TV
Note Main Idea: have a strong
influence on what kids under the age of 12 eat.
Advertisements Our eating habits
on TV can impact and preferences form early in our lives. Advertising
what kids eat influences
these preferences. Advertisers know kids have
spending power.
What is the main idea for paragraph above:
American kids spend about $200 billion each year.
a. Kids spend $200 billion each year on junk food (detail)
Foodswhen
b. It is important to be healthy highyouin are little (not in paragraph)
c. Sugar and fat can causesugar
kids and
to be fat are
hyper andamong the (nothing
gain weight top 10 on
items
hyperkids buy.
in passage;
sugar and fat were detail)
Kids also
d. Advertisements on TV can impact kids food choices (main idea)
influence what their parents buy.
 Name___________
BURN _
Date____________
No
Scorecard
Mo
_
So st
Fe me
w All
0 1 2 3 4 5
Box each
paragraph?
0 1 2 3 4 5
Underline key
details?
0 1 2 3 4 5
Read my
underlined
details?
0 1 2 3 4 5
Noted the
main idea next
to each box?
Your turn!
Lets see if you can BURN a paragraph
on your own!
Directions:
1. Teacher will hand out several paragraphs
2. On your own, BURN each of the paragraphs
3. Be prepared to share how you BURNed your
paragraph with others.
1. Box the paragraph. I Do
2. Underline key details.
3. Read your details.
We Do
4. Note main idea next to You Do
your box.

Birds that hunt and eat other animals are called birds
of prey. Birds of prey have strong feet with talons, or
claws. They grab their prey with their feet. They also
have sharp, curved beaks. They use their beaks to tear
apart their food. Birds of prey live all over the world.
They live in open prairies, on mountaintops, and in
deserts. A few birds of prey even a.live
Birds of prey live on mountaintops
in cities.
b. Some birds have talons or claws
c. Definition and information about of
birds of prey
d. What the great white shark eats
Warm-up!
Lets see if you can BURN a paragraph
on your own!
Directions:
1. Teacher will hand out several paragraphs
2. On your own, BURN each of the paragraphs
3. Be prepared to share how you BURNed your
paragraph with others.
 Directions:
1. Box the paragraph. 1. BURN the paragraph
2. Underline key details. 2. Pair-Share-Compare with
partner
3. Read your details.
3. Shareexplain why you
4. Note main idea next to chose the details and
your
Thebox.
Great White Shark is at the top of themain
foodidea
chain and has few
threats in the ocean. Only Orcas and larger sharks can pose a risk.
The only other risk to the Great White Shark is human interaction.
They are sometimes caught by accident in fishing nets or
intentionally sought out by sport fisherman. Their jaws and fins are
sold for considerable amounts of money.
a. Where the great white
shark lives
I Do
b. How the great white shark We
hunts
c. Types of sharks
Do