Lesson 3: Narrative passages – Finding main ideas and details

🟦 Introduction

Hi champion reader! 👋📖
Today we dive into narrative passages — exciting stories that tell what happens to people, places, or things.
Narratives are the most common passages in BECE English comprehension, so you must master them. 🏆

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to:

• Quickly spot the main idea (the big message) 🧠

• Notice important supporting details 📝

• Understand characters, actions, and events 🌟

• Answer BECE questions with confidence! 🎯

Let’s sharpen your story-reading superpowers! 🚀

🟩 Key concepts and explanations

⭐ What is a narrative passage?

A narrative is a story that describes real or imagined events, characters, and settings.
It usually answers: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

🧠 Think of it like a mini-movie playing in your mind!

Narrative passages can include:

• Personal experiences (e.g., “My first day at school”)

• Folk tales or stories (e.g., “Why the tortoise has a cracked shell”)

• Historical events (e.g., “The life of Yaa Asantewaa”)

⭐ Elements of a good narrative

⭐ What is the main idea?

The main idea is the big point the story is trying to tell you.
It is usually about the main character’s goal, problem, or experience.

🎯 The main idea is what the whole story is mostly about.

⭐ What are supporting details?

Supporting details are smaller facts, actions, or descriptions that explain or prove the main idea.
They answer the how, when, why, where, and who connected to the story.

🔎 Supporting details make the main idea clear, like pieces of a puzzle!

⭐ Strategy to find main ideas and details

Follow these smart steps:

1. 🧠 Read the title — it often gives a big hint.

2. 👀 Skim the first few lines and the last lines — they often mention the main idea.

3. 📖 Pay attention to:

   • Actions of the main character

   • Problem they face

   • How it is solved

4. 📝 Ask yourself:
   “What is this whole story about?“
   “What are the important actions that support it?“

🟨 Step-by-step walkthroughs

🔎 Example 1: Short narrative

Passage:

Ama loved dancing more than anything else. Every afternoon, she practised in the village square. One day, the village elder noticed her skills and asked her to perform at the festival. Ama danced so beautifully that everyone cheered loudly.

✅ Finding the main idea:

• What is the passage mainly about?
  → Ama’s love for dancing and how it led her to perform at the festival.

✅ Finding supporting details:

• Ama practised every afternoon.

• The elder noticed her skills.

• She performed beautifully at the festival.

🔎 Example 2: Focus on characters and actions

Passage:

Kwesi forgot his mother’s warning not to play near the river. Excitedly, he ran after a frog and slipped into the water. Luckily, a fisherman nearby quickly pulled him out. After that day, Kwesi never went near the river again without permission.

✅ Main idea:

• Kwesi learned a lesson about obeying safety instructions.

✅ Supporting details:

• He disobeyed and fell into the river.

• He was rescued by a fisherman.

• He changed his behaviour afterward.

🟨 Practice exercises

📝 Part 1: Choose the main idea

Read the short story and pick the best main idea:

Story:

Akosua worked hard on her science project. She spent days collecting materials and building a model volcano. When she finally presented it in class, her teacher praised her creativity, and she won first prize.

Question:
What is the main idea?

• A. Akosua’s love of reading books

• B. Akosua’s success with her science project

• C. Akosua’s dream of becoming a doctor

• D. Akosua’s fear of speaking in public

📝 Part 2: Identify supporting details

Story:

During the storm, Kofi protected the goats by bringing them into his house. He then fixed the broken fences so they wouldn’t escape. When the rain stopped, he returned the goats safely to their pen.

List two supporting details from the story:

📝 Part 3: True or false

Story:

Yaa wanted to win the singing contest. She practised every evening after school. On the competition day, she sang confidently and won second place.

Mark each statement True (T) or False (F):

• a) Yaa practised singing in the mornings. _____

• b) Yaa won first place. _____

• c) Yaa practised every evening. _____

✅ Answers and explanations

🔁 Recap

Today, you discovered how to master narrative passages:

• 👀 Spot the main idea by looking at the big event or character goal.

• ✍️ Find supporting details by checking actions and facts.

• 🎯 Focus on who, what, why, where, and how to understand better.

🏆 With practice, you’ll answer BECE narrative comprehension questions easily!

🪞 Reflection prompt

Reflect and write:
Think of your favourite story (a folk tale, cartoon, or novel).
What is its main idea?
Write down the main idea and two supporting details from that story in your notebook. 📔✨