STUDENT 1 is reading a notebook and is approached by STUDENT 2.

STUDENT 2: What’re you reading?

STUDENT 1 looks at the camera as she answers while STUDENT 2 paces back and forth behind her in frustration.

STUDENT 1: I know the topic of my article is biometrics but my friend wants to know more about what I’m reading. And since biometrics isn’t exactly the easiest thing to understand, I’ll use features from the article to tell them about the central ideas of the article. This will be a much more digestible route to take. Let me think about the best way to explain what I’m reading. Just give me just a sec.

STUDENT 1: The title of an article can be very useful. Most of the time, it can help identify a central idea. The title of this article is Biometrics: New IDs that are uniquely you. The article tells about new ways of identifying people.

STUDENT 2 interrupts STUDENT 1 and waves to attract her attention. STUDENT 1 continues addressing the camera.

STUDENT 2: Hello!

STUDENT 1: The introductory paragraph or tagline may explain central ideas in the article as well. This tagline explains that identifying people by their fingerprints could eventually become a thing of the past. Instead, eyebrows or heartbeats could be new ways to identify people.

STUDENT 1 addresses STUDENT 2.

STUDENT 1: I'm thinking about different features of the article in order to figure out the central ideas. I’m almost finished though. Subheadings are also a good way to figure out what an article is about. Supporting details in each section give information about the central ideas. The first three sections of this article tell about three new ways to identify people. The last section is different. It discusses the reasons that it may be useful to identify people using new methods.

STUDENT 1: You know how people can be identified using only their fingerprints?

STUDENT 2: Aha.

STUDENT 1: Well, this is an article detailing the new ways we can now identify people through technology. It also focuses on benefits on using new methods to identify people.

STUDENT 2: That’s so cool! What are some ways?

STUDENT 1: Believe it or not, we can use eyebrows and heartbeats to identify people.

STUDENT 2: My heart just skipped a beat.

STUDENT 1 laughs.
summarize

Student 1 is reading an article about biometrics and is approached by Student 2. Student 1 explains that they are trying to figure out the central ideas of the article in a more digestible way. They mention that the title of the article, the introductory paragraph, and subheadings are all helpful in identifying these central ideas. Student 1 then explains to Student 2 that the article discusses new ways of identifying people, specifically through eyebrows and heartbeats, and the benefits of using these methods. Student 2 finds this information cool and Student 1 laughs.