Central Idea and Evidence Across Two Texts
Start Here
This is a reading and writing task. You will read two short informational texts about the same topic, then answer questions and write a short response using a pencil. You do not need a computer or any device. Work by yourself and do your best thinking. Every question about the texts can be answered from the texts themselves — the answers are on the page. Both texts have their paragraphs numbered [1], [2], [3]… so you can point to exactly where you found something. Write in complete sentences where you are asked to explain. If a question is hard, skip it, keep going, and come back. Reading the texts aloud quietly to yourself is allowed and encouraged.
Start Notice & Predict 5 min
Look only at the two titles below before you read: "The Return of the Night Sky" and "Cities That Turned Off the Lights."
1From the two titles alone, write one thing you notice and one thing you predict both texts might be about.
2The central idea of a text is the most important point the writer wants you to understand about the topic — not just the topic word itself. In your own words, what is the difference between a topic (like "dogs") and a central idea (like "dogs can be trained to help people")?
Build Read Two Texts 10 min
Words to know (from the texts)
- artificial
- made by people, not natural.
- glare
- strong, harsh light that is hard to look at.
- migrate
- to travel from one place to another, often with the seasons.
- ordinance
- a local law or rule made by a city or town.
- shield
- a cover that blocks or aims light in one direction.
Text A: "The Return of the Night Sky" — an original informational text
[1] On a clear night far from any city, you can see thousands of stars. Closer to town, most of those stars disappear. The reason is light pollution — the extra brightness that fills the sky when artificial lights from streets, signs, and buildings shine upward. Scientists say the glow now hides the stars from most people who live in or near cities.
[2] Light pollution is not only a problem for stargazers. Many animals depend on natural darkness. Baby sea turtles hatch at night and crawl toward the brightest light, which used to be the moon reflecting on the ocean. Near lit-up beaches, they crawl the wrong way and never reach the water. Birds that migrate at night can become confused by bright city lights and crash into buildings.
[3] The good news is that this kind of pollution is one of the easiest to fix. Unlike smoke in the air or trash in a river, extra light disappears the instant a bulb is switched off or pointed downward. A simple shield on a streetlight can send light to the ground, where it is needed, instead of up into the sky. When people aim lights carefully, the stars begin to return — sometimes within a single night.
Text B: "Cities That Turned Off the Lights" — an original informational text
[1] Some communities have decided to take action against light pollution. In 2001, the town of Flagstaff, Arizona, passed one of the first "dark sky" ordinances in the world. The rules limit how bright outdoor lights can be and require many lights to point downward. Today Flagstaff is known as a place where visitors can still see the Milky Way stretch across the sky.
[2] Cutting light does more than reveal stars. A light that shines sideways into your eyes creates glare, which can actually make it harder to see at night. Lights that are shielded and aimed down light the sidewalk without blinding drivers. Cities that switched to these lights report that streets feel safer and easier to see, not darker.
[3] There is another reason cities act: money. A light pointed at the sky wastes the electricity used to make it. When a town replaces old fixtures with shielded, lower-power lights, it can cut its energy bill by a large amount each year. For many city leaders, saving money is the argument that finally turns off the extra lights — and gives the night sky back at the same time.
3Retrieval. According to Text A, paragraph [1], what causes light pollution? Answer using details from the text.
Apply Read Closely 20 min
Every answer in this section is in one or both texts. Point to the paragraph in your head before you write.
4Central idea — Text A. What is the central idea of Text A? Write it as a full sentence (not just a topic word), and name one paragraph that helped you decide.
5Central idea — Text B. What is the central idea of Text B? Write it as a full sentence, and name one paragraph that helped you decide.
6Inference. In Text B, paragraph [3], the writer says money "is the argument that finally turns off the extra lights." What can you infer about why some city leaders act on saving money more than on saving the stars? Explain your thinking.
7Text evidence. Which sentence best supports the idea that light pollution is easier to fix than other kinds of pollution? Fill in the circle for ONE choice.
- "On a clear night far from any city, you can see thousands of stars." (Text A [1])
- "Extra light disappears the instant a bulb is switched off or pointed downward." (Text A [3])
- "Birds that migrate at night can become confused by bright city lights." (Text A [2])
- "Today Flagstaff is known as a place where visitors can still see the Milky Way." (Text B [1])
7b. In one sentence, explain why the sentence you chose supports that idea.
8Compare the two texts. Use the chart to compare. Answer only from the texts and name a paragraph for each.
One idea both Text A and Text B share (with a paragraph from each):
One thing each text focuses on that the other does not (name the text and paragraph):
Explain Write an Evidence-Based Paragraph 5–10 min
Question 9. Both texts share a central idea about light pollution. Write one sentence stating that shared central idea, then support it with one piece of evidence from Text A AND one piece of evidence from Text B (name the paragraph for each), and explain how your evidence supports the idea. Use the frame below.
Sentence stems you may use: "A central idea shared by both texts is…" · "Evidence from Text A is… (paragraph ___)." · "Evidence from Text B is… (paragraph ___)." · "This evidence supports the central idea because…"
Close ACE Wrap-Up 5 min
Say the shared central idea of the two texts in your own words, in one sentence, as if telling a friend the main point.
Point to one sentence in either text (name the text and paragraph) that shows that central idea most clearly.
Name one thing your school or town could do about light pollution, based on what you read.
Continue Early Finisher optional · ~15 min
Write a headline and a caption. On the back of this page, write a newspaper headline (one line) that captures the shared central idea of both texts. Then write a two-sentence caption that uses one detail from Text A and one detail from Text B. Underline the two details you borrowed and label each with its text and paragraph number.