Curated OER
Writing Organizers
Eight graphic organizers to choose from? That's right! Each of these organizers relates to writing or reading. From narrowing a writing topic, to responding to literature, to planning a writing project, you'll find many purposes for...
Curated OER
Reintroduce: Main Idea
What would a main idea be without important details? Readers use a graphic organizer to record key details from an informational text (a fiction text would also work). Review main idea as a concept before beginning, asking scholars...
Curated OER
The Paragraph
Now that they've mastered the word and the sentence, it's time to tackle the paragraph. This strong presentation provides all the basic information needed to help learners construct well-organized paragraphs. The topic sentence,...
Curated OER
Spinelli's Maniac Magee (excerpt): Reading and Critical Thinking Practice
A brief, dialogue-rich passage from Jerry Spinelli's novel Maniac Magee is accompanied by a well-written literacy assessment tool. Thematic content lends itself to age-appropriate discussions about race relations and social justice....
Polk Bros Foundation
Main Idea Analyzer
Show the connection between the main idea and supporting details with a graphic organizer. Pupils fill in the main idea of a text in the circle and the supporting ideas in the boxes connected to the circle.
Curated OER
Beanie Baby Biographies
Learners write a biography for their favorite Beanie Babies and then share their biography out loud. A simple, yet effective idea! Everyone loves their Beanie Baby!
Curated OER
Organizing Main Ideas and Supporting Details
Students read given information and identify the main ideas and specific detail of the story. In groups, they read a historical title and create a "book talk" for each one, summarizing the story. In addition, students create a...
![Wilfrid Laurier University: Paragraph Writing [Pdf] Handout](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Wilfrid Laurier University: Paragraph Writing [Pdf] Handout")
Other
Wilfrid Laurier University: Paragraph Writing [Pdf]
This site from the Wilfrid Laurier University provides a complete guide to paragraph writing. Contains many examples along with details and structures that are often left out when students write.
Read Works
Read Works: Setting Kindergarten Unit: When (Seasons, Day, or Night)
[Free Registration/Login Required] A lesson plan, based on Look! Snow! by Kathryn O. Galbraith, in which students learn how to utilize text and picture clues to determine basic time elements of setting in a story. Students follow this...
Read Works
Read Works: Setting Kindergarten Unit: Where and When
[Free Registration/Login Required] Based on Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, a lesson in which young scholars learn how to utilize text and picture clues to determine a when and where the story takes place.
Read Works
Read Works: Main Idea 3rd Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] A three-lesson unit teaching students to use the first and last sentence to identify the main idea of a paragraph and the first and last sentence in each paragraph to identify the main idea of a...
Read Works
Read Works: Theme 3rd Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] This site provides a series of three lesson plans designed to teach students to identify and support the theme of a fable and a fiction selection based on main idea and supporting details. Lessons are...
Read Works
Read Works: Kindergarten: Three Lesson Unit: Drawing Conclusions
[Free Registration/Login Required] Three lessons designed to introduce young learners and beginning readers to the concept of drawing conclusions based on actions performed in a charades game, on verbal cues given in a guessing game, and...
Read Works
Read Works: Fourth Grade: Two Lesson Unit: Fact and Opinion
[Free Registration/Login Required] A two-lesson unit on fact and opinion through which students identify facts and opinions in a newspaper article and understand how facts support opinions in an editorial. With free login, users have...
Read Works
Read Works: Main Idea 4th Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] A two-lesson unit on main idea and details through which students use the topic sentence to identify the main idea of a paragraph and categorize details as main idea or supporting. With free login,...
Read Works
Read Works: Main Idea 1st Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students learn to use titles and supporting details in both fiction and non-fiction texts in order to identify the main idea of the book in this three-lesson unit. The lessons utilize the books Animal...
University of Ottawa (Canada)
University of Ottawa: Writing Paragraphs
This site from the University of Ottawa provides a wonderfully designed website that not only gives you exhaustive information on paragraph writing. Students will engage in starting with outlines, writing topic sentences, dividing their...
Quizlet
Quizlet: Main Idea, Main Idea Flashcards
Terms related to main idea are included in this review exercise. Interactive vocabulary flashcards are provided for the following words: main idea, central idea, interesting detail, subject, topic, support, supporting detail, theme, and...
Quia
Quia: Metaphor Quiz
Read five short paragraphs and choose the main idea of each. Check the answers when finished to see how many were right.
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Selective Underlining Worksheet (Pdf) [Pdf]
Printable PDF file of a Selective Underlining Worksheet. Students underline the main idea and supporting details in three paragraphs. It is provided by a standardized test preparation site intended for fourth grade.
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: Web Lesson: Get the Idea
Read through a lesson about main ideas and supporting details to understand their importance. Practice choosing the main idea of three nonfiction paragraphs. Features practice activities to enhance learning.