Savvas Learning
Pearson Longman: Main Points, Support Points, and Specific Details
Part of the Pearson Longman series entitled "Sentence Resources for Writers", this site assesses the high school student's ability to identify main points and develop specific details and support points. Includes ten multiple choice and...
SMART Technologies
Smart: Identifying Main Ideas & Details
This lesson operates on the Scaffold Instructional of Release model (I do, we do, you do). Students will use the main idea and supporting details to expand understanding of a variety of texts.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Analyze Nonfiction: Central Idea [Pdf]
This graphic organizer will help students analyze nonfiction pieces. Students will use the graphic organizer to guide them as they identify the central idea and supporting details.
Love To Know Media
Your Dictionary: Lessons and Activities on Main Ideas for First Grade
This site offers links to several lesson plans for teaching main ideas to first and second graders; it also provides and explains some activities for teaching the main idea to first graders.
Other
Landmark School Outreach: Finding the Main Idea
This reading strategy resource provides steps for identifying the main idea of an informational text. Example informational text paragraphs are provided, along with detailed explanations for the processes used in identifying the main...
TES Global
Blendspace: Main Idea
A five-part learning module with links to videos and images about finding the main idea of a text.
Wisc-Online
Wisc Online: Identifying the Main Idea
This resource defines main ideas and is an interactive way to assess a student's ability to correctly find main ideas from paragraphs.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: "Hot Dog" Book Reports
Learners will use a Makes Sense Strategies Think-sheet to learn to identify the characters, setting, main idea and details of a book read. [Requires Adobe Reader.]
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Exp. Text Structure: Main Idea [Pdf]
A lesson plan in which young scholars read a text and then read it again highlighting the key words and phrases that are important for understanding the text. Materials are included.
Quia
Quia: Crct Practice: Main Idea
An interactive quiz with seven multiple choice questions over four short reading passages. Questions focus on identifying the main ideas and supporting details and choosing an appropriate summary. When finished, students can submit...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Guidelines for Determining an Author's Main Idea
Follow the steps in this printable PDF to identify the main topic and key details of an informational text.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Determine the Central Idea: Human Impacts
Students will learn how to identify the central idea of a text about human impacts by examining key details.
McGraw Hill
Mc Graw Hill: Informational Text: Determine Central Idea and Supporting Details
To understand a text, you must understand the central idea of the story. Learn how to recognize the central idea and supporting details with this article. Click the links at bottom right.
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: Get the Idea
In this reading comprehension exercise, young readers will learn to identify main ideas in paragraphs. Includes multiple choice options with hints.
E Reading Worksheets
E Reading Worksheets: Text Structure Worksheets
This site provides several assignments and graphic organizers related to identifying text structures. Analyzing the following types of text structures are provided: main idea and supporting details; cause and effect; chronological order;...
Other
Smekens Educational Solutions: Expose K 2 Readers to Annotation Strategies
This article discusses how to begin teaching students in K-2 to record their ideas about text using highlighters, colored pens, large graphic organizers, and sticky notes. Students can retell a story with a storyboard, use a web to find...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Selective Underlining
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section focuses on identifying main ideas and significant details by selectively underlining them in a text.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Expository Exploration [Pdf]
A lesson plan in which students read a text and complete a graphic organizer to identify the main idea and supporting details. Materials are included.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Unit: The Author's Point Is
Students will focus on Main Idea, Author's Purpose, Identifying supporting details and Organizing details. Students will read a variety of Informational Text (non-fiction) to understand how stated and implied main idea effect the...
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Part 2 Reading: Informational Text: How Reasons Support Key Points
Get an example of how to identify an author's main idea in a text on this site. Also, learn how to recognize supporting ideas to main ideas presented in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2
Education Development Center
Tv411: Summarizing: Activity 3
In this activity, students choose the correct category to which details belong. Being able to categorize helps students to identify the difference between main ideas and details.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Main Point Quick Guide
The first question in most Reading Comprehension sets will ask you to identify the statement that best expresses the central idea or the main point that the passage as a whole is designed to convey.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Analyze Controlling Idea or Thesis, Purpose, and Textual Elements
Analyze the controlling idea and the specific purpose of the text, identifying the textual elements that support that purpose including the most important details. RI.9-10.2 central idea/summary [Unarchived version is accessible by TX...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Supporting Ideas Quick Guide
Supporting Ideas Questions: These questions ask you to identify the supporting ideas and specific details mentioned in a passage. What does the passage say? Perhaps the most basic task of the Praxis Core Reading Test is recognizing...