CPALMS
Cpalms: What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson plan, students will use What Do You Do With A Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page to identify the main topic and key details using the illustrations and text. Students will...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Synthesize Ideas and Details in Several Texts (English I Reading)
In this lesson, you will practice making connections between ideas on the same topic. Some of the ideas will differ from each other, so we will learn how to identify and synthesize important details and draw conclusions. W.9-10.7 Research
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Points of Informational Text Main Idea and Details
This lesson uses the book Explorers of North America - A True Book by Brendan January to teach students how to identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph informational text and specific paragraphs within the text. Students are guided...
Read Works
Read Works: Main Idea 1st Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] Young scholars 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...
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...
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...
Other
Resource Room: What's the Big Idea?
This exercise can be used to help students develop understanding of main idea and supporting details. Students are given a list of words to analyze, decide the theme and write a common subject that defines the group.
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.
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.
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.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: What Is the Main Idea?
During this lesson students begin to identify the main idea of a story they read or hear. Students use graphic organizers to discover the main idea of The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss, and Marsupial Sue, by John Lithgow.
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.
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Identify the Main Topic and Key Details
This is a practice exercise to help teach how to find the main topic of a passage by looking at key details. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2
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.
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.
Other
Academic Reading: Sample Task [Pdf]
This Academic Reading task provides a practice assessment for identifying headings and subheadings. In the task, students must read the selection and then determine the best subheading for each of the sections.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Research Building Blocks: Skim, Scan, and Scroll
Contains plans for two lessons on locating supporting details that are part of a larger unit on researching a state symbol. It works on skills like determining the most important information, using key words to identify relevant...
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...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Nonfiction Pyramid
A printable pyramid for use with nonfiction texts while students identify the main ideas and supporting details within a text. Students also determine author's purpose and key vocabulary words. Directions on how to use this type of...
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.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Expository Fact Strip [Pdf]
A lesson plan in which learners read a text and identify the topic and four facts presented within the text. Materials are included.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Exp. Text Structure: Projected Paragraphs
A lesson plan in which learners read a text and highlight the most important details. Materials are included. [PDF]
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Main Idea Lesson
[Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson focuses on the determining the main idea and details.