Worksheet
Curated OER

Find the Main Idea

For Students 7th - 9th
Can your class find the main idea for the short passages provided here? Not only do they identify the main idea out of four selections, but they must also write a supporting idea for their choice. The answer sheet provides example...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using a Title to Determine the Main Idea

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
Use the title of a book to determine the main idea. Readers will view the cover of The Wedding and predict what the story will be about. Graphic organizers help chart important information and build new vocabulary. Other stories are...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Identifying the Main Idea in Fiction

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Discovering the main idea in fiction is like uncovering buried treasure; one must persevere to locate it, and the reward is priceless. Scholars delve deep into leveled stories using three questions to aid in identifying the main idea. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Finding the Main Idea: Little Women

For Students 8th - 10th
Whether or not your class is reading Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, you can use this exercise as the basis of a mini-lesson on how to determine the main idea of a passage or as a pre-test to assess mastery of the skill. A graphic...
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Find the Main Idea: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Readers are asked to use the provided graphic organizer to list the main idea and supporting ideas in a passage from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Find the Main Idea: The Meerkat

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
After examining a short article about African meerkats, readers identify the main idea and supporting ideas in the paragraph.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Finding the Main Idea

For Students 1st - 2nd
The carnival is in town! After reading a short excerpt about a day at the carnival, learners use details to determine the story's main idea. They must differentiate the details from the big picture, as there are multiple options they can...
Organizer
Curated OER

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Finding the Main Idea

For Students 8th - 9th
After reading chapter 17 of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, give this graphic organizer to your kids to find the main idea. The circles are small and will probably spark complaints, but the main idea should never be lengthy; it should be...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Find the Main Idea in Romeo and Juliet

For Students 8th - 9th
Finding the main idea in a text can be rather difficult! Work with your class and develop this skill. This resource contains an excerpt from Act II, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet, and the reader must identify the main idea of Juliet's...
Organizer
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Polk Bros Foundation

Meet the Nonfiction Main Idea Challenge

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Help your class develop the ability to determine a main idea with a packet of materials that you can introduce and use over a period of time. The packet includes some information for the teacher and rationale for the exercises. There are...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Best Main Idea

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
What is the main idea? Interest your young readers with this fun introductory lesson plan! After selecting several items from a paper bag, the teacher leads learners to determine the big idea for those items. This concept is then applied...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading Closely to Expand Understanding of Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Third graders work to determine the main idea, recall key details, and answer questions using an informational text on the topic of animal adaptations. Using the non-fiction text "Staying Alive: Animal Adaptations" (provided) the teacher...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: Close Reading of Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle: Bullfrog Life Cycle

For Teachers 3rd Standards
The sixth lesson plan in this Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle unit assesses your third graders' ability to read and understand informational text. The included assessment asks learners to take notes about the main idea and supporting...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comprehension: Identify the Main Idea from Text

For Teachers 1st
Children in first grade listen and read along with the teacher to practice main idea identification. They use the provided reading passages to read, locate the main idea and supporting details. This is a fully scripted activity which...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Finding the Main Idea: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

For Students 6th - 8th
An excerpt from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea provides learners with an opportunity to practice their ability to identify the main idea and supporting details in a passage. The beautifully illustrated instructional activity...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce: Main Idea

For Teachers K - 3rd
Begin exploring main idea in a text by telling the class an interesting story. Can they recall the main idea after you finish? What clues told them this was it? Explain that you will apply this concept as you read a nonfiction book....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Guided Reading: Main Idea

For Teachers K - 4th
Readers are presented with a list of three questions and asked to actively listen to a story or article to answer them. They verbally answer the questions to learn the strategy. Next, read a story to them or have them silently read a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reintroduce: Main Idea

For Teachers K - 3rd
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading Strategies: Main Idea

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Identify the main idea and the supporting details of a story in a literacy resource from Discovery Education. Complete with procedures, vocabulary, and assessment activities, this is a great way for pupils to practice their outlining...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Main Idea in Informational Text

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Individuals complete a pre-assessment to gauge their ability to determine the main idea and supporting details in nonfiction text. They examine a new piece of nonfiction reading by looking at the table of contents, headings, and index...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Determining Main Idea Using Text and Illustrations: Accessing Books Around the World

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Ease into informational text with the lesson suggested here. Part of a unit series, the lesson draws from previous lessons and acts as a natural moment to add in informational text. Class members read one section of My Librarian is a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identify Main Idea in a Story

For Teachers K
Help your kindergarteners identify the main idea in a story. Small groups work with the teacher to make predictions and draw conclusions. They are able to determine cause and effect relationships. The lesson is divided into several days,...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension 1: Level 9

For Students 8th - 10th
The Iditarod Trail and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are the focus of a comprehension assessment. Readers must identify the main idea of the passage, draw inferences, define words using context clues, and identify the organizational...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension 7: Level 12

For Students 9th - 12th
A passage about the changing role of home economists provides the text for a reading comprehension strategies learning exercise. Learners must summarize, draw inferences, identify the main idea, and use context clues to determine the...

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