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...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Expository Text Structure: Main Idea Mania
A lesson plan in which students read a text and record the main ideas and supporting details on one of the graphic organizers provided. Materials are included. [PDF]
![Florida Center for Reading Research: Keys to the Main Idea [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/509117-6a7deb78ba7b4449647dd19113c6a0f8.jpg?1661786946 "Florida Center for Reading Research: Keys to the Main Idea [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Keys to the Main Idea [Pdf]
A lesson plan in which students read a text a complete a graphic organizer to identify the main ideas and supporting details. Materials are included.
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...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Parts of a Paragraph
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart covers all of the areas of a paragraph including topic sentence, supporting sentences, and clincher sentence. Different kinds of supporting details are explained and students can practice...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Common Errors in Body Paragraphs
This lesson goes over common issues in body paragraphs.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Topic & Main Idea
[Free Registration/Login Required] Recognizing the main idea is the key to good comprehension. The main idea is a general idea under which fits all the supporting material of the passage or paragraph. Learn and use three strategies that...
![De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Changes [Pdf] Unit Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Changes [Pdf] Unit Plan")
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Changes [Pdf]
"Prairie Changes" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the changes in the prairie over time and the effect it has on plants, animals, and habitats. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence...
Other
Prezi: Finding the Main Idea in 2nd Grade
By watching this slideshow, students will learn how to find the main idea in a paragraph and the supporting details. It uses the analogy of the layers of a hamburger deluxe.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Building Paragraphs
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart features topic sentences and supporting details with moveable sentences to build a paragraph.
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.
![Florida Center for Reading Research: Exp. Text Structure: Main Idea [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/509112-af7e4c332bf039792a97bc877297d1cd.jpg?1661786955 "Florida Center for Reading Research: Exp. Text Structure: Main Idea [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
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.
Harvard University
Harvard University: Strategies for Essay Writing
This website provides a series of links to detailed information about each segment of how to write an academic essay from how to read the assignment to the final edits. Use the links to the right. W.9-10.1a claims/intro/org, W.9-10.2a...
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.
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
Mt. San Antonio College: Finding the Main Idea
This resource provides practice for students in locating where a main idea sentences is located in an informational paragraph. Guided questions are provided for each practice passage.
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,...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Changing the Ecosystem: Q & a [Pdf]
"Changing the Ecosystem: Q & A" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about how the loss of the prairie to farming and population growth impacts the ecosystem. It is followed by questions which require students to provide...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Native Americans Potawatomi [Pdf]
"Native Americans--Potawatomi" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about what the prairie looked like during each of the seasons when the Potawatomi lived there. It is followed by questions which require students to provide...
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...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: American Explorers [Pdf]
"American Explorers" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They traveled from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean with the help of Native Americans and made maps along the way. It is followed by...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A Garden in Lawndale [Pdf]
"A Garden in Lawndale" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about an eighth grade class who planted a garden in a vacant lot by their school and maintained it to improve their neighborhood. It is followed by constructed-response...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Football Team [Pdf]
"The Football Team" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the goals of a school football team including learning leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence...