Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
What's the Big Idea? Lesson PlanWhat's the Big Idea? Lesson Plan
Publisher
Curated OER
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Lesson Plan

What's the Big Idea?

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Students choose a paragraph from a book of their choice, identify the main idea, and draw an illustration of the main idea. They write original paragraphs, illustrate them, and trade with a partner, identifying the main idea of the partner's paragraph.

16 Views 91 Downloads
Concepts

main ideas, central ideas, story elements, stories, writing paragraphs

Additional Tags

main idea, story elements, writing paragraphs, english language arts
Show More Show Less

Resource Details

Grade
3rd - 5th
Subjects
English Language Arts
4 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Instructional Strategy
Research
Usage Permissions
Fine Print

See similar resources:

Writing

Paragraph Structure

Curated OER
Make sure your writers have the buns and the meat in their paragraph burgers with paragraph exercises. The resource gradually leads up to individuals writing their own paragraphs, starting with identification exercises, moving on to...
4th - 7th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Synthesizing Information: Writing an Apprentice Wanted Ad

EngageNY
Fourth graders view examples of help-wanted ads as they plan and create their own writing in the fourteenth instructional activity of this unit on colonial trade. The engagement of the class is captured when the teacher shares an actual...
4th English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Lesson Plan

On-Demand Assessment: Writing of an Information Paragraph About How a Bullfrog Survives

EngageNY
Having read and discussed Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, third graders demonstrate their bullfrog expertise by writing informational paragraphs. Building on the note-taking and paragraph planning from the previous lesson plan,...
3rd Science
CCSS: Designed
Handout

Writing Reference Sheet

Anchorage School District
Print out this handy reference page double sided and distribute it to your class. Individuals can use the page to aid them as they work on their topic sentences, transitions, conclusions, and paragraph structure. There is plenty of...
5th - 12th English Language Arts
Worksheet

Persuasive Writing - Introductory Paragraph Review

E Reading Worksheets
Master a well-organized thesis statement with a short activity for a persuasive writing unit. Young writers read five different introductory paragraphs about various topics, find the main ideas addressed in each thesis statement, and jot...
4th - 8th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Determining Main Ideas and Details to Write a Summary Paragraph: “Food”

EngageNY
Let's eat! Scholars read pages 24-25 of The Inuit Thought of It to discover the foods eaten by the Inuit. They sketch a visual gist of the section in their journals and write a summary paragraph about the text.
5th English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Organizer

Revision Checklist for the Accordion Essay

Curated OER
Encourage your class to revise their writing and check over their work by requiring them to complete an organization checklist. The checklist, created specifically for a accordion-style essay, asks writers to look over their formatting,...
4th - 8th English Language Arts
Instructional Video

Main Idea Song

Learning Upgrade
Tap your toes and give a snap to a jazz inspired song showcasing a paragraph's main idea. Pupils hear about a paragraph's structure, including its topic sentence, supporting details, and the conclusion, and how they relate to identifying...
1 min K - 3rd English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Worksheet

Paragraphs: Main Idea and Supporting Details

Curated OER
This is a great way to review the concept of main idea and supporting details with younger learners. Learners read two short passages and identify the main idea and supporting details using visual prompts and a graphic organizer.
2nd - 3rd English Language Arts
Lesson Plan

Finding Main Ideas

Curated OER
Elementary schoolers read paragraphs one at a time in order to pick out the main ideas. They choose which sentences are most important in a paragraph. This type of exercise prepares learners to identify the main idea in longer narratives.
2nd - 5th English Language Arts
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use