A Main Idea Lesson Example Using Titles
Teaching students how to use a title to help them figure out the main idea of a reading
passage is an easy and often overlooked strategies.
In nonfiction texts especially, the title will usually tell you exactly what the topic of the
passage will be, which is the first step to figuring out the main idea.
Let's say your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade class is reading Sheila Keenan's Animals in the House: A
History of Pets and People. Just based on this title, students should be able to make
reasonable predictions as to the main idea and supporting details of the text. You could ask
some different questions to help encourage that thinking:
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What will this book be mostly about?
Do you think one of the supporting details in this book will be about elephants?
Why or why not?
Do you think one of the supporting details in this book will be about dogs? Why
or why not?
What other animals might the author include to support the main idea? How do
you know?
Which of the following statements is more likely to be the main idea of the book:
"Dogs make great pets because they are friendly, loving, and loyal," OR
"Throughout history, people have depended on a variety of pets for help,
companionship, and protection."
Just by thinking carefully about this title, students should be able to predict a reasonable
main idea to the book, as well as possible supporting details. In nonfiction books or
passages, students can also use headings to make similar predictions of the main idea and
details of smaller sections.
You could also cover up the title of a book or passage, and have students make predictions
about what the title is after reading. This will get students thinking about what was most
important and what the text was mostly about.
Topic VS Supporting Details Activity - Grouping Words
This is a simple yet powerful activity that can help students distinguish between the topic
and supporting details. Simply provide students with a list of words from several
categories, have students organize those words into groups, and then have them come up
with an appropriate title for each group.
This activity helps address an important struggle students have when it comes to main
idea. Students have a hard time understanding that the details that support a certain main
idea or topic are all different, yet related to each other. Requiring students to sort words
into groups is a great introduction into this concept.
Another important aspect of this activity is having students come up with an appropriate
title for each group of words. This is a great way to introduce the concept of topic to your
students - which later will help them better understand main idea.
Younger learners, ESOL students, or struggling upper elementary readers could do this
same activity using pictures rather than words. They will still get valuable practice with the
skill without the frustration of reading words without any context.
Get one of these cut and paste activities - and as well as two others main idea
activities - for free.
Teaching Students That Details Should Support the Main
Idea
This activity takes a lot more prep if you do it yourself instead of using this Scaffolded
Main Idea Resource, but it is a valuable way to assess students' understanding of main
idea and supporting details while getting them to think more critically.
Before your main idea lesson, write a paragraph that has a very clear main idea. Then, add
a sentence to the paragraph that is somewhat on topic, but doesn't really support the main
idea of the paragraph. Students must read the paragraph and determine which sentence
doesn't belong.
In order for this activity to be effective, the paragraphs must be written thoughtfully. The
sentence that does not belong should not be immediate obvious to students, but instead
require students to think carefully about how the details relate to each other to support the
main idea.
This is a much better assessment of main idea understanding than the typical "Find the
Topic Sentence" activity that many main idea worksheets have.
This activity is also included in this main idea and details free printable!
How to Use Main Idea Graphic Organizers
I've seen a huge variety of cute main idea graphic organizers in my search for main idea
resources - umbrellas, flowers, hamburgers, hands, tables, ice cream cones, clouds, popcorn
- you name it, it's been done.
But no matter how cute or fun it is, the graphic organizer itself is probably not going to
make confused upper elementary students miraculously understand how to find the main
idea better.
One of the most frustrating things about typical main idea resources and graphic
organizers is that they go straight to having students come up with the main idea of a
passage without any scaffolding. This is a HARD skill for students - many adults struggle
with this as well!
Instead of expecting students to be able to come up with the main idea statement
themselves on a blank graphic organizer, provide students with the main idea and details
but DON'T tell them which statements are the details and which statement is the main idea.
Then, have students put the statements in the correct spots on the graphic organizer. This
takes away the frustration students feel of trying to come up with the main idea from thin
air, while at the same time giving students valuable practice in distinguishing between the
main idea and supporting details. (Get a free example of this main idea activity here.)
The more students do this type of activity, the more capable they will be able to find the
main idea and supporting details themselves.
According to the feedback I have gotten from my Scaffolded Main Idea Resource, these
scaffolded graphic organizers are one of the most helpful resources for teaching main idea.
This scaffolded main idea resource is my best seller for a reason. It is almost completely
no prep while drastically improving students' understanding of main idea.
The resource has cut and paste activities, worksheets, task cards, graphic organizers,
reading passages, and more that will help your students understand the differences
between topic, supporting details, and main idea.
How Do You Explain Main Idea to a
Child?
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The main idea is what the whole text is mostly about. This main idea is elaborated with
supporting details that make texts organized and easy to read. In upper elementary, students learn
this critical reading skill through the eyes of authors and as readers.
There are several ways to explain main ideas and details to students. I love using food analogies,
so I use a nacho analogy for teaching main idea and details!
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The bowl or plate that the nachos are served in: The topic or the text’s general subject.
The chips of the nacho dish = the main idea. The main idea explains what the text
(nachos all together) is MOSTLY about.
All of the toppings on the nachos = the supporting details. Details are the parts that
make the text (or nachos) more flavorful for the reader (eater). They SUPPORT the main
idea by providing extra information like facts and examples that add to the main idea.
What is an Example of Main Idea?
It can be helpful to have an example when you are learning about teaching main idea and details.
There are tons of main idea examples out there, but here’s a very simple example of main idea
that you could use when you model for students:
My Favorite City
My favorite city is Austin. Austin is located in the center of Texas. The weather in Austin can get
very hot during the summertime, so I enjoy swimming at Barton Creek when I can. I love Austin
because it has many things to do, like kayaking, hiking, and eating fun foods. My favorite thing
to do in Austin is listen to live music.
Topic: My Favorite City
Main idea: My favorite city is Austin.
Supporting Details:
1. Austin is located in the center of Texas.
2. The weather in Austin can get very hot during the summertime, so I enjoy swimming at
Barton Creek when I can.
3. I love Austin because it has many things to do, like kayaking, hiking, and eating fun
foods.
4. My favorite thing to do in Austin is listen to live music.
You could create a similar paragraph about anything you’d like to model for your students on an
anchor chart. You could even color-code each sentence as the topic, main idea, and supporting
details.
What is the Difference Between Main
Idea and Central Idea?
There is no considerable difference between the main idea and the central idea meanings. The
main idea is typically used for fiction texts, and the central idea is generally used for nonfiction
texts. Students must know both in case any questions are phrased differently. They may
encounter it phrased either way.
Is Main Idea the Same as Theme?
Students commonly confuse the main idea and theme even though they are very different.
The theme of a text is the lesson or main takeaway from the text. It is the message the author is
trying to tell or teach.
Common themes in upper elementary texts include: be prepared, actions speak louder than
words, money doesn’t buy happiness, cheating does not pay off, the importance of being a good
friend, and don’t procrastinate.
The main idea is specific to each text and tells what it is mostly about, not the lesson the author
was trying to share.
What Is the Difference Between a
Topic, the Main Idea and Supporting
Details?
The text’s topic is what it is generally about. Some examples are sharks, favorite city, and
springtime. Thinking about the nacho analogy from earlier, the topic is the dish the nachos are
on. The topic is usually a word or phrase and is very general.
The main idea is slightly more detailed. The main idea represents what the whole text is mostly
about. It identifies the most important information about the who or what from the text. This
should be one or two sentences.
The supporting details, also commonly called the key details, are “all of the toppings on the
nachos.” They support the main idea.
Why is Finding the Main Idea
Important?
Students need to be able to find the main idea in all texts so they can fully comprehend the text.
It is one of the most important comprehension skills because you will use it with every text every
time. When reading, students need to identify the most important parts to understand the story or
article fully. That’s why it’s so important for teachers to master how to teach main idea.
How Do Students Identify the Main
Idea?
Usually, the main idea is the first sentence of a passage or paragraph, but not always. Sometimes
it is stated in the concluding sentence as well. However, it may not be directly said, and students
will need to have a good understanding of what the whole text is about before making any
guesses.
1. First, students should use the title and any text features to determine the topic of the
text. I love letting students do a “book walk” to examine the text features before
deciding on the topic.
2. Next, they will first have to read the WHOLE text. Then, students can get a better idea of
what the whole text is about. Frequently, students may look at the first sentence, but as
they get older and go on to the upper grades, finding the main idea gets more
challenging. It is important for students to know that the main idea will not always be
stated in the first sentence of each paragraph or section! For this reason, it is crucial to
read the whole text.
3. Lastly, students need to ask themselves what the text is MOSTLY about. They identify
the most essential information about the who or the what of the text. Then, students
answer in a complete sentence.
How to Identify the Main Idea in Fiction
Finding the main idea in fictional stories can be tricky. Ask students these questions to help them
identify the main idea in fiction texts:
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What is the story mostly about?
What do I notice over and over?
Can I state the main idea in one sentence?
How to Identify the Main Idea in Nonfiction
Finding the main idea in nonfiction texts can be tricky. Ask students these questions to help them
identify the main idea in nonfiction texts:
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What does the author want me to notice?
Are there any clues in the first or last sentences?
Can I state the main idea in one sentence?
6 Mini-lessons for Teaching Main
Idea
Teaching main idea and supporting details can be challenging, especially if you do not have a
formal curriculum program. Even if you have a program, it can be boring for students. Here are 6
fun ways to teach main idea!
1. Finding the topic of a text: cut off or cover the topic of a text and have students come up
with their own. Compare as a class and discuss.
2. Use graphic organizers: have students read a text and fill in the organizer as they read.
Discuss as a class.
3. Have students color code the topic, main idea, and details with highlighters. Give each a
color and compare answers after.
4. Cut apart a text and have students reorganize the parts or sort the elements into
categories: topic, main idea, or supporting details.
5. Read aloud any picture book and model predicting and finding the main idea.
6. Use examples and non-examples. Give students a passage or text to read. Then give
several examples/non-examples of main idea statements. Students then choose the
best main idea statement and explain. Then have them point out non-examples and
explain their reasoning.
Idea for Teaching Main Idea and
Details
Last week the main selection in our reading curriculum Treasures was a non-fiction article and
the focus skill was main idea. We had completed an overview of all genres at the start of the
school year, but it was time to roll up our sleeves and really dig into some non-fiction. To keep it
all focused and feed into their craving for all things Halloween(ish), I planned a week of bat
research. Between teaching it in school that day and helping my own 2nd grader with his main
idea and details homework that afternoon, I had main idea on the brain. When I was playing with
building blocks on the floor with my twins later that evening, I had an aha moment!
The next day, I grabbed some blocks from my math manipulatives, an index card, a pair of
scissors, some Post-It Notes, a marker and a non-fiction text. I placed the sticky part of the sticky
note onto a block, folded it over and cut along the crease. This gave me sticky papers that were
the exact same size as each block.
Next, I wrote sentences from the text that would be considered “supporting details.” The students
read the details and decided what the main idea of all the blocks together would be. That was
written on the card, .which was then literally supported by the details. It seemed like the visual
really helped some of my friends to gain a better understanding of the concept!
I then created several collections of blocks and recorded sentences onto each. I placed them out
on my back counter with colored cards that coordinated with the blocks. The kiddos then worked
in pairs to write out cards with what they considered to be the main idea.
They loved the hands-on aspect and the visual and did quite well with identifying the main idea.
I’m planning to add this in as a READer’s Workshop station throughout the year and will use
this approach backwards in Writer’s Workshop as well.
In closing, we hope you found this information about teaching main idea and details helpful! If
you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:
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