Task Title
Grade Level
CCSS
Description
Materials
Considerations
for Planning
Main Idea and Key Details
4
LACC.4.RI.1.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is
supported by key details; summarize the text.
The student will read an informational text to identify the main idea. The
students will identify the key details that support the main idea and explain
how the key details presented by the author support the main idea.
 Passage “Cane Toads: A Bad Idea” (one copy per student)
 “Main Idea and Key Details ” graphic organizer (one copy per student)
 Teacher Checklist for “Main Idea and Key Details”
 This task may be bundled with one other task: 4.W.3.9b “Sum It Up.” The
recommended sequence is “Main Idea and Key Details” and “Sum It Up.”
 Students have prior knowledge of how to identify the main idea in an
informational text.
 Students have prior knowledge of how to identify key supporting details in
an informational text.
 Student have prior knowledge of and experience with explaining how key
details in an informational text support the main idea Students have prior
knowledge of how to record information from independently read texts
utilizing a graphic organizer.
 Teacher may replace the attached passage with another grade-level
passage in curriculum or from Appendix B of CCSS.
Time Allotment
English Language Learner Considerations:
 Apply the considerations included below for the passage “Cane Toads: A
Bad Idea” as they are directly applicable for this task and CCSS.
 Assist ELLs in making connections between other toads or frogs (or any
other animal they know that is similar to the cane toad) and the text. The
vocabulary can be discussed with the students using various methods to
infer the meaning—for instance: using visuals or other multi-media,
identifying positive cognates in Spanish, Haitian-Creole, and/or French,
acting out the events in the story, etc.
40 minutes
Group Size
English Language Learner Considerations:
Additional time may be needed for ELLs if teacher allows for assistance with
vocabulary methods to understand the passage.
Whole group (purpose, expectations and importance of skill)
Individual (read passage, complete graphic organizer)
English Language Learner Considerations:
Pair one native English speaker with an ELL. Allowing mixed pairs of ELLs
and native English speakers for this activity evenly spreads the range of
language abilities. Native English speakers can serve as models to ELLs.
Another possible grouping is by cultural diversity.
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
1
Task Directions
1. Teacher explains the task to the students. Students will read the text “CaneToads: A Bad Idea”
to identify the main idea in the persuasive text and identify and explain how the key details in
the text support the main idea. These skills are important to help students think critically about
persuasive text and to evaluate how an author supports a stated position or main idea in a text.
2. Teacher provides the task directions and student expectations.
 Teacher states, “Today you will read the passage “Cane Toads: A Bad Idea”
independently to identify the main idea of the text. Then you will use evidence from the
text to identify key details that support the main idea. Finally, you will explain how the
key details you selected from the text support the main idea. This graphic organizer will
be used to capture your information.”
3. Teacher shows the students the graphic organizer “Main Idea and Key Details” projected onto
the board or written on a chart and explains that each box in the organizer has a specific
purpose.
 Teacher explains, “Each box of the graphic organizer has a specific purpose. In the
“Main Idea” box, you will write a complete sentence that states the main idea of the text.
There are three columns of boxes under the main idea box. To complete the ‘Key
Details’ box in each column, cite a key detail from the text that supports the main idea.
Then you will fill in the box under each of the key detail boxes to explain how each key
detail you identified in the text supports the main idea.”
4. Teacher distributes a copy of the text and the graphic organizer to each student and instructs
students to begin working.
5. Students read the passage and identify the main idea and key details. Students complete the
graphic organizer by recording the main idea and key details, and providing an explanation to
show how the identified key details support the main idea..
6. Teacher uses the Teacher Checklist “Main Idea and Key Details” to record observations of
individual student performance.
7. While students engage in the task, the teacher observes, asks questions, and assists students.
Teacher uses rubric to determine student performance based on common
misconceptions/errors, identify appropriate questions to ask students to elicit evidence of
student thinking, and determine next steps for instruction.
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
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Rubric: Main Idea and Reasons
Level 1: The student demonstrates a beginning understanding of determining the main idea of a text and explaining
how it is supported by key details.
Misconception/Error
Questions for Eliciting Thinking
Instructional Implications
Student does not accurately identify
“Which sentence states the main idea Model how to use the details in a text to
the main idea.
of the text?”
identify the main idea of the text.
and
Student does not accurately identify
three key details in the text that
support the main idea.
“What details in the text support the
main idea?”
Model how to analyze a paragraph to
identify the main idea and supporting
details.
and
Student does not accurately explain
how the key details support the main
idea.
Reteach how to select evidence that
supports the ideas in a text.
“How does the information that you
have included support the main idea?”
“
Model how to provide an explanation to
demonstrate how the key details
support the main idea.
English Language Learner
Misconceptions:
English Language Learner
Considerations:
English Language Learner
Considerations:
ELLs may be unfamiliar with some
words in the passage, and this could
impact their ability to read the
passage and to identify key words. It
also could affect comprehension of
the passage and student’s ability to
determine what information supports
an idea.
For beginning ELLs:
“Please try to draw what is happening
in the first part.” (Point to column 1 in
graphic organizer and paragraph 2.
Gesture or model drawing.) “Great!
How about doing the same thing on
the next?” (Keep going through the
three columns in graphic organizer).
Approaches to appropriately citing
sources vary by culture. In some
cultures, it may be acceptable to
copy and transfer information as it
appears in the primary source.
Scaffold the task:
”Please read this piece of the
passage. What is happening at this
point? How can we put that in your
own words? Would you prefer to show
me what is happening?”
Model techniques to learn the meaning
of unknown vocabulary and phrases.
Have students keep a vocabulary
notebook to help learn the meanings of
expressions by identifying the literal
meaning and the idiomatic or more
technical meaning, especially in
informational texts. Have students make
up visual representations in their
notebook, as appropriate.
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
Model for students specific strategies to
find essential information in the
passages that they read.
3
“When we want to identify the
information that we need, we need to
‘paraphrase the information’. This
means that we read a primary source
such as this passage, think about
what is said, and then put it into our
own words.” (Read a portion to be
paraphrased) “What do you think that
means? Say it in your own words.”
Go through the same steps as
described in the directions, but have
students do each step as you describe
and model it.
Model how to underline important words
and phrases in the text that they can
cite in their writing.
Have students draw and label their
response, then work to write a sentence
for each picture.
If it will be helpful, have students write
first in their native language before
translating into English.
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
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Level 2: The student demonstrates some understanding of determining the main idea of a text and explaining how it
is supported by key details.
Misconception/Error
Questions for Eliciting Thinking
Instructional Implications
Student accurately identifies the main “What is the topic of the text? What
Model strategies to determine the main
idea, but does not identify three key
main point does the author make
idea.
details in the text that support the
about the topic?”
main idea nor explain how the key
Model how to identify key details that
details support the main idea.
“How does the information you have support the main idea.
selected support the main idea?
Or
What words in the text told you
Model how to provide an explanation to
this?”
demonstrate how the key details
Student accurately identifies the main
support the main idea.
idea and three key details that
“What specific evidence does the
support the main idea, but does not
author give to support the main
Model self-questioning strategies.
explain how the key details support
idea?”
Encourage students to evaluate the
the main idea.
importance of the evidence selected.
“How do the key details you
identified support the main idea?”
English Language Learner
Misconceptions:
ELLs may have difficulty with the
structure and organization of the
informational text, especially when it
comes to using more technical
vocabulary and complex sentences.
ELLs may continue to find it difficult
to extract key points from the
passage because of a lack of word
knowledge and unfamiliarity with
English sentence structure.
English Language Learner
Considerations:
English Language Learner
Considerations:
Scaffold finding key points:
“Tell me in your own words what the
paragraph was about. What did you
understand about it? Tell me the
most important thing that is
described in the text. How do you
know?”
Model how you use information from a
text to support an idea.
“Can you tell me in your own words
what the sentence/passage is
about? How does this help us know
the meaning of the word we do not
know?”
Review vocabulary and re-teach
strategies for reading unfamiliar words.
Model for students how to look for
important ideas. Illustrate how these will
help them determine the most important
evidence.
Review the structure of an informational
text that ELLs have already seen.
ELLs may lack the instructional
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
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knowledge to determine what
information is necessary to support
an idea.
Scaffold supporting evidence:
“How does the author support the
main point of ________________?”
Refer to top of graphic organizer.
“What other specific information can
you find in the story to show
evidence about the main idea?”
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
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Level 3: The student demonstrates a complete understanding of determining the main idea of a text and explaining
how it is supported by key details.
Misconception/Error
Questions for Eliciting Thinking
Instructional Implications
With self-correction or teacher
Provide another on-level text and
prompting, the student is able to:
have students identify the main idea
and key details and explain how the
“What key words in the text help you to
key details support the main idea.
 identify the main idea of the
identify
the
main
idea?”
text,
Provide students with the
“How does this statement in the text
opportunity to practice identifying
 identify three key details that
support the writer’s main point?”
the key words and phrases often
support the main idea; and
used in text to support the main
“How
do
these
key
details
in
the
text
idea.
 explain how the key details
support
the
main
idea?
identified in the text support
Provide another on-level text and
the main idea.
have students identify the key
details that support the main idea
and explain how these key details
support the main idea.
Provide other resources for students
to use to practice citing textual
evidence that support the main idea
and explaining how the identified
details support the main idea.
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
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Level 4: The student demonstrates an advanced understanding of determining the main idea of a text and explaining
how it is supported by key details.
Misconception/Error
Questions for Eliciting Thinking
Instructional Implications
Student has no misconceptions or
“How can you determine if you have
Provide opportunities to read above
errors about how to determine the main correctly selected the main idea of a
grade-level texts to identify main ideas
idea and explain how the main idea
text? What questions do you ask
and key details and explain how the
supported by key details in the text.
yourself?”
key details support the main idea.
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
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Student Name
Q2
Q3
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
Observation notes
Q1
Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, or
Level 4
Q3 Does the student accurately
explain how each identified
key detail supports the main
idea?
Accurately explains how key
details support the main idea
Q2 Does the student accurately
identify three key details that
support the main idea?
Accurately identifies key
details that support the main
idea
Q1 Does the student accurately
identify the main idea?
Accurately identifies main
idea
Teacher Checklist for
Main Idea and Reasons
9
Main Idea and Reasons
Directions: Use information from the text “Cane Toads: A Bad Idea” to complete the
graphic organizer.
Main Idea:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Key Detail #1 to support
the main idea:
Key Detail #2 to support
the main idea:
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
Key Detail #3 to support
the main idea:
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Explain how key detail #1
supports the main idea:
Explain how key detail
#2 supports the main
idea:
FL ELFAS Task and Rubric -Pearson Confidential – Revised Version
Explain how key detail
#3 supports the main
idea:
11