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September 14, 2013

Main Idea in 5th Grade

This week in 5th grade, reading has been all about main idea. So, I tried starting our work on main while reading a text about September 11th…and it was fine. I did learn though that my friends needed to take a few steps back, to review and practice, before we started picking out our own main ideas and supporting details.

Why Main Idea?

Finding the main idea is crucial for students as it hones their reading comprehension skills. Identifying the main idea helps students extract essential information from a text , encouraging a deeper understanding of the material. This skill enhances their ability to summarize, make inferences, and critically analyze texts. Additionally, it lays the foundation for effective note-taking and organization of information, which are essential skills across lots of subjects. As 5th graders navigate increasingly complex texts across subjects, mastering the main idea helps them synthesize information, fostering academic success and preparing them for more advanced learning challenges.

Making “Main Idea” Sticky

I also knew I needed to ‘hook’ them, so I went right to Flocabulary . Ya dig?

My kids LOVE Flocabulary . They pack up as fast as they can in the afternoon, so they can pick out an educational rap to listen to. For realz. I’m at the end of my two-week trial right now, and I am in the process of applying to use $63 of my Classroom Funds for a year’s subscription – the kickers? Flocabulary is definitely not on our bid list…so yeah. Anyway, the Flocabulary rap was a perfect way to introduce main idea with Ben, bears, and being smitten. Like I said, the raps are fun, loud, and interactive!

We also visited Tim and Moby at BrainPop {for free} to get more practice with Main Idea. While not as ‘fun’ as Flocabulary, Brain Pop is a tried and true resource. Plus, stopping the video at important points, gave my kiddos the opportunity to ‘find’ the topic and main idea with a partner.

Our Main Idea Visual

After these ‘hooks’, I know the kids are mine. I mean, what 5th grader won’t listen to your every word when you were just rapping with them 2 minutes ago? This is when I explain/show the class a house and introduce it as Main Idea. I explain…

Every house must have a strong foundation. Without this foundation, the house would fall. It would have no purpose. In a text, the TOPIC is the foundation. The topic tells us what we will be reading and learning about. It is a short and sweet phrase that focuses us as readers and writers.

Every house must have a roof. A roof protects a house from things that do not belong. Just like a roof protects a house, the main idea protects a piece of writing. The main idea is what the author is trying to teach the reader, what the text is mainly about. If something doesn’t support the main idea, then it does not belong.

Lastly, the supporting details (or walls) hold up the roof. Without the walls, the roof would fall. Just like a house, the supporting details give a text body and purpose. Without these details, the main idea does not go anywhere.

You can click here to grab your own Main Idea house for free . Now that my kids understand the main idea basics, they are ready for practice – enter Main Idea in a Bag .

Topic vs. Main Idea vs. Details

Students work in pairs to differentiate between the topic, main idea, and supporting details. In a brown paper bag, place one set of cards (social studies and science texts). Then, student A pulls one cards from the bag and reads it aloud. The process continues until all 5 cards have been pulled from the bag. With all the cards on a flat surface, the partners work to identify the ‘roof’ (main idea), ‘walls’ (supporting details), and ‘foundation’ (topic) of the text. After forming the main idea ‘house’, students should record their answers on the recording sheet.

For Your Classroom

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September 15, 2013 at 3:36 pm

Love the Main Idea house – what a great graphic organizer. Thanks for the reminder about Flocabulary – was just thinking about how I could spend my classroom money – this is it!

September 15, 2013 at 4:03 pm

Love your main idea house organizer! It also is a great way to explain it to the kids! My fifth graders always need help with main idea… always! I also really like how you practice using the main idea bags! Thanks for sharing your great ideas 🙂

Amanda My Shoe String Life Follow Me on Bloglovin'

September 16, 2013 at 10:11 pm

What a great, hands-on way to practice main idea. I've already got this on my wish list and will be picking it up when we start main idea. Courtney Polka Dot Lesson Plans

September 21, 2013 at 2:54 pm

Main idea is a tricky concept, and I really think this will help my students! Thanks for sharing! I found you on the TpT forum and am a beginning teacher like you. You're doing an awesome job!

November 30, 2014 at 10:32 pm

My goodness!!!! Thank you so very much for that house main idea graphic organizer because I have used that visual for my kids every time we discuss main idea and now I can make it into a more concrete process using your organizer. Thank you very much for sharing!

November 3, 2015 at 2:26 am

Great! I enjoyed reading how you taught main idea!

February 19, 2024 at 7:08 am

Flocabulary and BrainPop are fantastic resources to captivate 5th graders. The Main Idea house analogy is a clever way to make the concept tangible for students. Keep up the innovative teaching. NAS Data Recovery Services in San Diego

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Main idea, details & summary

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Recognizing differences and similarities in a text

These grade 5 worksheets ask students to identify the "main idea" of paragraphs and complete texts , as well as the details that support those ideas.  The last two worksheets also touch upon the concept of summarizing a text. 

Facts & details:

Summarizing:

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In our Main Idea lesson plan, students learn about main ideas and why they are important in literature and other texts. Students practice identifying main ideas in text and locating the supporting details.

The Main Idea lesson plan does not include any content pages. Rather, it provides a very detailed lesson plan, found on the two Classroom Procedure pages. It also includes an example passage for you to use.

Description

Additional information, what our main idea lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Main Idea develops reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. A foundational skill required for all in-depth analysis of literature and expository text, identifying the main idea is a critical skill that students will use throughout their academic and professional careers as readers. At the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify main ideas and cite supporting details to defend their identification of main ideas in expository and literary texts. This lesson is for students in 5th grade and 6th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the orange box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives and state standards in this area.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page includes a paragraph with additional guidelines and things to think about as you begin to plan your lesson. This page also includes lines that you can use to add your own notes as you’re preparing for this lesson.

MAIN IDEA LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Main idea lesson plan worksheets.

The Main Idea lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. You can refer to the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet.

MAIN IDEA ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Students will read two passages and complete a chart for each that asks them to answer specific questions before, during, and after reading. They much also identify the main idea of each passage.

CHART PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet asks students to choose a nonfiction text of their choice and complete the chart on the worksheet. It asks them to answer specific questions before, during, and after reading. It also asks them to write down what the main idea of the passage is at the end.

MAIN IDEA BAG HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

For the homework assignment, students will create their own Main Idea Bag, which uses a collection of items or objects that are all related to the same topic. Students will first choose their topic. They will then find five or more objects and complete the provided organizer. Finally, they will explain how the items relate to their main idea in a paragraph.

Worksheet Answer Keys

This lesson plan includes answer keys for the activity worksheet, the practice worksheet, and the homework assignment. However, all of the answer keys note that students’ answers and responses will vary. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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A well put together enrichment to my Main Idea and Supporting Detail topic.

I work for a non-profit with a mission of creating a passion for reading in children. This lesson plan is going to be very useful for me to work on the main idea concept with the children. Thank you!

The students really enjoyed the story. It definitely pushed them to think at a higher level than some of the other activities that offer multiple choice.

I was looking for something different to teach my class. The passages were high interest to keep my class engaged but still reinforce the concept being taught.

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I just want to say thanks for the 'Main Idea" topic that you allowed me to download for free. This information was helpful to my son who was struggling in his english class and helpful to me as a parent in assisting him.

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2 Unique Strategies for Teaching Main Idea

What’s the big idea? 

It may have been a go-to line for the Three Stooges, but many upper elementary teachers are asking the same question to their students almost every day and have been for many years.

Today we are going to provide two brand-new strategies for discussing and identifying the main idea. Before we begin, though, let’s get on the same page.

What is the Main Idea?

The main idea, in its simplest form, answers the question: What is this passage or story about?

In response to the question, we typically summarize the story in about one sentence. In our Main Idea Game Show , we ask students to identify the main idea of short passages on a variety of topics, from famous women scientists to extreme sports and bugs. The game can be used in its original form for individual or group review, but we’ve got a couple of ideas for using the passages (and answers) in even more ways.

Main Idea Activity #1: Main Idea Math Equations

Frequently we teach equations in math, but equations can work with anything that is formulaic in nature. 

Equations provide methods for taking information, sorting it, and creating a final product. If you can create equations that work (even just some of the time), students can use those equations as a starting place when attempting to identify the main idea of the passages they’re reading. 

One thing we have to keep in mind, though, is that just as all math equations don’t work on every problem and an equation for figuring out the degree of the angles in a triangle won’t work to determine the sides of a square, neither will one equation for determining the main idea help you to identify the main idea in all types of writing.

One common equation for identifying the main idea goes as follows…

The Subject + What they do/did + Why they do/did it = Main Idea

Read the example from the Main Idea Game Show below to see this formula in place.

• The Subject = Thorn Bugs
• What they do = camouflage themselves
• Why they do it = to protect themselves from others

Let’s check out the answer to see how we did…

Our answer varies a little, but using the formula as a jumping-off point provided a pretty good result.

So why don’t we just use this equation all the time? 

Because it doesn’t work. 

Typically, it only works when the subject is a living thing. What happens if the subject is a place or an item? What would the equation be, then?

To determine other possible formulas, you will simply reverse engineer the Main Idea Game Show . 

Instead of asking students to determine the main idea of the passages from the Game Show , give them the passage and the answer (or identify the main idea). Ask them to consider how the main idea is presented and label the pieces of it (subject, verb, detail, etc.). They can also look at the passage and highlight where the information is located in the passage. Any of these discoveries could be clues to determining a theory or formula about how the main ideas are determined. 

In essence, our students are doing an in-depth study of the passage and the main idea to consider how they relate. If the student can figure out the relationship, they can create a formula. Once they have fully investigated their own passage, they can then group up with others to look for similarities in their findings. If the findings are common among students, challenge them to create a formula to present to the class as part of their learning.

If you happen to find some equations that work (even if just in certain situations), create posters of them and hang them around the room. If your class doesn’t find any, they have still done a deep dive into determining the main idea, and that practice alone will benefit them greatly!

Did you try this activity? What equations did your class discover? Let us know in the comments.

Main Idea Activity #2: The Main Idea Moving Box

The concept of the Main Idea Moving Box activity is simple. Take all the small pieces (the details) and pack the important ones into one box. Then determine what you would label the box so that the movers (or other readers) would know what is inside. That is the one statement that all of the *important* details fit within.

We are going to use a different passage from the Main Idea Game Show to practice this strategy. Read the passage below.

Start by making a list of the details as a class. Once the class has made a list of the details, cut them out and give each to a different student. These are the details we pulled from the Dead Sea passage above.

• Bordered by Jordan
• Bordered by Israel
• Bordered by West Bank
• One of the Saltiest Bodies of water
• 9X saltier than the ocean
• So salty you float if you swim in it
• May have been part of the ocean, but now land cuts it off.
• Saltier because it doesn’t rain much
• Salt is left behind when water evaporates

Now we are going to donate, dump, or pack each detail. 

The Donation Box

When we donate clothes or items to others, we understand that those items still have value, but they are no longer any good to us. Frequently, there are true, factual pieces of information in the passage that generally fit the topic, but simply being present doesn’t make them important to the main idea. Those pieces of information get donated. They don’t get packed in the moving box.

When we send details to the dump , we acknowledge that the information is useless to the discussion of the topic. Those items do not get packed in the moving box either.

The Moving Box

The only items that get packed into our moving boxes are the details that seem to be significant enough to carry around! We don’t want any extra details weighing us down!

This analogy works well for this type of activity because as they work through the details, students can physically manipulate the details and pieces of writing by throwing pieces away, recycling the donated details, and packing up a little box with all of the good details. 

A moving box strategy can also work when helping students with their writing. Ask them to label a moving box with their main idea and then list the details of their writing on individual slips of paper. Give the slips and the moving box to other students to sort. If the packers determine some of the information should either be donated or dumped rather than packed into the moving box. The original author will know that those details probably don’t need to be included in their writing (even if it is they are the most interesting details or stories).

As we sort the details from the passage about the Dead Sea, we end up with just two boxes, as you can see below.

Donation Box

Although the location of the Dead Sea is interesting and helpful information, these details don’t seem to pack well with all the other details. They either need their own box, or they need to be donated.

The items in the moving box all seem to work together to say something. Now, students can work together to label the box with a single statement that seems to ‘wrap’ up all the important details. That statement is your main idea!

The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth.

That box is now packed, and it is time to move on (pun intended).

Next week, we are going to discuss the cousin of the main idea…theme.

• Read more about: ELA/Reading

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Main idea mini lessons.

It doesn’t matter what grade you teach, main idea is always on your lesson plans sometime in the year.  This reading skill is important as it helps students take important facts or events from a text, summarize them, and understand the author’s most important message.  But teaching main idea can be hard and many students aren’t successful at this skill right away.  One problem is that teachers can only think of certain ways to break down and teach the skill and then run out of ideas.  I’ve got you covered!  I’m sharing 5 main idea mini lessons just for you!

Mini-lessons are a great way to teach reading skills just like main idea.  You can also use these tips and tricks or mentor texts too!  Make sure to check them out!

Want to watch the video instead  check it out below  make sure to subscribe to get updates on all new content.

Main Idea Mini Lesson #1

Objective :  I can match the pieces of an article based on its main idea.

One great thing about teaching main idea, is that it is helpful not only in reading but also in writing. This little mini lesson supports both! Create two article titles, two article headings, and 3-4 facts to go under each heading. Write each of them separately on sentence strips or index cards. Mix them up and place on the front board. Read through all of them with students and then guide the students to unmix them and match up the title, heading, and facts or each ‘article’. While doing this, discuss main idea and supporting details and how by matching the pieces they were finding commonalities amongst the text.

Main Idea Mini Lesson #2

Objective :  I can determine the main idea of a puzzle based on the details of its pieces.

Sometimes, making main idea click for students is as simple as finding a way to make it concrete. Take a puzzle for instance. We can think of the individual pieces as details and the main overall image in the puzzle as the main idea. For this mini lesson, that’s exactly what we are going to do! Go through puzzles that you have at home or in your classroom. Pick out 2-3 pieces per puzzle that show a good amount of detail on the individual pieces. Then with your students, discuss the commonality between main idea and puzzles. Show the students one of the puzzle pieces and have them brainstorm or draw out what they think the rest of the puzzle would be. Discuss details vs. main idea while students share their examples.

Want to snag a printable copy of all of these main idea mini lessons?  Grab it for FREE below!

Main Idea Mini Lesson #3

Objective :  I can create a main idea statement from the details in a photograph.

By allowing students to do more creating than reading when working with main idea, they pick up on the relationship a lot easier and faster. In this mini lesson you’re going to use photographs to allow students to create main idea statements and supporting details. Find photographs off Google to print. The photographs need to be about experiences and situations the students can relate to. Then have the students work in pairs or groups to create 3 detailed statements first. Share these out loud with the group and discuss. Then as a group create a main idea statement to overarch the details the students created. Repeat with 1-2 more photos.

Main Idea Mini Lesson #4

Objective :  I can identify supporting details in a nonfiction text.

Many times, students become overwhelmed with identifying details because there are so many sentences in the text to choose from. We need to provide a lesson that shows them how to analyze each sentence one at a time. In this mini lesson, find a nonfiction article that’s 1-2 paragraphs in length. Read the article together as a class. Together, identify the main idea of the text and write it on the front board. Then lead the class in finding supporting details for the main idea. Reread each sentence one at a time and stop to discuss it. Does this support the main idea? Why or why not? By doing this sentence by sentence it gives the students the opportunity to truly see HOW we analyze all the details and determine which support, and which do not. Cross out the non-supporting details and highlight the supporting ones.

Need MORE than just mini lesson ideas or don’t have time to create the lessons yourself?  I’ve got you covered!  Check out my entire Main Idea unit filled with full whole group lessons, exit tickets, assessment, reading center, craft, and more! Click the button below to check it out!

Grab the Main Idea Unit

Main Idea Mini Lesson #5

Objective :  I can write out the main idea of a fiction and nonfiction text

Students sometimes comprehend a story very well but putting the main idea into words is challenging. A strong and simple way to support students like this is to give them sentence stems! A simple nonfiction and fiction sentence stem helps the student think through the text they read and put their thoughts into the blanks. By using the sentence stems over a period, they will have the gist of how to word a main idea statement and won’t need them anymore! In this mini lesson, have 2 fiction paragraphs and 2 nonfiction paragraphs ready. Write the sentence stems on the board: (Fiction) The story is about (character) who (details) and then (detail). (Nonfiction) The main idea is about how/who (detail). Practicing using the stems after reading the texts to create main idea statements.

I hope you found some new and unique ideas to help teach main idea to your students.  If you want to save this post for later, make sure to pin the image below!

• Read more about: Guided Reading , Nonfiction , Reading , Reading Comprehension , Small Groups

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How to teach main ideas in upper grades.

If you are looking for tips on teaching main idea in upper grades, you’re in the right place! This blog post is for all of you 4th and 5th grade teachers who are getting ready to teach main idea in informational text. For my blog post on main idea in primary grades, click here .

Teaching main idea in upper grades will have similar key skills. The primary difference in the 4th and 5th-grade main idea standards is that in 4th grade, students are looking for one main idea of an entire text. In 5th grade, students are looking for multiple main ideas.

Standards for Main Idea:

• 4th Grade RI: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
• 5th Grade RI: Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

Introduce Main Idea in Upper Grades:

Main idea is a skill that can give students some trouble. You may introduce the skill in seclusion and work toward mastery, but I also suggest revisiting the skill throughout the year.

When introducing main idea, an anchor chart is a good place to start. Students need to understand the purpose and parameters of main idea. An anchor chart needs to have a clear description of the topic or skill. So, you can create (or print/display) an anchor chart and revisit it throughout your unit. The anchor charts below can be printed or displayed digitally. Then, as you revisit main idea throughout the year, pull the anchor chart back out to reinforcement.

Modeling with Mentor Texts

Another essential component to teaching main idea in upper grades is modeling. There are so many high-quality informational texts out there! For main idea, I like to choose texts that have a straight-forward message. These texts may be shorter/simpler than a typical intermediate mentor text. But, they will provide you with the information students need to properly learn main idea skills.

Below are a few of my favorite Main Idea mentor texts. These texts can be used as a read-aloud in a mini-lesson. They are perfect to use with any of the graphic organizers or interactive notebook pages.

Each of the links below are affiliate links to Amazon! To grab your copy of some of these mentor texts, click the links below:

• She Persisted Around the World by Chelsea Clinton
• Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanual Ofoso Yeboah
• Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
• Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate
• Bats! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle
• Super Swimmers: Whales, Dolphins and Other Mammals of the Sea by Caroline Arnold
• A Nest is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston
• A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston

Lesson Additions

Don’t forget about adding informational videos and activities, like BrainPop! Tim and Moby make the idea of main idea easier to understand for students with great visual elements and explanations. There are graphic organizers and quizzes that your kids can use, too!

(Link: Brain Pop Main Idea Video )

Practice Simply Finding the Main Idea

When teaching main idea in upper grades, you are still going to want to scaffold skills and activities. So, you can start with simply finding the main idea with short texts or matching. In this activity, students are given four different “real-life scenarios” where they can identify the main idea. It is a great activity for drawing real-life connections so students can solidify their skills before applying them to longer texts.

Back It Up with Key Details

Your next step will be working with key details. It is important for students to be able to differentiate details. There are anchor charts, lessons, and activities specific to key details in these units. For the activity above, students will be formulating strong supportive details for each main idea statement.

This activity requires students to match details with specific main ideas. This will help students learn how to determine which details are important. It will also help them with understanding what kind of details support a main idea.

What about Multiple Main Ideas?

In 5th grade, students will be identifying multiple main ideas. For this, students will be looking for sections of information that are about a similar topic. Texts are longer and more detailed in 4th and 5th grade, so the information will be divided into sections. So, students will need to learn how to identify the main ideas of these subsections of text. Then, they will be able to figure out what the entire test is about.

This activity will have students look for the main idea of the different sections of the text. They will even be retitling the sections after learning what each section is about. Practice and skill application will be essential for students developing multiple main idea skills.

Want a free Main Idea activity to get you started?

FREE MAIN IDEA ACTIVITY

This free digital activity comes with links to Seesaw and Google Slides for your students. They will practice their main topic or main idea skills.

Or, would you like complete units for your Main Idea unit?

I have complete units for 4th and 5th grade Main Idea. These units have lesson plans, graphic organizers, reading passages with comprehension questions, task cards, interactive notebook pages, assessments, and more! I have also created a few activities in ready-made Google Slides. These are digital Main Idea activities for 3rd and 4th Grade. Click the button below to grab the link you need.

Looking for more Upper Grades blog posts?

• How to Teaching Inferences 
• Teaching Students to Determine Theme
• Read more about: Common Core Aligned , Comprehension , Reading Blog Posts , Uncategorized

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Teaching Main Idea and Details in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th grade

Raise your hand if you dread teaching main idea and details to your elementary students. I think it’s one of the trickiest things for kids to grasp. However, teaching main idea and details is simple once you have a solid understanding of the literacy concept and a systematic approach to teaching it. This blog post will support you in developing an understanding of what it is by providing definitions, comparisons, and examples. In addition, it will recommend lesson ideas, teaching strategies, and resources to help you deliver excellent research-based instruction to your elementary students. This post is helpful to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers.

This blog post will answer the following questions about teaching main idea and details:

• How do you explain main idea to a child?
• What is an example of main idea?
• What is the difference between main idea and central idea?
• Is main idea the same as theme?
• What is the difference between a topic, the main idea and key details?
• Why is finding the main idea of a story important?
• How do students identify the main idea in fiction and non-fiction texts?
• What are some lesson ideas for teaching main idea?

How Do You Explain Main Idea to a Child?

Students focus on finding the whole text’s main idea many times throughout the school year in upper elementary. It is also one of the most challenging standards for students to grasp because it is not always stated directly. 

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! 

• 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: 

• 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. 

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.

• 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.
• 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. 
• 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: 

• 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: 

• What does the author want me to notice?
• Are there any clues in the first or last sentences?

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!

• 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. 
• Use graphic organizers: have students read a text and fill in the organizer as they read. Discuss as a class. 
• Have students color code the topic, main idea, and details with highlighters. Give each a color and compare answers after.
• Cut apart a text and have students reorganize the parts or sort the elements into categories: topic, main idea, or supporting details. 
• Read aloud any picture book and model predicting and finding the main idea. 
• 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:

• How to Teach Genres to Elementary Students
• Tips for Teaching Text Annotation
• How to Teach Research Skills

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10 GREAT Activities to Teach Main Idea and Details

• November 16, 2019
• No Comments

The main idea is defined as the central point or big picture of a story or informational text.  The details are those statements that support (go along with) the main idea.  Main idea and details are important in all types of texts (literature and informational), as well as in writing.

The central message of the story is the main point that the author wants you to remember.  Many consider this the “big idea” of the story and can be described in a word or two.  It may also be the lesson that an author wants you to learn from the text.

Identifying the main idea and details in a text are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to comprehending text. You can scaffold how to understand a piece of literature for your students through the activities listed below, as well as using graphic organizers. I have both fluency and comprehension building resources on Education to the Core Premium.

For a low monthly or annual fee, you can unlock unlimited access to resources for reading instruction and all of the other subjects. Take a look at everything you can use on ETTC Premium by clicking the button below. 

Where to Start with Main Idea and Details

Play “Does It Belong” with your students.  After reading a story, identify the main idea and then come up with statements that are either a detail or not. (Example – The Three Little Pigs – MI = The Little Pigs build houses and try to stay safe from the Big Bad Wolf.  D = The first Little Pig builds his house out of straw.  ND = The Big Bad Wolf likes to dance.)  Students can give thumbs up/down depending on whether the detail belongs or not.  This is also an easy activity to incorporate into a small group center for added practice.

A variation of “Does It Belong” involves students creating the “detail statements”.  After reading a story, students write down a sentence on a strip of paper.  This sentence is either a detail of the story, or not. 

There are a variety of ways you can finish this activity.  You can play “Musical Partners”, where students pair up with various classmates, read their statement and have the partner decide if it’s a detail or not.  Or, you can have a T-chart with the headings “Story Detail” and “Does Not Belong”.  Students place their statements in the appropriate columns and as a class you double check for correctness.

I use a tree visual for my students.  They write the main idea of the story/text onto the trunk and then create branches with details/facts that support that main idea.  How many branches will their tree have?

Upper Grades

Using a fluency passage, have students identify the 3-5 best supporting details and have them partner/group share their responses.  To increase the rigor, ask students to explain why their chosen details support the main idea.

Work Backwards (Details to Main Idea)

Instead of identifying the main idea first, students can also work backwards.  Try starting with the details and encouraging students to discover the main idea.

I like to work backwards with informational text, giving detail clues and asking the students to identify the main topic of the text.  Using a “story web”, I write down details in the outer bubbles and have the main topic covered by a post-it in the center.  As students are given the details, they discuss what the topic could be.  The object is to guess it before all of the clues have been written.  I use this activity to introduce a new unit of study, especially in science and social studies.

Use an easy introductory center to help students understand Main Idea and Details .  A center is a great tool for practicing, especially with ELL students.  They are able to identify all of the objects on the page (vocabulary), then asked to state the main idea or category and give reasons why. It’s a quick and easy activity to integrate into your centers.  Just laminate the pages and go!

“Mystery Bags” is another fun activity to use when working backwards.  Place a variety of objects or pictures in a brown paper bag that all relate to one topic.  In groups, students pull out the objects and try to identify the main idea that encompasses all of them.  I create a recording sheet with corresponding letters to the bags, so students can list the objects and then the main idea category.

Cover the title of the story/text, read the book, and then have the students come up with their own title.

Give your students a list of words that belong in one of three categories.  Students will have to sort the words into categories and then come up with a title for each category.

Don’t Forget About Writing

The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown is wonderful as a mini-lesson on main idea and details.  I use it to model what this looks like in writing.  Each page has an object and then identifies a series of details about that particular object.  After reading the book, students are asked to choose a classroom object and create their own “Important Book” page.  You can guide their writing by using the anchor chart below, or allow them to come up with their own sentence organization.

Central Message/Theme

Create a Theme vs Main Idea chart, so students can understand the difference between the two. The theme or central message will be one or two words, while the main idea can be summed up in a sentence.

Use fables or folktales to help students understand the central message.  I have an easy to use Moral of the Story center for your students to practice this skill in small groups.  With this resource, students read through a scenario and then determine the moral or lesson learned by the character.  It’s a very simple center to integrate into small groups, just laminate and go!

Review some familiar stories with your students and have them identify the central message of each.  This activity can become a match game, with students then recording the reason why they chose that particular message for each book. (Example: The Rainbow Fish – friendship/sharing – The rainbow fish learns that in order to make and keep friends he must share.)  As they practice this activity more, they will realize that the central message is supported by the main idea.

Comprehending text begins with main idea and details. Without understanding the main idea, a student cannot fully comprehend what they are reading. The main idea links all the supporting details and smaller events together that form the story. Use these fun activities to make comprehending text engaging for your students.

Written by: Janessa Fletcher

At  Education to the Core , we exist to help our teachers build a stronger classroom as they connect with our community to find trusted, state-of-the-art resources designed by teachers for teachers. We aspire to be the world’s leading & most trusted community for educational resources for teachers. We improve the lives of every teacher and learner with the most comprehensive, reliable, and inclusive educational resources.

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Questions for Your Main Idea and Details Lessons

When teaching upper elementary students about main idea, we often stick with the same questions over and over again.  What is the main idea of the passage?  What details from the passage support the main idea?

While these are good questions that students need to know how to answer, there are many other aspects to main idea that students need to consider.  Asking a variety of questions and encouraging higher order thinking can help your students better understand main idea and details.

Below are 36 question examples to help you as you are teaching main idea to your 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade students.  The questions are organized based on the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy - there are 6 questions for each category.

You can download a free printable of these questions at the bottom of this post.

Do you have students that are still struggling with main idea?  These activities and lesson ideas can help you teach main idea and supporting details so that students actually understand.

Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Questions for Main Idea and Details

Remembering.

• Identify 3 details from the passage.
• What is the definition of main idea?
• What is the definition of a detail?
• How do you determine the main idea of a passage?
• What is a topic?
• Is the main idea of a story usually stated directly in a passage?
• Which of the following statements could be a main idea for the passage? .....

Understanding

• What details in this story support the main idea?
• What details in this story do not support the main idea?
• What is the difference between the topic of the passage and the main idea of the passage?
• How are the main idea of a passage and details from the same passage different?
• Explain how you determined the main idea of this passage.
• What is the difference between the main idea of a passage and the theme of a passage?
• Predict the main idea of this section based on the title/heading.
• Predict what details could be included in this passage based on the title/heading.
• What illustrations, diagrams, or other text features could be added to reinforce the main idea of this passage?
• What do you think the author wanted you to learn from this and how does it relate to the main idea?
• How does the main idea of this passage compare to the main idea of another passage on a similar topic?
• What detail could be added to this paragraph to reinforce the main idea?
• How are the main idea and title of this passage related?
• Which headings, pictures, or repeated words were most helpful in determining the main idea of the passage?  Why?
• How is the main idea of this paragraph related to the main idea of the entire passage?
• What details from the passage helped you determine the main idea?
• How might the author's intended message change if the details did not support the main idea?
• Was the main idea of the story directly stated or was it implied?  How do you know?
• Do you agree with the main idea of this passage?  Why or why not?
• Rank the details in order from most supportive of the main idea to least supportive.
• What other details could the author have included to make the main more clear?
• What details should the author have excluded from the passage so that the main idea was more clear?
• Compare 2 paragraphs from the same passage.  Evaluate which paragraph had the most clear main idea and defend your answer.
• Which details confused you?  Which details helped you?  Why?
• Write a paragraph that includes at least 3 details that support the main idea ______.
• Plan out the title and headings for a story/passage that has the main idea ______.
• Create a list of details that would support the main idea ______. Create another list of details that would not support this same main idea.
• Rewrite the paragraph so that it has the main idea ______.
• Draw two pictures, one that shows a detail from the passage, and another that shows the main idea of the passage.
• Create a poster/anchor chart that could teach another student about main idea and details.
• Add 3 new details to the passage/story that support the main idea.

Download these questions as a printable pdf using the link below.

Higher Order Thinking Questions for Teaching Main Idea

Want more HOTS questions?  You might also like these higher order thinking questions for teaching other ELA skills including theme, point of view, character traits, and more.

Want Some Free, No Prep Main Idea Activities?

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Are you looking for main idea worksheets and resources? This page features a collection of high-quality worksheets and a PowerPoint lesson! Many students have difficulties identifying main ideas in nonfiction texts. I hope that these resources will help.

Identifying main ideas may come simply and naturally to good readers. But it is actually a two or three step process . Struggling readers may trip up on any one of those steps. Here are some practice activities. Students can try to identify the main idea in a variety of texts with these main idea worksheets.

Main Idea Common Core State Standards

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15 Anchor Charts To Teach Main Idea

Because teaching main idea isn’t as simple as it seems.

Understanding the main idea of a topic or book is a fundamental step in overall reading comprehension. Main idea can be a challenge for teachers to explain and for students to get the hang of. From pizza to animals, ice cream to lightbulbs, there are many ways to explain this concept. Help your student master this skill by incorporating one or more of these main idea anchor charts into your lesson plan.

1. Explain the vocabulary through pizza

Help students understand main idea and details with this fun pizza anchor chart template.

Source: Firstieland

2. Use character, problem, and solution

Determine the main idea by determining who does what and why!

Source: Teaching with a Mountain View

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3. Minecraft theme

Grab your students’ attention with this awesome Minecraft-themed lesson!

Source: Schooled in Love

4. Interactive ice cream scoops

Work through this chart with your class to determine the main idea and its supporting details.

Source: Elementary Nest

5. Main idea summary

Summarize all of the main idea concepts with this anchor chart.

Source: Buzzing with Mrs. B

6. Flower pot details

Add in supporting details with this cute flower pot anchor chart.

Source: Lucky Little Learners

7. Before, during, and after reading

Give students these tips to think about as they read.

Source: Teacher Thrive

8. Class activity

Decide what the supporting details are as a class and stick them to the chart with sticky notes.

9. Follow these steps

Outline steps for students to follow.

Source: Eclectic Educating

10. Example paragraph

Give an example paragraph to display how to pick out important details and identify the main idea.

Source: Jennifer Findley

11. Detail tree

Fill in details to identify the main idea.

Source: Happy Days in First Grade

12. Graphic organizers and tips

This chart gives graphic organizer options along with tips for finding the main idea.

Source: Mrs. Petersen

13. Follow the rainbow

This colorful rainbow setup is fun and easy to follow.

14. Animal details

Choose an animal and discover the supporting details in the surrounding text.

Source: C.C. Wright Elementary

15. Keep an eye on keywords

Pick out keywords like person, place, and idea to help students identify the main idea.

Source: The Primary Gal

Plus, learn more about how to use main idea anchor charts with our Anchor Charts 101 .

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Anchor Charts 101: Why and How To Use Them

Everything you need to know about this super useful strategy. Continue Reading

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Details and Share

This lesson is designed to help students' comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Text.

Grade Level: 2 - 4th

Length of time: about 45 minutes, sponsored school(s), common core alignment.

CCSS: ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2 - Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Objectives & Outcomes

Students will be able to distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository text.

Materials Needed

• main idea and supporting detail worksheet (can be made or found online)
• computer and projector with internet access

Opening to Lesson

The teacher will activate prior knowledge and connect the content to the students by asking, “what are things you do at recess?” As students brainstorm ideas aloud, the teacher will write their answers into a large bubble map outlined on the board.

The teacher will connect this content to the new information they will learn today by explaining, “Students, you’ve just listed many details that support our topic “Things we do at recess.” A topic is used to create a sentence that tells what a paragraph is about. We call this sentence the main idea. Today, we will identify main ideas and supporting details.”

Body of Lesson

Direct teaching.

The teacher will promote the concept development by explicitly stating “the main idea is the one idea that the passage is mostly about. A supporting detail explains, or tells more about, the main idea.”

Guided Practice 1

The teacher will then show a short 1 minute video on a computer, tablet or television that uses singing and rhyming to explain examples of the main idea and supporting details in a creative way. The teacher will ask the students questions about the story in the video. “What was the main idea, what was a detail that supported the main idea?” The teacher will then provide the students with a printed copy of the lyrics. The teacher will ask the class to read the short rhyming lyrics together as a class. The teacher will play the video one more time, asking the students to sing along.

Independent Practice

The teacher will give each student one worksheet of 6 different variations. The teacher will promote skill development by asking the students to silently read the passage, to circle the main idea and underline the supporting details of the passage.

The teacher will ask select students to state their answers following the prompt: “The main idea is …” and “One supporting detail is…”

Assessment & Evaluation

Through guided questions, close monitoring and informal observation; the teacher will be able to assess student’s ability and understanding of the subject being introduced. Through individually assessing during independent practice and reviewing during guided practice the teacher will be able to evaluate students.

Modification & Differentiation

Students can work in groups or with a partner. Teacher can provided one-on-one instruction as needed.

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Consider these straightforward ideas for setting up a literacy-friendly environment for pre-K learners.

Language and literacy skills in preschool and kindergarten are a strong predictor of children’s academic achievement in all subject areas through high school. In light of this, many preschool teachers feel compelled to provide rote, direct instruction to explicitly teach alphabet knowledge and phonics. Contrary to this inclination, theories of child development suggest that children are concrete learners and retain information best when it is grounded in their existing knowledge (e.g., constructivism ). Teachers can support this by offering real and meaningful experiences that help children connect new learning to what they already know.

The good news for preschool teachers is that such experiences don’t necessarily require hours of planning and carefully crafted lessons. Preschool classrooms can be filled with literacy-rich materials and opportunities for teachers to facilitate meaningful, contextualized learning throughout children’s day.

Here are five ways that preschool teachers can create a literacy-rich environment that encourages children’s natural curiosity and meaningfully promotes emergent reading and writing skills.

An environment for literacy

1. Label children’s personal items and spaces with their photos and names: Preschoolers first begin to identify the letters in their own names, followed by their friends’ names. Add labels with children’s photos and their names to cubbies, coat hooks, seats, place mats, classroom jobs, or any other individual items you may have in your classroom.

When it is time to put things away, encourage children to find their own name. This not only encourages valuable self-help skills but also helps them begin to identify their names in print. Occasionally, you can also ask children to help a friend put away their items too. For example, “Sally left her water bottle on the table. Can you put it in her cubby?”

When children are ready, remove the photo support and continue with only written names. Ask questions like “How do you know that’s Sally’s cubby?” to guide them toward letter identification in the context of their friends’ names.

2. Label classroom materials with both pictures and words: Environmental print in the classroom serves multiple purposes. First, photos of materials with word labels on baskets, bins, and shelves help children easily find materials and know exactly where those materials belong when they’re cleaning up. They also allow children to see that print has a purpose and that groups of printed letters represent words.

Finally, with adult support, children can begin to associate beginning letters with sounds, using the pictures of familiar classroom materials as a reference. As children are cleaning up, try asking, “What goes in this basket?” and “How do you know?” Encourage them to “read” the label using the pictures and the words.

3. Add books to every learning center or interest area: Books don’t have to be limited only to your classroom library. Adding a basket of topic-related books to each interest area helps children develop an understanding between print and its purpose.

Educator Kristin Rydholm provides some great lists of picture books related to dramatic play , blocks , math , and makerspaces . Here are some relevant topics for books for interest center libraries. 

• Community helpers, different types of families, and cookbooks in the dramatic play center
• Buildings, construction, and maps or atlases in the block area
• Books showcasing famous artists or featuring colors and shapes in the art center
• Counting, numbers, sorting, and patterns in the math center
• Critters, nature, and creating with loose parts in the science center
• Mentor texts in the writing center (like A Squiggly Story , by Andrew Larsen)

4. Offer writing materials in every learning center or interest area: Preschool teachers often have a writing center available in their classroom, but why limit writing to just one space? Adults use writing all the time—from writing out birthday cards to jotting down grocery lists and sticky note reminders, writing is all around us. Young children, who learn best through meaningful and contextualized experiences, should also have opportunities to practice writing for a variety of purposes. Though a well-crafted writing center is important, offer writing materials in every area of the classroom.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children provides tips for strategically placing writing materials throughout the room and connecting emergent writing experiences to topics of interest. Other opportunities for emergent writing practice throughout the classroom may include the following:

• Taking restaurant orders, making price tags, and more in the dramatic play center
• Drafting architectural plans and labeling buildings in the block center
• Recording observations of a science experiment in the science center

5. Create resource rings with relevant vocabulary words: With intentional and continued exposure, young children can build the rich and expansive vocabulary they need for later reading development. As your class explores new topics of interest throughout the year, be intentional about exposing children to new vocabulary words.

Create resource rings with topic-related vocabulary words and picture cues to add to a designated area of the classroom; some teachers may prefer to place these in the writing center. Add a hole punch to each card, and group topic-related word cards on a single binder ring. These school-related vocabulary cards by Karen Cox are a great example. As children are discussing topics of study with their friends, or writing/drawing about their learning, direct them to the resource rings as a tool for remembering and/or writing vocabulary words.

Preschool language and literacy skills are critical for children’s long-term school success, but teachers shouldn’t feel pressured to spend hours planning for direct instruction. Much of children’s early language and literacy learning will occur organically in a literacy-rich preschool classroom. By embedding language and literacy materials throughout the classroom with special attention to each interest area, teachers can encourage literacy development in ways that are engaging, contextualized, and driven by each child’s interest.