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Goals:
Recall the purposes of the main idea.
Identify the two parts of a main idea.
Find the main idea of a passage or article.
What is the Main Idea?
The main idea is what a passage is mostly about on a topic.
The following was adapted from Hardcore Educators via Teachers Pay Teachers.
I. Purposes
The main idea serves two purposes:
A. Helps the author to organize their thoughts.
B. Aids the reader in remembering the most important details.
II. Parts
Two parts of the main idea are the topic and supporting details.
A. Topic
The topic is what the passage is mostly about. Helpful tips in finding the topic of a passage:
Look for clues in the title.
As you read, look for repeating words in the passage.
The topic is usually one to two words.
After you read, ask yourself, "What is this passage all about?" Paint a picture in your head.
Question 1: Use the tips above in determining the topic in the "Owl" passage below.
B. Main Idea & Topic
After finding the topic you will read for the main idea. To find the main idea:
The main idea essentially answers the question, "what is the author trying to tell me about the topic?"
The main idea is often times stated in the first and/or last sentence.
Question 2: What is the main idea of the following "Owl" passage?
C. Supporting Details
Supporting details are the details that support the main idea. Tips to finding the supporting details:
They relate back to the main idea.
They include facts, examples, reasons, comparisons, contrasts, and other details.
Question 3: What are three supporting details of the Main Idea in Question 2? (Paragraph Below)
III. Find the Main Idea
Question 4: Find the topic, main idea, and supporting details of the following passage.
Historic Illinois
Illinois is a very historic place to visit. llinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery, 1865. Illinois was home to President Ulysses S. Grant, whose home is preserved in Galena. The Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station were the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire, 1871. These are just a few reasons why Illinois has a rich history.
Question 5: Find the topic, main idea, and supporting details of the following passage.
Should You Fear Sharks?
How afraid of sharks should you actually be? Shark attacks are more rare than we are led to believe. Did you know that for every person killed by a shark, humans kill approximately two million sharks. In fact, sharks find humans too bony to eat as a regular food source. Therefore, many of shark attacks are accidents caused by other factors, like low visibility or humans looking like other prey, such as seals. Shark experts claim there are many precautions that we can take to avoid a shark encounter, such as don’t swim at dawn or dusk when sharks feed, don’t splash a bunch in big murky waves, and stay close to shore.
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