Main Idea
What is a main idea?
A main idea is what the article is mostly about.
What is a supporting detail?
Supporting details are details that tell you more about the main idea.
While polar bears fur is actually colorless.
Main Idea
True or false: The main idea is always the first sentence in a written text.
False
Schools should provide students with healthier lunch choices.
Main Idea
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America. It is on the Niagara River about halfway between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Niagara Falls is on the American and Canadian border. The American Falls is 167 feet high. On the Canadian side, the Horseshoe Falls is 161 feet high. Which sentence is the main idea of the paragraph?
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America.
Kangaroos protect themselves in many ways.
If a kangaroo senses danger, they will bang their tail on the ground to warn the others.
Which sentence is the supporting detail?
If a kangaroo senses danger, they will bang their tail on the ground to warn the others.
Both the hollow outer hairs of its fur and the soft hairs underneath its fur are pigment (color)-free.
Supporting Detail
Black bears live in North America, and Grizzly bears also live in North America. They are very dangerous. The white Polar bear lives in the Arctic. The biggest bear is the Kodiak bear that is found in Alaska There are many different kinds of bears in the world.. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
There are many different kinds of bears in the world.
James W. Marshall had a significant impact on California's history.
Main Idea
Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot while attending a play. On April 14, 1865, well-known actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln while he was attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Because he was an actor, Booth was immediately recognized by many at the theatre. What is the main idea of this paragraph?
Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot while attending a play.
Harriet Tubman risked her life to help free countless other slaves.
Rather than remaining in the safety of the North, Tubman made it her mission to rescue her family and others living in slavery.
Which one is the supporting detail?
Rather than remaining in the safety of the North, Tubman made it her mission to rescue her family and others living in slavery.
Quicksand is real, and getting stuck in it is scary.
Main Idea
Bats are not birds, they are flying mammals. Bats are fascinating animals. Some bats eat fruit, others eat insects. Bats are experts at flying. They use a system called echolocation to fly quickly in the dark. Which is the main idea of the paragraph?
Bats are fascinating animals
Fireworks are harmful because they pollute the environment and can cause injuries.
Main Idea
The President was carried to a house across the street from the theatre, where he survived for nine hours before succumbing to the shot to the back of his head. Surrounded by several of his closest friends and advisors, he was pronounced dead at 7:22am on April 15, 1865.Lincoln was pronounced dead nine hours after being shot. What is the main idea of this paragraph?
Lincoln was pronounced dead nine hours after being shot.
Susan B. Anthony fought very hard for the rights of women. She grew up in a politically active family. Anthony advocated for the Women's Suffrage Movement. Susan B. Anthony's family fought against the sale of alcohol. What detail supports, "Susan B. Anthony fought very hard for the rights of women"?
Anthony advocated for the Women's Suffrage Movement.
Theodore Roosevelt influenced the way Americans speak English.
Main idea
Our solar system is very large. It includes the eight planets that turn around the sun, many moons, and other celestial bodies. These planets include Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. There are also hundreds of thousands of smaller planets in this system. They are called asteroids. Each asteroid is much smaller than any of the eight large planets. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
Our solar system is very large.
After Marshall discovered gold, nearly 300,000 people flocked to California. The people of California mined over 350 million dollars in gold.
Supporting detail.
The Erie Canal changed the way people moved goods and supplies in the mid 1800's. The 363-mile-canal connected Albany, New York to Lake Erie in Buffalo for the first time. When the canal opened in 1825, building supplies and goods could be transported quickly and cheaply across New York State. Canal boats pulled by mules carried people and supplies the 363 miles. Which sentence is the main idea of the paragraph?
The Erie Canal changed the way people moved goods and supplies in the mid 1800's.
Clara Barton became the first President of the American Red Cross when it was founded in 1881. Barton was a school teacher from Massachusetts who became an army nurse. She was nicknamed the "Angel of the Battlefield" during the Civil war. After the war, Barton began to lobby for the start of the American Red Cross. "Clara Barton became the first President of the American Red Cross when it was founded in 1881," is the main idea. What is the supporting detail?
After the war, Barton began to lobby for the start of the American Red Cross.
Frogs protect their babies by carrying then in their throats.
Supporting Detail
Honeybees form large hives. There are thousands of bees in a hive. One bee is the queen. She lays the eggs. Some bees gather nectar and pollen from flowers to make honey. Other bees protect the hive. Some bees keep the hive clean. Still other bees help the queen. Each bee has a special job to do in the bee hive. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
Each bee has a special job to do in the bee hive.
Approximately 10,000 Americans are injured every year by fireworks. Children ages five to fourteen are the ones most often injured.
Supporting Detail