Main Idea
Supporting Details
Main Idea or Supporting Details?
Poetry
100
What is a main idea?
A main idea is the most important part of a paragraph.
100
What is a supporting detail?
Supporting details are details that tell you more about the main idea.
100
Kangaroos usually live in family groups called mobs.
Main Idea
100

1 White sheep, white sheep,
2 On a blue hill,
3 When the wind stops,
4 You all stand still.
5 When the wind blows,
6 You walk away slow.
7 White sheep, white sheep,
8 Where do you go? 

What are the numbers for?

they number the lines

200
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America.It is on the Niagra 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.What is the main idea of the paragraph?
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America.
200
Kangaroos protect themselves in many ways. If a kangaroo senses danger, they will bang their tail on the ground to warn the others.A new born joey is only the size of your thumb.What is the supporting detail?
If a kangaroo senses danger, they will bang their tail on the ground to warn the others.
200
My house is strong.
Main Idea
200

White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops,

You all stand still.
When the wind blows,
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go?

How many stanzas are in this poem?

Two

300
The Statue of Liberty is visited by thousands of people every year. The Statue of Liberty is a 151 foot statue of a woman holding a book and a torch. It is located on an island in New York Harbor. It was a gift of friendship from the people of France.It has become a universal symbol of freedom.What is the main idea of the paragraph?
The Statue of Liberty is visited by thousands of people every year.
300
Kangaroos are strange looking animals. Some kangaroos act as guards to protect the mob. They have small front legs and huge hind legs with great big feet.What is the supporting detail in the paragraph?
They have small front legs and huge hind legs with great big feet.
300
Dolphins are smart animals.
Main Idea
300

White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops,
You all stand still.
When the wind blows,
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go? 

How many lines are in this poem?

EIGHT

400
Kangaroos eat grasses, leaves and roots. The joey lives in the mother's pouch for 9 months.They only like grass that is green and close to the ground.What is the main idea of the paragraph?
Kangaroos eat grasses, leaves and roots.
400
Kangaroos are mostly night time creatures. Kangaroos have a long powerful tail.They sleep during the day under a shady tree or bush.What is the supporting detail in the paragraph?
They sleep during the day under a shady tree or bush.
400
The Willis Tower is the tallest building in Chicago.
Main idea
400

White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops,
You all stand still.
When the wind blows,
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go? 

Why is the hill blue?

The hill is actually the sky.

500
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.What is the main idea of the paragraph?
The Erie Canal changed the way people moved goods and supplies in the mid 1800's.
500
Kangaroos usually have only one baby at a time.Kangaroo babies are called joeys.Kangaroos eat grass and leaves.What is the supporting detail?
Kangaroo babies are called joeys.
500
These mobs can be as large as 100 kangaroos.
Supporting Detail
500

1 Once when the snow of the year was beginning to fall,

2 We stopped by a mountain pasture to say, ‘Whose colt?’

3 A little Morgan had one forefoot on the wall,

4 The other curled at his breast. He dipped his head

5 And snorted at us. And then he had to bolt.

6 We heard the miniature thunder where he fled,

7 And we saw him, or thought we saw him, dim and grey,

8 Like a shadow against the curtain of falling flakes.

9 ‘I think the little fellow’s afraid of the snow.

10 He isn’t winter-broken. It isn’t play

11 With the little fellow at all. He’s running away.

12 I doubt if even his mother could tell him, “Sakes,

13 It’s only weather.” He’d think she didn’t know!

14 Where is his mother? He can’t be out alone.’

15 And now he comes again with a clatter of stone

16 And mounts the wall again with whited eyes

17 And all his tail that isn't hair up straight.

18 He shudders his coat as if to throw off flies.

19 ‘Whoever it is that leaves him out so late,

20 When other creatures have gone to stall and bin,

21 Ought to be told to come and take him in.’


What do lines 3 & 4 describe?

How the colt (horse) is standing

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