Main Idea Basics
This is what a story is mostly about.
What is the main idea?
These give more information about the main idea.
What are supporting details?
When summarizing, you include only the most _______ information.
What is important?
"Dogs can learn many tricks, like sitting and rolling over." What is the main idea?
"Dogs can learn many tricks"?
The main idea can be about something that is not mentioned in the text.
What is false?
The main idea is usually found in this part of a paragraph.
If the main idea is "Cats are good pets," what can be a good supporting detail?
Answers will vary
A summary should never include these.....
Details that are NOT important
"Apples are a healthy snack. They have vitamins and taste delicious." What is the main idea?
Every story has a main idea.
True
If you were explaining the main idea to a friend, you would use this many sentences.
What is one sentence?
This word means the details in a story need to "match" the main idea.
What is "support"?
This is the rule about how long a summary should be.
What is "short and to the point"?
"Sharks are amazing hunters. They use their sharp teeth and strong tails to catch food." What is the main idea?
"Sharks are amazing hunters"?
You should include every single detail in a summary.
False
A story’s main idea tells you this about the topic.
What is what the author wants you to know?
If the main idea is "Bikes are fun and healthy," name two possible supporting details.
Answers will vary.....
1. What are "Bikes help you exercise"
2. "You can ride bikes with friends"
Summarizing helps readers do this with what they’ve read.
Understand and share a shorter version
"Rainforests are important. They provide oxygen and are home to many animals." What is the main idea?
"Rainforests are important"
Details that don’t match the main idea are called "off-topic."
True
The main idea is like the _______.
BIG IDEA
This is what happens when a detail does NOT match the main idea.
It confuses the reader
This is the best strategy for summarizing: Write the main idea and add ________.
key details
"Winter is a fun season. Kids can play in the snow and drink hot chocolate." What is the main idea?
"Winter is a fun season"
Summarizing is the same as copying the text word for word.
FALSE