What's the big idea?
If someone asks you for the main idea of the story, what do they want to know?
The main idea is what the story is mostly or all about.
What is a supporting detail?
Supporting details are details that tell you more about the main idea.
Kangaroos.
Topic.
How many details do you need to strongly support your main idea?
3.
What sentences do you look at to help you find the main idea?
The first and last sentence of the paragraph.
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.
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.
Kangaroos are the only large animals to use hopping as a means of locomotion.
Main Idea.
What furniture item does Mrs. Russell use to help you visualize the main idea and details?
A stool.
What text feature helps you to know what the main idea of the passage will be?
The title.
"The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.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 was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.
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.
Dolphins are smart animals.
Main Idea.
Seahorses are a strange kind of fish. A seahorse head looks like a horse head! Seahorse males have the babies. Seahorses can be as small as your pinky or as long as your leg!
Seahorses are a strange kind of fish.
What are repeated words in a passage?
Words that are used over and over again to help us find the main idea.
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?
The main idea is that Kangaroos eat grasses, leaves and roots.
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.
Dolphins.
Topic.
Cell phones can be a problem. People should not let their cell phones ring in movie theaters. They should turn them off in classrooms. Texting while driving isn't safe because it could cause an accident. People should be polite and safe with their cell phones.
Which detail supports the main idea of the paragraph?
It is unsafe to text while driving.
What other text feature helps us to understand the main idea?
The photographs or illustrations.
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.
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.
These mobs can be as large as 100 kangaroos.
Supporting Detail.
Is main idea found in fiction or non-fiction texts?
Non-fiction.
What do you do if you don't know the main idea after reading the passage the first time?
Read it over again. (At least 3 times).