Main Idea
Read this short sentence: "Sam planted a sunflower and watered it every day." What is the main idea?
Same took care of a sunflower.
“The librarian put new books on the shelf.”
Who is the sentence about?
The librarian
“The bell rang, so class started.”
Which word shows why class started?
the bell rang
What should you do when a question asks for a quote from the text?
Find and use exact words from the text that support your answer.
Text evidence can be a sentence from the story.
True
A paragraph describes a boy who draws every day, practices often, and wants to improve his skills.
Which sentence is the best main idea?
A boy practices drawing to get better.
“In the park, Daniel found a red kite stuck in a tree.”
Where did this happen?
In the park
“Liam studied hard, so he did well on the test.”
Why did Liam do well?
“The tree’s leaves turned bright red in the fall.”
Give a short quote that shows the tree changed color.
“turned bright red”
Your opinion is the same as text evidence.
False
The main idea is: “Pets need care every day.”
Name two details that support this.
Pets need to be fed daily.
Pets need to be walked, groomed, or played with.
“The firefighters saved the kitten from the burning house.”
Who did the saving and what was saved?
The firefighters saved the kitten.
“Because the snow was heavy, the school closed.”
Why did the school close?
The school closed because the snow was heavy.
“‘I am tired of cleaning my room every Saturday,’ said Alex.”
Which words show Alex is tired?
“I am tired of cleaning my room”
Pictures in a book can be used as evidence to support the words.
True.
“Every morning Mia feeds the cat, cleans the bowl, and plays with her. At night, Mia checks the litter box and brushes her.”
What is the main idea?
Mia takes care of her cat every day.
“At the beach, the children built a sandcastle and hid shells inside it.”
Identify the who, what, and where.
Who: the children
What: built a sandcastle and hid shells
Where: at the beach
“She practiced the song every day to remember the words.”
How did she learn the song?
She practiced the song every day.
Teacher reads a paragraph about a farmer planting seeds early.
Find a quote that shows the farmer works early in the morning.
Accept quotes such as: “before the sun came up” or “early in the morning.”
If you can’t find the answer in the text, you should make up facts.
False
Explain the difference between a main idea and a detail. Give one example of each.
A main idea tells what the text is mostly about. A detail supports the main idea.
Example:
Main idea: Pets need care.
Detail: Mia feeds the cat every morning.
“On Tuesday morning, Ms. Lee walked to the museum and saw a painting of a whale.”
Identify who, what, where, and when.
Who: Ms. Lee
What: saw a painting of a whale
Where: the museum
When: Tuesday morning
Explain how linking words like because, so, and therefore help readers. Give an example using because.
Explain how linking words like because, so, and therefore help readers. Give an example using because.
Explain how to use a quote and an explanation to show evidence. Use this sentence:
“The puppy chewed the shoe when no one was watching.”
Quote: “chewed the shoe”
Explanation: This quote shows the puppy did damage when no one was watching.
You can use more than one piece of text evidence to support an answer. Explain why.
True- using more than one piece of evidence gives stronger proof and helps explain your thinking.