Main Ideas & Details
What is the central idea of a nonfiction text?
The most important point the author wants the reader to understand.
What text structure shows events in time order?
✅ Chronological order
What does an author use to support a claim?
✅ Reasons and evidence
What are context clues?
✅ Words around an unknown word that help explain its meaning
Why is it important to reread a text before answering comprehension questions?
✅ Rereading helps confirm understanding and catch important details that may have been missed.
Which detail BEST supports a central idea?
✅ A fact or example that directly explains or proves the main idea.
Name ONE signal word that shows chronological order.
✅ First / Next / Then / Finally
What is evidence MOST often made of?
✅ Facts, statistics, examples, or quotations
What types of context clues can authors use?
✅ Definitions, examples, synonyms, or antonyms
What should a reader do if two details seem important but only one supports the central idea?
✅ Choose the detail that best explains or proves the central idea.
Why should minor details NOT be included in a summary?
✅ Because summaries include only the most important information.
Why is chronological order important in nonfiction texts?
✅ It helps the reader understand how events or processes happen over time.
Why does an author include evidence?
✅ To convince the reader the claim is true
What is a metaphor?
✅ A comparison saying one thing IS another
A word has multiple meanings. How can context clues help you choose the correct meaning?
✅ They show how the word is used in the sentence and paragraph.
A paragraph explains how bees help plants grow.
Which detail is MOST important?
✅ Bees carry pollen from plant to plant.
If a text explains how something changes over time, which structure is MOST likely used?
✅ Chronological order
What should a reader do if an author’s evidence seems weak or unclear?
✅ Reread and question whether it supports the claim
“The test was a mountain to climb.”
What does this metaphor mean?
✅ The test was very challenging
Two texts are about the same topic but have different main ideas.
What is the BEST way to keep the information from each text organized?
✅ Identify the central idea of each text separately and keep notes for each.
Explain the difference between a central idea and a supporting detail.
✅ The central idea is the main point; supporting details explain or prove it.
How does chronological order help a reader summarize a text?
✅ It helps retell events in the correct sequence.
Explain how reasons and evidence strengthen an author’s argument.
✅ They provide proof that supports the author’s ideas
Why do authors use figurative language?
✅ To help readers better understand ideas and create strong images
A nonfiction text includes several facts, examples, and explanations, but the ideas feel overwhelming.
Explain how a reader can use BOTH text structure and fix-up strategies to determine the central idea and decide which details are MOST important.
Identify the text structure to understand how the ideas are organized
(For example: chronological order, cause and effect)
Reread key sections where confusion occurs
Slow down and think carefully about the meaning of each paragraph
Look for the central idea repeated or emphasized in the text
Choose details that directly support the central idea
Ignore minor details that do not help explain the main message