Review: Topic, Main Idea, and Supporting Ideas

Front

What is a main idea?

Back

The main idea is the central point or the most important concept of a text.

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What are supporting details?

Back

Supporting details are facts, examples, or descriptions that help explain or reinforce the main idea.

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How can you identify the main idea in a paragraph?

Back

Look for the sentence that summarizes the overall message or theme of the paragraph.

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What is the purpose of supporting details?

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Supporting details provide evidence and context to strengthen the main idea.

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What is an example of a main idea?

Back

"Dogs are great pets." This sentence summarizes the overall message about dogs.

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What is an example of a supporting detail?

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"Dogs can be trained to perform various tasks, such as guiding the blind or fetching items." This detail supports the main idea about dogs being great pets.

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What does it mean if a detail does not support the main idea?

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It means that the detail is irrelevant or does not provide evidence for the main concept being discussed.

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What types of details can support a main idea?

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Examples, facts, statistics, anecdotes, and descriptions can all serve as supporting details.

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What is a topic sentence?

Back

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main idea of a paragraph.

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How can you tell if a detail is a supporting detail?

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If the detail explains, illustrates, or provides evidence for the main idea, it is a supporting detail.