Main Idea

Finding the Main Idea

The main idea is the main point about the topic that is being discussed.

Finding Topics

• To understand a paragraph, it’s important to find the topic. The topic is the idea to which all of the details in the paragraph refer

  
  

• This is usually one word or phrase. (For example: The Carnival, Dogs,Basketball)

Let's Try it. Can you find the one word topic?

• Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful. 

Were you right? The topic is WATER. Let's see how we found the topic.

Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful. 

What gave it away?

•We could see that the topic was water because it was repeated again and again

•This is a good way to help us find a topic—looking for repeated words or phrases

How about this one?

Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

Multiple Choice

What is the topic?

Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

• vacations

• costumes

• food

• Colonial Williamsburg

Again we could find the topic by looking at repeated words and ideas

Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

Sometimes you need to look for the topic to be referred to in different ways.

Here is the Williamsburg paragraph again. Notice how Williamsburg can be replaced by other words or phrases:

        Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In this Virginia town, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to this place will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

Using the topic to determine the main idea

•Once we have figured out the topic of a paragraph, we need to find the main idea

•The main idea is the main point of the paragraph

MAIN IDEA = Topic + a statement about the topic

Let's look at the water paragraph again.

Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful. 

Multiple Choice

What is the main point that is being made about water?

Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful.

• water makes the world beautiful

• everyone depends on water

• water is an amazing resource

• without water we would not last long

How about the Williamsburg paragraph?

Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea?

Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in colonial times. There are guides in costumes who can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.

• Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit.

• Williamsburg will make you feel transported to the 1700s.

• Williamsburg has great food.

• Williamsburg has people in costumes.

Now it's your turn to practice

Multiple Choice

Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today.
 What is the main idea?

• Soccer is important at the Olympics.
• Soccer is a worldwide sport.
• Soccer is also called football.
• Soccer is played by men and women.

Multiple Choice

Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700’s.  He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires.  He also invented the Franklin stove.  The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel.  He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals.  This new kind of glasses helped people to read better.

• Benjamin Franklin thought reading was important.
• Benjamin Franklin was not afraid of fire.
• Benjamin Franklin was a great inventor.
• A Franklin stove can heat a whole room.

Multiple Choice

Benjamin Franklin invented many things that made life easier in the late 1700’s.  He invented the lightning rod that saved many homes from fires.  He also invented the Franklin stove.  The stove could heat a room better than a fireplace and saved people a lot of fuel.  He also invented a special kind of glasses called bifocals.  This new kind of glasses helped people to read better.

• Benjamin Franklin thought reading was important.
• Benjamin Franklin was not afraid of fire.
• Benjamin Franklin was a great inventor.
• A Franklin stove can heat a whole room.

Multiple Choice

If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!
What is the main idea?

• Sometimes people feel sad.
• You should do good things for others.
• We're not always happy.
• There are many ways to make yourself feel better. 

Multiple Choice

Sharks can lose up to 30,000 teeth in their lifetime. Sharks have teeth arranged in rows inside their mouths. These teeth do not have roots like human teeth do, so they fall out easily. When a shark takes a powerful bite into its food, several teeth are lost. When these teeth are lost, new ones push forward from the back rows to replace them. Luckily, sharks continually grow new teeth to replace the thousands they lose.

• What shark teeth look like
• Sharks lose many teeth over their lifetime.
• Sharks are carnivorous predators. 

Multiple Choice

There are many fun things to do at the beach.  Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach.  Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed.  Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun.  It is also fun to look for shells.  Some people simply like to sunbathe.
What is the main idea?

• There are many fun things to do at the beach.
• It is also fun to look for shells.
• Some people simply like to sunbathe.
• Going to the beach to swim can be fun.

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea?

• Its the authors point of view
• Is what the passage is mostly about
• It is the sequence of the story.

Multiple Choice

There are many fun things to do at the beach.  Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach.  Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed.  Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun.  It is also fun to look for shells.  Some people simply like to sunbathe.
What is the main idea?

• There are many fun things to do at the beach.
• It is also fun to look for shells.
• Some people simply like to sunbathe.
• Going to the beach to swim can be fun.

Multiple Choice

The main idea is supported by what?

• concluding sentences

• details

Multiple Choice

Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful.

What is the topic?

• resources

• the world

• water

• survival