Main Ideas and Supporting details Practice

Main Ideas and supporting details

Main Ideas

• The sentences in a paragraph are related to one another.

• The sentences are all about the main idea.

• The main idea is the key point in a paragraph.

• Very often the main idea is in the first sentence of a paragraph, but you can also sometimes find the main idea in the middle or end.

Ocean
Lagoon
Bay
Pond
Creek

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What do these words have in common?

Main ideas

• Sometimes the main idea is not in a single sentence. Instead, all the details suggest the main idea.

• The main idea is implied like in the example I just gave you.

• You need need to figure it out by asking questions. "what is happening?" "what is this about?"

Supporting Details

• Other sentences tell you about the main idea too.

• These other sentences give you supporting details.

• The main idea is broader than the supporting details.

• A supporting detail might be an example.

• It might also be a fact about the main idea or a description of it.

• Supporting details fill in information about the main idea and make the paragraph more interesting to read.

Draw

What do you think is the main idea in the paragraph? underline it. highlight one supporting detail.

Draw

Underline the main idea in this paragraph. Highlight one supporting detail.

Multiple Choice

Dictionary writers are always busy. That’s because the English language keeps changing. People stop using some words, and new words keep popping up. Where do new words come from?  Many recent words are from technology. For example, snailmail came into use after people started using the much faster e-mail.  Other new words come from books, television, movies and fads.  Do you know what a wannabe is? If not, you can look it up in a recently published dictionary.

The main idea of this paragraph is?

• Dictionaries show changes in English.

• How television affects English

• How dictionary writers are so tired

• How to find new words in a dictionary

Multiple Choice

Dictionary writers are always busy. That’s because the English language keeps changing. People stop using some words, and new words keep popping up. Where do new words come from?  Many recent words are from technology. For example, snailmail came into use after people started using the much faster e-mail.  Other new words come from books, television, movies and fads.  Do you know what a wannabe is? If not, you can look it up in a recently published dictionary.

As supporting detail is:

• snails help to deliver the mail.

• many new words come from technology

• Old dictionaries are not useful

• The English language never changes.

Multiple Choice

You probably know that guide dogs are used to lead blind people. Did you know that a few blind people have guide horses? These are miniature horses trained much as guide dogs are. The small horses respond to more than 25 commands. They can see well in the dark. They are also trained to tap with a hoof on the door if they need to go out. One man has even taken his guide horse on an airplane!

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• How guide dogs are trained

• A guide horse on an airplanes

• The use of small horses as guides

• Why blind people like animals

Multiple Choice

You probably know that guide dogs are used to lead blind people. Did you know that a few blind people have guide horses? These are miniature horses trained much as guide dogs are. The small horses respond to more than 25 commands. They can see well in the dark. They are also trained to tap with a hoof on the door if they need to go out. One man has even taken his guide horse on an airplane!

A supporting detail is:

• Guide dogs lead blind people

• The horses respond to 25 commands

• Miniature means small

• Airlines welcome guide horses