5.1 - How to identify the main idea

Identify the Main Idea

We will read to identify the main idea in a text.

The main idea is what the text is mostly about. It uses key details to help you summarize (shorten) and support your answer.

​

What is the main idea?

Word Cloud

Define the Main idea using the definition we just discussed:

1. Read the Title and Headings:

2. Find the Topic Sentence.

3. Ask Yourself "What's It Mostly About?":

Process Steps:

Multiple Choice

What are the process steps for identifying the main idea?

• Read the title and headings

• Find the topic sentence

• Asking yourself: "What is the text mostly about?"

• All of the above

1. Read the Title and Headings:

2. Find the Topic Sentence.

3. Ask Yourself "What's It Mostly About?":

Reading paragraph 1 & 2:

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea for these two paragraphs?

• 1. Founding Fathers were primarily concerned with establishing a strong central government that would limit the rights of individual states.

• The Constitution was the first set of laws for a country written by the people themselves, and James Madison was the principal writer of the Constitution.

• Constitutional Convention was a smooth and harmonious process with little disagreement among the delegates regarding the structure of the new government.

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea for these three paragraphs?

• James Madison has been called the “Father of the Constitution.”

• Constitutional Convention unanimously agreed on every aspect of the Constitution without any compromises or debates.

• Constitution was solely influenced by the ideas of one founding father, rather than being the result of collaboration among many different delegates with diverse perspectives and interests.

Poll

What is the main idea of a text?

• What the text is mostly about.

• Using the topic sentence or opening sentence.

• Key Details

• All of the Above