Topic and Central Idea

Central Idea

Mr. Norman

The Central Idea

The central idea is what the paragraph is mostly
about. MAIN IDEA, MAIN POINT, or THEME of TEXT

Ex: Last week my sister got a bad grade on her science
project. My sister was upset because she studied day and
night. She was invited to go out with her friends but did not
go because this project was her final grade, pass or fail.
She came home crying because now she would have to
take summer classes and miss out on the summer fun.

How to identify the topic?

The topic of a paragraph it the who, what, or where that is being talked about.

TOPIC = WHO? or WHAT? or Where?

Relevant Details

GOOD READERS look for clues.

Questions to ask yourself…

1.What things can you see that repeat in the
reading?

2.Is there something to prove?

3.All things lead back to one person?

4.All things talk about one thing?

Think about it like this when you want
something from your parent and they say no or
ask you why they should do what you ask. Your
DETAILS ANSWER THE QUESTION WHY!

PROVE IT!

Multiple Choice

The central idea is

• a summary of the text
• the author's opinion
• the conclusion of the text
• the main point or theme of a text

Multiple Choice

The topic of a paragraph is

• The conclusion of the paragraph.
• the person or thing the text is about

• The author's opinion on the topic.
• A summary of the paragraph's content.

Multiple Choice

What is the topic? (What or who does the paragraph talk about?)

• Grandpa’s garden

• Luca and the chickens

• Luca’s favorite animal

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a small piece of information from the story that makes the story more interesting?

• Luca drew a picture of the farm.

• Luca helped pick the vegetables.

• The chickens said “Cluck, cluck, cluck!”

Multiple Choice

What is this whole story mostly about?

• Alex takes a train ride

• Alex rides the elevator

• Alex and his grandpa’s windows

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a small piece of information from the story that makes the story more interesting?

• Grandpa’s apartment is on the 18th floor.

• The train station is a busy place.

• There is an elevator in Alex’s grandpa’s building.