Main Idea (4TH GRADE)

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.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Floods can cause tremendous damage.  They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind.  It can take months to clean up after a flood.
 What is the main idea?

• Floods can cause a lot of damage.
• Floods cause mudslides.
• Floods damage houses and roads. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

What is the main idea of a story?

• What the story is mostly about.
• The lesson the author wants you to learn.
• The characters in the story.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Blood is a miracle liquid.  It flows to every part of the body.  Some blood cells carry food and oxygen to body organs.  Other blood cells kill germs and help stop cuts from bleeding.  People can die if they lose a lot of blood or if their blood cells get sick.  Doctors sometimes give people fresh blood to save their lives.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• how many blood cells are made by the body
• how important blood is
• why people can die from loss of blood
• why sick people are sometimes given blood

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

People do not really use music to charm snakes.  Snakes have no ears, so the snake can't hear a flute.  The snake charmer startles the snake by waving a hand near it.  The snake lifts its head to look around.  The charmer then says back and forth or moves the flute.  The snake moves its head to keep an eye on the movement.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• why flute music charms snakes
• why snakes can't hear sounds
• how people really charm snakes
• why snakes have no ears

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

A bat can fly at night or even with its eyes closed.  But if you cover its ears, it can't fly very well.  Bats make sounds that people can't hear.  The bats find their way by listening to these sounds as they echo off things.  Bats even locate insects to eat by following the sounds that bounce off the bugs.  People use their eyes, but bats use their ears to know where they're going.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• how bats use sound
• what things bats often eat as food
• how bats fly toward people
• how people can hear the sounds of bats

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Some people say that the White House has ghosts.  The most famous ghost is Abraham Lincoln.  He is often seen standing in his room looking out the window.  Even Eleanor Roosevelt said that she saw him.  There is a legend that old Abe walks back and forth all night before something terrible is about to happen.  This paragraph mainly tells:

• what Lincoln's ghost is like
• when Eleanor Roosevelt's ghost walked
• how many ghosts the White House has
• how ghosts show when something will happen

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

Yesterday was my birthday. When I woke up, I noticed my brother Josh hung up a big sign that said,"Happy Birthday, Charles!" Mom made spaghetti for dinner.
It's my favorite food in the whole world. My friend Dave came over and handed me a wrapped gift. I wondered what it was. It was a new basketball! I had a great day.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Josh got lots of gifts.
• Charles got a lot of gifts.
• Charles had a great birthday.
• Josh had a great birthday.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind! Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier.
What is this selection mainly about?

• Someday we will have robots that will be our personal servants.
• We will be able to talk to robots and they will be able to respond.
• You should give up if you are the Robots will look and behave much like real humans.
• Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Scrabble is a game that provides hours of challenging fun for you and your friends. In this game you use your letters to build new words from words already on the game board. Scrabble is a fun way to learn new words and meanings.
What is the main idea of the passage?

• Scrabble is challenging and fun.
• Scrabble is a good game for Scrabble is a good game for building vocabulary.
• It takes skill to play a good game.
• Scrabble can take hours to play.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2