Main Idea

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.
Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

• Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is
• Pictures help weather reporters get information out in a fast way
• Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short
• They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
There are five teams of students in the fifth grade. The blue team has math first period, and the red team has science. The yellow team gets to go outside early in the morning, while the green team goes to music. Only students on the orange team get to play games first period. Each student wears a nametag with his or her color, so that the teachers and students all know where a student should be.

• Students are organized by teams with color names .
• The blue team has math first.
• Students wear nametags.
• The yellow team has the best schedule.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
The Elk River flows from the far northern part of the state all the way to the southern tip. All kinds of animals rely on it for drinking water, people eat the fish they catch in it, and farmers in the state depend on it for irrigating their crops. Since there is very little rain in this state, the Elk River gives animals and humans the water they need to stay alive. Even though the river is not nearly the biggest in the nation, it is very important to the people and animals that live near it.

• The Elk River is a small river.
• The Elk River starts in the northern part of the state.
• The Elk River is very important to people and animals.
• People catch fish in the Elk River.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
Books lay in the middle of his floor. Several broken toys were shoved halfway under the bed, and dirty clothes were everywhere. Frank's parents kept telling him to clean his room, but it never seemed to get clean. In fact, if Frank did manage to clean part of it, the rest of the room just got messier. In one corner of the room was an old peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and an open bag of potato chips was thrown on the dresser.

• Frank's room was a mess.
• A peanut butter and jelly sandwich was in one corner of the room.
• Frank liked potato chips.
• Frank got in big trouble because his room was not clean.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

Read the following passage and then choose the best summary or main idea.
Jose carefully poured out the bag of marbles on his bed. He picked his ten favorite marbles and carefully set them to the side. Then he got out a small bag from his top drawer, and put the ten marbles inside. Just to make sure he wouldn't forget them, he placed the bag of marbles in his backpack. Jose loved show and tell, and he was excited that he would get to show his class some of his favorite marbles.

• Jose had lots of marbles.
• Jose was getting his favorite marbles ready to take to school for show and tell.
•  Jose would rather play marbles than play baseball.
• Jose placed the bag of marbles in his backpack.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Beautiful Butterflies
     Have you ever just watched a butterfly float around, its wings gracefully fluttering?  The butterfly's beauty and amazing transformation seem to capture our imagination and make us wonder at this amazing little insect.  A butterfly begins its life cycle as a caterpillar, a long, worm-like creature covered with tiny, spine-like hairs and a patter of stripes of patches.  The caterpillar sheds its skin four or more times before creating a cocoon around itself.  During this stage, we call the creature a chrysalis.  Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar's body tissues break down and new parts are formed. Finally, the transformation is complete, and a beautiful butterfly comes out! The adult butterfly finds a mate and lays eggs on leaves and stems. Often, the butterfly migrates, or travels to a new location, to lay its eggs.  This little eggs will soon hatch, and new little caterpillars will begin the cycle again.
What is the main idea of this passage?

• what butterflies eat
• the life cycle of a butterfly
• how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

The Postage Stamp
    Do you know where the idea for postage stamps came from?  In 1840, Great Britain created the first postage stamps, an idea thought up by a man named Sir Rowland Hill.  This stamps had the head of Queen Victoria printed on them and were called "Penny Blacks."  Before postage stamps were made, people took letters to the post office and just paid a fee to have them sent.  The postmaster would collect the money and write "paid" on the letters. The new stamps allowed people to mail their letters from public mailboxes that the British government set up all over the country.  They no longer had to make a special trip to the post office every time they wanted to mail a letter.  Today, every country in the world has its own stamps, with the country's name printed on them.  Great Britain is the only country that does not print its name on its stamps!
What is the main idea of this passage?

• how letters are mailed
• how much postage stamps cost
• where postage stamps came from

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Tom started to reel in his line. The fish tugged and pulled hard. Judging by the weight of his catch, this fish could feed his family for three days. Tom struggled to stay in the boat and not be pulled over the side. Finally his catch came into view. He had snagged a snapping turtle!
What is the main idea?

• Tom finds enough food for his family.
• Tom gets pulled out of his boat by a huge fish.
• Tom didn't catch anything.
• Tom catches a snapping turtle while fishing.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2