What's the Main Idea?

When thinking about the main idea, what is the BEST question to ask yourself?

• What is the main idea?

• What is the author trying to tell me?

• What causes this to happen?

• Stop and reread

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Native Americans dried strips of meat, pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat. Sometimes they added berries and sugar. Then they pressed it into small cakes. They called these cakes pemmican. Pemmican didn't spoil, and it provided lots of energy for people traveling or going hunting. Today explorers still carry and eat this food.

What is the passage mostly about?

• who uses pemmican today

• what can be put into pemmican

• how pemmican was prepared by Native Americans.

• why people eat pemmican today

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!
What is the main idea?

• Sometimes people feel sad.
• You should do good things for others.
• We're not always happy.
• There are many ways to make yourself feel better. 

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Desert animals have found several ways to beat the heat. Most animals know the best trick. They sleep during the day and creep out during the evening hours when it’s cooler. Tortoises, foxes, snakes, some lizards, and rodents all spend their days napping in underground burrows. Here the temperature stays about 86ºF. The kangaroo rat even shuts the door to its burrow. He fills it with dirt to keep out the heat and any unwanted visitors. Other animals, like the desert toad, sleep much longer than a day. They bury themselves in a cool burrow and sleep right through the hottest part of the summer. What is the main idea?

• Desert animals have physical traits to protect themselves from the heat.

• Desert animals must find ways to obtain water.

• Animals sleep during the day to avoid the heat.

• The desert presents tough challenges for the animals that live there.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The coming of the automobile in the early 1900s lessened the popularity of bicycle riding for transportation. However, cycling has remained a sport for adults and children alike. Interestingly, though bicycles have become somewhat more complex, with hand brakes and several speeds, the basic construction has remained remarkably unchanged. The most important feature of a bicycle, the fact that it is powered by human muscle instead of an engine and fuel, has endured. What is the main idea of this passage?

• Bicycles are not used anymore because the engine has taken over completely.

• Even though the bicycle is not used widely for transportation, it is still an activity enjoyed by many.

• The bicycle helped to liberate women and allowed them to become active and physically fit.

• Thomas Stevens traveled around the world.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

What does a title tell you about the text? (Select all correct answers)

• Main idea

• Important characters or setting

• All of the details

• Nothing at all

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.K.5

The nearly human-looking, fleshy face of the blobfish may seem strange to some people. The blobfish looks the way it does because it is made of flesh that resembles and moves freely like gelatin. This fish also has no muscles to create the firm, structured shape of other fish. Its shapelessness allows the blobfish to float easily while handling the powerful pressure of ocean depths where is makes its home. Which of the following would make the BEST title?

• A New Discovery

• Drifting with Other Fish All Day

• Home at the Bottom of the Sea

• Made Like No Other Fish

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which paragraph should have the heading: "Mother Hummingbird's Job"?

• Hummingbirds come in different sizes. The Cuban bee hummingbird is the smallest. It weighs about as much as two paper clips. Even the giant hummingbird is only the size of a sparrow. These birds may be small, but size has never stopped them - not for a second.

• The hummingbird mother raises her family by herself. She builds a nest from bits of bark, moss, and other plant materials. She also uses the stretchy silk from spider webs. On the outside, most hummingbird nests are about the size of a quarter. Before long, two eggs fill the nest. Each egg is the size of a bean.

• The swift wing speed does not just make an interesting sound, though. Speedy wings help the hummingbird in many important ways. A hummingbird can zip straight up or dive down. It can fly sideways and backwards. It can even fly upside down! This fancy flying helps this tiny bird get its food.

• How fast does a hummingbird fly? Well, most hummingbirds beat their wings from 55 to 80 times a second! The rapid flapping makes a humming sound. This buzzing noise is what earned the bird its name.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

The swift wing speed does not just make an interesting sound, though. Speedy wings help the hummingbird in many important ways. A hummingbird can zip straight up or dive down. It can fly sideways and backwards. It can even fly upside down! This fancy flying helps this tiny bird get its food. What is the main idea of this passage?

• The hummingbird's unique wings help it obtain food.

• Hummingbirds can hover like a helicopter.

• A hummingbird needs to drink nectar to survive.

• A hummingbird's speedy wings vibrate the air molecules around it to make a humming sound.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The nearly human-looking, fleshy face of the blobfish may seem strange to some people. The blobfish looks the way it does because it is made of flesh that resembles and moves freely like gelatin. This fish also has no muscles to create the firm, structured shape of other fish. Its shapelessness allows the blobfish to float easily while handling the powerful pressure of ocean depths where is makes its home. Which of the following are DETAILS and not the main idea? (Select all correct answers).

• The blobfish's strange appearance helps it survive.

• A blobfish doesn't have muscles like other fish.

• A blobfish has a fleshy face.

• The blobfish's flesh moves like gelatin.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2