Main Idea

The main idea of a story is...

• The characters

• The setting

• The lesson

• What the text is about

Sandy sings in the church choir. She sings a solo every week. Everyone looks forward to hearing her sing. Last Sunday Mrs. Smith said, “Sandy has the voice of an angel.” We all agreed with her. I think she will be famous one day.

• The church has a choir.

• Sandy goes to church.

• Sandy is a great singer.

• Sandy sang a solo each week.

True or False: Sometimes the first sentence of a story will tell you the main idea.

• True

• False

Tommy ran down the street chasing his dog. “Bobby! Bobby!” he yelled. He knew he should have checked the gate before letting Bobby into the back yard. His mother has told him a hundred times. How had he forgotten? If he had closed it, Bobby would still be in the back yard.

• Bobby ran away.

• Tommy forgot to make sure the gate was closed.

• Tommy was forgetful.

• Tommy’s mother was bossy.

Joy sat on the bench at the baseball field and waited. She didn’t like waiting alone. All of the other kids had been picked up by their parents. Where was her mother? Suddenly, her mother came running to her. “Oh Joy, I’m so sorry. Next time I will make myself a note.”

• Joy’s mother forgot to pick her up.

• Joy hated sitting alone.

• Joy plays baseball.

• Joy’s mother writes notes.

True or False: The title will never be the main idea.120 sec

• True

• False

I went to the ice cream shop and ate a huge sundae. When I got home, supper was ready. Mom had cooked my favorite meal. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t make myself eat.

• I like ice cream.

• Mom is a good cook.

• I was too full to eat supper.

• I was sick.

Although many people think a koala is a bear, it is not. The koala is a type of mammal called a marsupial. A kangaroo is also a marsupial. These mammals carry their babies in a pouch. The kangaroo’s pouch is on her stomach, but the koala’s pouch is on her back. Both feed their babies milk and keep them secure in their pouch until they are strong enough to survive on their own.

• The koala is not a bear.

• The kangaroo is nothing like the koala.

• The kangaroo and koala are mostly alike but have some differences.

• The kangaroo and koala are exactly alike.

Lucy would never get her room clean. It looked like a tornado had hit it. She couldn’t believe how much damage her friends had done. They pull everything out and didn’t put anything back. Glue was spilled all over her rug, and fingernail polish was spilled on her new bedspread. They had even wiped their chocolate covered fingers on her curtains. Wow! What a mess.

• There is glue on the rug.

• Lucy’s friends are messy.

• A tornado hit the house.

• Lucy’s friends ate chocolate.

Tim and his family went fishing today. They stopped on the way to the lake and bought all of their favorite snacks. When they got to the lake, they ate and then started fishing. Tim caught four fish, and his brother caught three. They laughed and gave each other a high-five every time they caught a fish. The whole family had a great time. Maybe they would go fishing again soon.