Central Idea

Topic plus a message about the topic is known as...

• Theme

• Central Idea

• A Good Idea

• Annoying

Native Americans dried strips of meant pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat. Sometimes they added berries and sugar. They then pressed it into small cakes called pemmican. Pemmican didn't spoil and provided lots of energy. What is the central idea of this passage?

• Who uses pemmican today

• How pemmican was used by Native Americans

• What can be put into pemmican

Microchips provided the power for wristwatches. they are also the brains in our computers, and they control robots. These chips are used in video games and space shuttles. They make cameras, radios, and tvs small and light.

What is the central idea of this passage?

• How computers work

• Why tvs are small

• How microchips are used

The rain forest is home to many creatures. Monkeys, toucans and macaws live there. Butterflies and anteaters also live in the rain forest.

What is the central idea of this passage?

• The rain forest is home to many creatures.

• Sloths and tapirs are other animals that live in the rain forest.

• Monkeys, toucans, and macaws live in the rain forest.

"Are you done already?" his father asked. "it seems like you just got in the water." Jacob was finished with his bath in two minutes. He liked fast baths so to have more time to play. In fact, Jacob never took a long bath.

What is the central idea?

• Jacob never showers

• Jacob likes to take fast baths

• Jacob is very clean

Do you ever wonder how you taste things? Yow owe your sense of taste to your taste buds. We have 9,000 taste buds just on the tongue alone. There are also taste buds on the back of your throat.

What is the central idea of this passage?

• That we taste through our nose.

• We can only taste sweet things.

• Taste buds are in multiple places.

Were you born after 1985? If so, how long do you expect to live? Most people born after 1985 can expect to live more than 70 years. Of course, this is just a guess based on past records.

What is the central idea?

• How long you might expect to live.

• Past records give you information.

• Why people live to be 70.

A 1943 copper penny could be worth up to $50,000. In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for World War II, so the 1943 copper penny is ultra-rare. Another rarity is the 1955 double stamped with overlapping dates and letters. It is easily worth $25,000.

What is the central idea?

• The 1943 penny is more rare than the 1955 penny

• Some pennies are rare and worth a lot of money.

• The 1943 penny is worth $50,000.

• None of the above.

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer. They learn how to dribble and pass the ball. They also learn how to control the ball so they can score. Most importantly, they learn to work with their teammates.

What is the central idea?

• They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.

• Soccer players learn how to dribble.

• Soccer players learn many skills.

We often let others know what we are thinking without using words. The name that we give for this kind of communication is body language. Body language includes gestures, facial expressions, and posture.

What is the central idea?

• We sometimes use words to express ourselves.

• Body language may not mean the same thing to everyone.

• We use body language to communicate with others.