Main Idea

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.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers.  They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.  Mrs. Jones works nights.  She bakes cakes, cookies, and pies.  Mrs. Brown works in the daytime.  She bakes bread and rolls.  Both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are very good bakers.
What is the main idea?

• Mrs. Jones bakes pies.
• Mrs. Brown bakes rolls.
• Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown are bakers
• They work at a store called Bake Goods to Go.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

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.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

What is the main idea?
Puppies need special care.  They need to be fed twice a day.  You have to watch them closely or they will chew on almost anything.  Puppies need to go outside many times a day to learn how to go to the bathroom outside.  

• They need to be fed twice a day.
• You have to watch them closely.
• Puppies need special care.
• Puppies need to go outside many times a day.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

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.
•  Robots will be untiring workers.
• Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

Melanie hated her green room, and she had asked her mother a hundred times if she could paint it purple. Melanie and her mother worked all afternoon rolling the paint on the wall. Since Melanie was only in the third grade, she was feeling very special because her mother was letting her help. When they were finished, they sat on the floor and had a snack.
"Are you happy with the purple?" asked Mother.
"Yes. And I even like it more because I was able to help paint it," said Melanie.
What is the main idea or main event of the passage?

• Melanie hated green
• Melanie and her mother painted all afternoon
• Melanie liked the purple room she helped paint
• They had a snack on the floor when they were finished

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

There are many fun things to do at the beach.  Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach.  Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed.  Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun.  It is also fun to look for shells.  Some people simply like to sunbathe.
What is the main idea?

• There are many fun things to do at the beach.
• It is also fun to look for shells.
• Some people simply like to sunbathe.
• Going to the beach to swim can be fun.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

Mark wanted to be a great skater. But he didn't want to spend the hours practicing. He wished he could just do the tricks easily. Mark's dream was to have everyone stop and stare when he entered the skate park. He  wanted them to say, "Mark is the best skater in the whole world."
What is the main idea?

• Mark wants everyone to think he's a great skater without doing the hard work.
• Mark practices very hard to become a great skater.
• Mark is the best skater at the park.
• Mark wants to learn how to skate so he can compete.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake. They use an instrument called the Richter scale. The Richter scale compares the strength of different earthquakes. Earthquakes  below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake and can cause tremendous damage.

• Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake.
• Strong earthquakes can cause lots of damage.
•  Some earthquakes are very small. 

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RI.2.2

Why could the narrator not see Josephine in the corner? 

• Because Josephine was too little to be seen. 
• Because Josephine had just left the room. 
• Because Josephine was only imaginary. 
• Because the narrator was not wearing her glasses. 

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RF.3.4C

CCSS.RI.2.4

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.3.1