Stated and Implied Main Idea

What is the main idea?

• It's the author's point of view

• It is the sequence of the story

• Is what the passage is mostly about

What is the stated main idea?

• The author tells the reader the main idea.

• The author makes you guess what the main idea is

• The author underlines the main idea

• The author does not have a main idea in the passage

What is an implied main idea?

• An idea that needs to be inferred

• An idea that you can see in the text

• An idea that is not the main idea

• An idea that your teacher tells you

How do you figure out the implied main idea in a paragraph?

• Locate the general topic

• Identify the supporting details

• Decide how the details relate back to the topic (make inference)

• All of the above

I can't wait until this weekend! We’re going to my grandparents’ house and my entire family will be there. I will spend most of my time playing games with my cousins. We always have such a good time together! The day goes by so fast, and by the end we are all exhausted... but we still don’t want to leave!

What is the main idea?

• Weekends are times to travel.

• The author enjoys spending time with her family.

• The author's grandparents live far away.

• The author is sad to leave her cousins.

Many people have not heard giraffes make noises. Giraffes do not use sounds to “talk” with each other. When hurt, giraffes make a low moo, something like a cow. When frightened, they make a short, high sound.

What is the implied main idea?

• Giraffes do make noises

• Giraffes talk all the time.

• Cows and giraffes talk to each other.

• Lots of people have heard giraffes talk.