Main Idea and Key Details RI 4.2

What is the main idea of the text?

The kangaroo is an interesting animal. Many things make it truly special. Even though it cannot walk backwards, and doesn’t run, it hops like a bouncing ball on very strong hind legs. It can also leap 30 feet, and travel at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. The kangaroo is also special because it is an animal that carries its baby, called a joey, in a pouch. When the joey is born, it is the size of a lima bean! It travels up its mother’s fur to the pouch, where it lives until it is about 10 months old. During these 10 months, the joey leaves the pouch to eat, play and learn how to be a kangaroo. When the joey is afraid, it will jump head first into its mother’s pouch. Kangaroos are grass-eating animals, and can live with very little water. They have very few enemies, called predators.

• Kangaroos are grass-eating animals.

• Joeys are often afraid.

• Kangaroos are interesting and special animals.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

What key detail supports this main idea that kangaroos are interesting and special animals?

• Kangaroos bounce like balls.

• Joeys spend 10 months learning to be kangaroos.

• Kangaroos can live with little water.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

Which detail from the passage supports the idea that kangaroos do not eat meat?

• Kangaroos can live with very little water.

• Kangaroos are grass-eating animals.

• During these 10 months, the joey leaves the pouch to eat, play and learn how to be a kangaroo.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

People have enjoyed popcorn for thousands of years. The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were 5,600 years old, and archaeologists have discovered ancient popcorn so well-preserved that it could still be popped! Popcorn probably originated in Mexico. When Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, he saw the native people eating popcorn. Ancient people also used popcorn as decorations much like we make strings of popcorn today. Pilgrims enjoyed popcorn during the first Thanksgiving when the brother of the chief of the Wampanoag tribe brought popcorn to the feast in a deerskin bag as a gift. The first English settlers in America poured milk and sugar over popcorn and ate it as cereal for breakfast. Some fun facts: kernels can pop up to three feet in the air; unpopped kernels are called old maids; each kernel contains water that turns to steam when heated, then bursts.

The main idea of this text is:

• Pilgrims enjoyed popcorn during the first Thanksgiving.

• People have enjoyed popcorn for thousands of years.

• Kernels can pop up to three feet high.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

A key detail that supports the main idea is:

• The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were 5,600 years old.

• Unpopped kernels are called old maids.

• Each kernel contains water.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

Which statement from the text best shows that popcorn can still be popped after many years?

• Kernels can pop up to three feet in the air

• Ancient people also used popcorn as decorations much like we make strings of popcorn today.

• Archaeologists have discovered ancient popcorn so well-preserved that it could still be popped!

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

The Northern Lights are a magical sight in the night skies over places such as the North Pole and the South Pole. These lights can be green, red, blue and purple. They swirl, disappear, reappear and change shape for those lucky enough to see them. These lights even blink off and on like a light switch. Some people say they can hear noises from the lights, but no one has been able to prove this. There are many stories about the Northern Lights. One warns children that the lights might take them away! What causes this amazing display? The Sun is made of gas, which sometimes “burps” extra energy into the atmosphere, creating a beautiful light show.

The main idea of this text is:

• The Sun is made of gas.

• The Northern Lights are a magical sight.

• Northern Lights are seen in cold areas.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

A key detail that supports the main idea is:

• These lights even blink off and on like a light switch.

• The Sun is made of gas which sometimes “burps” extra energy.

• Lights may take children away.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

Which statement from the text best shows that the Northern Lights appear in cold areas?

• These lights can be green, red, blue and purple.

• The Northern Lights are a magical sight in the night skies over places such as the North Pole and the South Pole.

• Some people say they can hear noises from the lights, but no one has been able to prove this.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

Which sentence best supports the idea that science plays a part in the Northern Lights?

• The Latin name for the Northern Lights is Aurora Borealis and the mirror images, seen in the southern skies, are named Aurora Australis.

• These lights even blink off and on like a light switch.

• The Sun is made of gas, which sometimes “burps” extra energy into the atmosphere, creating a beautiful light show.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.3.1

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.4.1