Main Idea

When we think of seaweed, we usually picture brown or green plants a foot or so in length.  Seaweeds are also of other colors.  Some are red.  Some kinds grow to lengths of a hundred feet!  These form giant seaweed forests, where many kinds of fish take shelter.  What is the main idea?

• Why some seaweed grows so large
• What seaweed is like
• Why seaweed is red

The range of a bird refers to the area over which it flies.  some birds are able to fly great distances, and range over almost the whole world.  Other birds have a very small range.  they travel over areas smaller than one hundred miles.  What is the main idea?

• Where to find a bird range
• Why birds like to travel
• How bird ranges differ

Not all animals that live in the water are fish.  Frogs and tadpoles, for example, spend part of their lives in water.  They are amphibians, not true fish.  Whales and seals are warm-blooded mammals.  Some snakes live partly in water too.  What is the main idea?

• Why just fish live in water
• Why whales live in water
• Which animals live in water

The red, green and amber traffic light is a safety signal.  Yet some drivers don't see it.  Some drivers don't obey it.  People cross the street without looking at it.  Often the traffic light turns out to be a signal of death.  What is the main idea?

• What the traffic light signals
• Why all people obey traffic lights
• Why all people disobey traffic lights

There are about 13,000 wild horses in our country.  Most are in the high lands of the Southwest.  The horses find great difficulty in getting food during the winter months.  Snow covers the grass and small bushes that they feed on.  Their numbers grow smaller each year.  What is the main idea?

• Where wild horses live
• Why grass and bushes can't be seen
• What is happening to our wild horses

An inference is...

• Text evidence + what you know

• Retelling a text

• Making a guess without evidence

• Information written directly into the text.

When making an inference, the most important thing is...

• What you know about the topic
• The topic of the text
• The characters in the text
• Being able to prove your inference using evidence from the text.

Which sentence suggests that Joanna rode her bike to school?

• Joannaʼs hair was a little messy when she got to school.
• Joanna crossed three streets on her way to school.
• Joanna went four blocks on her way to school.
• Joanna had to put her helmet inside the classroom closet.

Tiffany held her breath as her teacher returned the math test the class had taken last week.  Tiffany had not studied very hard or long for the test, and she was worried about her grade.  Her teacher handed Tiffany her test.  Tiffany groaned and put her head down on her desk.
It is likely that:

• Tiffany earned a bad grade on the test
• Tiffany received a good grade on the test
• Tiffany is tired
• Tiffany is angry at her teacher

Tim looked out the window. The house looked so lonely. Tim's father put the last suitcase in the trunk and started up the car. Thor, his dog, put his head on Tim's lap, like he understood how  Tim was feeling. "It's okay Thor," he said, "Dad says we will like California." What is happening?

• Tim is sad because his dog doesn't have a house to live in.
• Tim is taking a trip to visit people he doesn't know.
• Tim is taking Thor to live with his grandmother.
• Tim is moving to California with his family.