Identifying the Main Idea

What is the main idea of a passage?

• A random sentence in the passage

• The smallest detail in the passage

• The big picture or most important point

• The last word of the passage

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

What are the two parts of a main idea?

• Introduction and body

• Title and summary

• Topic and controlling idea

• Topic and conclusion

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

What is the topic of a passage?

• A conjunction connecting sentences

• An adjective describing the mood

• A word that describes the whole passage

• A verb describing the action

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

Which of the following is a topic?

• Playing soccer

• Running fast

• Sports

• Winning a game

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

What is the topic in the list: coffee, caffeine, tea, cola, and chocolate?

• Coffee

• Chocolate

• Tea

• Caffeine

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

What does the controlling idea answer?

• Who is the topic?

• When did the topic happen?

• What about the topic?

• Where is the topic located?

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

If the topic is Canada, which of the following could be a controlling idea?

• Canada is a small country

• Canada is the second largest country in the world

• Canada is in Europe

• Canada has many lakes

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

What is the main idea of the passage about Canadians?

• Canadians live in igloos

• Canadians are very tall

• Canadians love sports

• Canadians have a reputation for being polite and helpful

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

Where is the main idea often found in a passage?

• In the middle of the passage

• In the footnotes

• In the first or last sentence

• In the title

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

What should a good paragraph or passage talk about?

• Multiple topics

• Random facts

• Only one topic

• Unrelated ideas

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.4.2