Understanding Main Ideas and Details

The main idea is...

• What the story is mostly about

• The summary of the story

• The author's purpose of the story

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Choose the main idea.

Spots was a large grey and white cat. Spots lived in a barn on a farm. Spots liked living in the barn. It was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There were many mice for Spots to chase. Best of all, Spots had a soft place to sleep in the corner of the barn.

• The barn was dirty.

• Spots was grey and white.

• The barn was a good place for Spots to live.

• Spots often slept outside when it rained.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

What is the main idea of a story?

• The setting of the story

• The central point or message the author wants to convey

• The names of the characters

• The ending of the story

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

Which of the following is a detail that supports the main idea?

• The title of the book

• A specific event that illustrates the main idea

• The author's name

• The number of pages in the book

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

Why is it important to identify the main idea in a text?

• To memorize the text

• To understand the overall message or purpose of the text

• To count the number of paragraphs

• To find the longest word in the text

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

Which of the following sentences best describes a detail?

• A brief summary of the entire text

• A specific piece of information that supports the main idea

• The author's opinion on the topic

• A question about the text

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

How can you find the main idea of a paragraph?

• By looking at the first and last sentences

• By counting the number of words

• By reading the paragraph backwards

• By identifying the most repeated word

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

What is the difference between the main idea and a detail?

• The main idea is a fact, while a detail is an opinion

• The main idea is the central message, while a detail supports it

• The main idea is longer than a detail

• There is no difference

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

Which of the following is NOT a way to identify the main idea?

• Skimming the text for keywords

• Reading the entire text carefully

• Ignoring the text and guessing

• Looking for repeated ideas

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

In a story about a brave knight, which of the following is likely the main idea?

• The knight's favorite food

• The knight's courage and adventures

• The color of the knight's armor

• The knight's horse's name

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2