Main Idea

What is the main idea?

• Its the authors point of view

• Is what the passage is mostly about

• It is the sequence of the story.

You should determine the main idea by combining the supporting details.

• True

• False

What is the main idea?

• There are many fun things to do at the beach.

• It is also fun to look for shells.

• Some people simply like to sunbathe.

• Going to the beach to swim can be fun.

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.

Which of the following is FALSE about main / central idea?

• The main idea is always the first sentence of a paragraph.

• You discover it by asking what is being said about the topic.

• It's the main point the author is trying to make.

• It can be found by looking at several places in the paragraph.

Rap music first became popular in the 1980's. In rap, rappers talk over a background of music. Some rap musicians rap about growing up in poor neighborhoods. Others describe the hard lives their parents led. Still others talk about being arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Rap music gives musicians a chance to voice what they think is wrong in the world.

What is the main idea?

• Rap musicians use music to express opinions about the world.

• Rap musicians talk rather sing.

• Rap musicians think the world is a bad place.

What is the difference between the theme and the main idea of a story?

• A story only has one main idea but always has more than one theme

• The author will tell you the theme somewhere in the text.  You have to use clues to figure out the main idea.

• The main idea is what the story is mostly about.  The theme is the universal message you take away from the story.

• There is no difference.  Theme and main idea are the same.

What is the main idea of the story?

• The story is about a heart, an eye and a curse.

• The story is about police officers who arrest a criminal.

• The story is about a man who commits a crime and is driven to confession.

• The story is about a man who has a heart problem.

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA

• Why to visit Wyoming

• Yellowstone Park's beautiful water falls

• The continental Divide of North America

• Physical features of the Yellowstone Park

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA It is estimated that over twenty million pounds of candy corn are sold in the US each year. Brach's, the top manufacturer, sells enough candy corn to circle the earth 4.25 times if each piece were laid end to end. That's a lot of candy corn, but that's nothing compared to the production of Tootsie Rolls. Over 64 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day! But even Tootsie Rolls have got nothing on the candy industry's staple product: chocolate. Confectioners manufacture over twenty billion pounds of chocolate in the United States each year. Now that's a mouthful!

• How much of popular candies are sold each year.

• The overpowering candy industry

• Tootsie Rolls are delicious

• Candy corn, the world's most abundant candy piece.