Main Idea and Supporting Details

The main idea is supported by what?

• concluding sentences

• details

What does the MAIN IDEA of a story tell the reader?

• The most important idea about a topic or a story.

• The conflict of the story

One dinosaur had a brain that weighed about as much as three pencils. Its body weighed ten tons and was over twenty feet in length. As you can guess, this dinosaur did not think too clearly. It wasn't the world's brightest dinosaur! What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• How big one dinosaur was

• What one dinosaur's brain was like

Look at this book cover, what do you think the main topic will be?

• cars, trains, planes

• barbie dolls

Now look at this book cover, what might one of your key details be?

• dolphins live in the ocean

• 2nd graders take a field trip to the YMCA

What is the main idea of this passage?

It was backwards day at school. The students had to do things backwards. Some wore their t-shirts backwards. Dessert was served first at lunch. They turned their papers upside down to write. They tried to write backwards.

• Dessert comes after lunch.

• The students had backwards day at school.

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?

• Which animals live in water

• Why whales live in water

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?

• What is happening to our wild horses

• Why grass and bushes can't be seen

An octopus isn't fast enough to swim after a fish. The octopus must wait for a fish to swim by. When the fish comes within reach, the octopus whips out his long arm to grasp it. Then the octopus has a tasty meal. What is the main idea?

• How much fish an octopus eats

• How an octopus gets its food

Mary has a new pet. Her pet is a baby kitten. It is soft and cuddly. The kitten likes to sleep a lot. Mary put a soft blanket in a box for its bed. Mary plays with her kitten when it is awake. She never forgets to feed her kitten.

What is the main idea?

• Mary’s new pet is a kitten.

• Mary want a new pet.