Identify Relevant and Key Details from the Text

What is the main idea of the passage below?

Dolphins are mammals that live in the

ocean. Mammals are different than fish,

reptiles or birds. As a mammal, dolphins

breathe oxygen, even though they live

in water. Because they are mammals, a

dolphin mother gives birth to a live baby,

unlike reptiles and birds who lay eggs. A

dolphin mother also feeds her baby milk

like other mammals

• Dolphins are cool.

• Dolphins lay eggs.

• Dolphins are fish.

• Dolphins are called mammals.

What are key details?

• Important parts of a text that support the main idea

• Topic of a text

• I don't know.

What is NOT a key detail in the following passage?

Dolphins are mammals that live in the

ocean. Mammals are different than fish,

reptiles or birds. As a mammal, dolphins

breathe oxygen, even though they live

in water. Because they are mammals, a

dolphin mother gives birth to a live baby,

unlike reptiles and birds who lay eggs. A

dolphin mother also feeds her baby milk

like other mammals.

• A dolphins mother also feeds her baby milk like other mammals.

• As a mammal, dolphins breathe oxygen, even though they live in water.

• Mammals are different than fish, reptiles or birds.

• Dolphins are reptiles.

How do the key details of this text support the main idea? The main idea is that there was a strong storm.

The Storm

The rain began early in the morning. It fell as hard drops, one after another. The sky was full of dark purple clouds. Thunder began as a soft rumble and became louder and louder. Lightning crashed every few minutes, making the sky a brighter white.

• I don't know.

• The key details describe the strong storm.

• The sky was full of dark purple clouds.

• It fell as hard drops, one after another.

Identify a key detail in this text:

The Storm

The rain began early in the morning. It fell as hard drops, one after another. The sky was full of dark purple clouds. Thunder began as a soft rumble and became louder and louder. Lightning crashed every few minutes, making the sky a brighter white.

• The sky was full of dark purple clouds.

• The rain came at night.

• The sky was a dark blue.

• There was no thunder during the storm.

What is the main idea of The Meerkat?

Meerkats

Meerkats in Africa live in large groups of 20 to 50 members. The group works together to survive. All members of the group care for the baby meerkats. They take turns babysitting and will protect the young ones from danger. Members of the group also take turns watching out for threats from other animals while the group finds food. If any dangerous animal comes towards the group, the meerkat will bark a warning.

• Meerkats live in large groups.

• Meerkats are cool animals.

• Meerkats help one another.

• Meerkats are dangerous animals.

What is this text mainly about?

You probably know sharks have very sharp teeth, but did you know they never run out of them? If a shark loses a tooth, another moves forward from within the shark’s jaw, where it keeps a nearly unlimited supply of replacement teeth. This way, it’s almost impossible for a shark to end up without a full set of teeth. This is a phenomenon unique to the shark. No other animal in the world has teeth quite like the shark’s. A shark can go through as many as 20,000 teeth in its lifetime!

• Sharks have large jaws.

• Sharks hibernate during the winter.

• Sharks have sharp teeth.

• Sharks never run out of teeth.

What do you think is the main idea of this passage?

Ideas That Pop

Inventing is not just for adults. Kids from across the country recently showed off their great ideas. They took part in a contest to create a new use for Bubble Wrap. Bubble Wrap is a packing material that has air-filled plastic bubbles. It is used to protect objects that are breakable.

Andy Boler, age 10, from Texas, used Bubble Wrap to make a cover for plants. It protects plants from the cold. “I like building things that could help people,” he says.

Other inventions in the contest included a kite-making kit and a wrist cushion. Some of the kids’ inventions may be turned into real products.

“We have very few rules,” says a contest spokesperson. “One of the main goals is to get young students thinking.”

• A kite making kit is an invention.

• Inventing is not just for adults.

• Kids can be inventors too.

• All about bubble wrap

The main idea of this passage is the planets are all different. The key details are in red. How do they key details support the main idea in this passage?

There are eight planets in the Solar System,

and each one is very different. Some planets,

like Jupiter and Saturn are very large. Others,

like Mercury and Mars are smaller. Jupiter has

moons that are larger than Mercury. The planets

also have different atmospheres. Uranus, Jupiter

and Saturn have atmospheres of hydrogen and

helium. The atmosphere on Venus is made up

of carbon dioxide. Earth has a nitrogen and

oxygen atmosphere. Neptune’s atmosphere is

mostly hydrogen. The planets also have different

temperatures. Uranus is the coldest and Venus

is the hottest.

• All of the key details describe the differences amongst the planets.

• Some planets, like Jupiter and Saturn are very large.

• I do not know the answer.

• The planets are all the same.

What is the definition of main idea?

• Main idea is the most important part of a text.

• Main idea is what the text is about.

• Main idea are details in a text.

• Main idea is the topic sentence.