Main Idea

Jenny visited her grandmother in the hospital.  She saw how kind and helpful the nurses were to her grandmother.  Now she wants to be a nurse when she grows up.  She wants to help sick people get well. 
What is the main idea?

• Jenny got sick.

• Jenny wants to be a nurse.

• Her grandmother was in the hospital.

• Jenny was glad the nurses were being kind to her grandmother.

Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.  Soccer players learn how to dribble and pass the ball.  They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.  Most importantly, soccer players learn how to work together with their teammates.

• They also learn how to control the ball so they can eventually score.

• Soccer players learn how to dribble.

• They learn how to work together as teammates.

• Soccer players learn many skills when playing soccer.

The main idea is supported by what?

• concluding sentences

• details

The central idea of a passage/text is....

• what the text is a little bit about

• what the text is sometimes telling you

• what the text is never about

• what the text is mostly or mainly about

Supporting details....

• are pointless when determining the central idea

• just give more information

• do not support the central idea

• help prove the central idea (evidence)

Do you think this sentence implies a theme or a main idea? It was a rainy day, and mom had to get creative to keep the kids from getting too bored.

• Theme

• Main Idea

Do you think this sentence implies a theme or a main idea?When Julia fell off the monkey bars and broke her arm, she was terrified to go to the emergency room.

• Theme

• Main Idea

What is the main idea of this picture?

• sports equipment

• fruit

• insects

• who or what the story is about

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA Being a clown isn't all fun and games. Rodeo clowns expose themselves to great danger every time they perform. When cowboys dismount or bulls buck them off, rodeo clowns jump in front of the bulls and motion wildly to get their attention. In this way rodeo clowns provide an alternate target, and in doing so protect the rider. Of course, this is a very dangerous thing to do. So you see, sometimes clowning around can be serious business.

• Sometimes clowns can mean serious bussiness.

• Rodeo clowns protect cowboys by putting themselves in danger.

• Cowboys and Rodeo Clowns are constantly in danger.

• A Rodeo bull's attention is easily caught by Rodeo clowns.

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA Before you put on that skeleton costume and rove door-to-door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on this tradition. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts. They celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be the candy fueled costume ball that we know today.

• The origins of Halloween

• The New Celtic Year

• Primitive traditions

• Why the skeleton costume is the best for Halloween