Main Ideas

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.

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.

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.

Many people have not heard giraffes make noises.  Giraffes do not use sounds to “talk” with each other.  When hurt, giraffes make a low moo, something like a cow.  When frightened, they make a short, high sound.
What is the main idea?

• Giraffes do make noises

• Giraffes talk all the time.

• Cows and giraffes talk to each other.

• Lots of people have heard giraffes talk.

Tom started to reel in his line. The fish tugged and pulled hard. Judging by the weight of his catch, this fish could feed his family for three days. Tom struggled to stay in the boat and not be pulled over the side. Finally his catch came into view. He had snagged a snapping turtle!
What is the main idea?

• Tom finds enough food for his family.

• Tom gets pulled out of his boat by a huge fish.

• Tom didn't catch anything.

• Tom catches a snapping turtle while fishing.

What kind of sentence tells the main idea of a paragraph?

• supporting detail

• topic sentence

• example sentence

• transition sentence

What is a main idea?

• the central point of a piece of writing

• the information that supports the topic sentence

• the most interesting detail in a book

• the punctuation used in a paragraph

If you can't figure out the main idea of a passage, what should you do?

• Try to recall every specific detail from the passage

• Ask yourself general questions about the passage

• Read the passage over and over until you have it memorized

• Read the passage once and don't look at it again.

There are many fun things to do at the beach. Swimming is one thing that can be done at the beach. Snorkeling is another thing that can be enjoyed. Playing beach volleyball can be a lot of fun. It is also fun to look for shells. Some people simply like to sunbathe.

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.

If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!
What is the main idea?

• Sometimes people feel sad.

• You should do good things for others.

• We're not always happy.

• There are many ways to make yourself feel better.