Read each paragraph and determine its main idea.    How do migrating animals find their destination? They navigate in a variety of ways. Fish use their sense of smell to recognize their migration paths and are guided by changing water temperatures. Birds use the position of the sun to orient themselves. Some birds have magnetic particles in their ear mechanisms that act as a compass. Mammals rely on their memory. Some elephant trails have been used for hundreds of years.The main idea is: 

Babies use both hands. But babies use one hand more than the other. This hand may become the preferred one. How can you tell? Lay a baby on its back. Notice which side the baby faces. If the baby looks to the right most of the time, it will probably be right-handed. What does it mean if the baby faces left more often? The baby will most likely be left-handed.

Farmers in Japan have a problem. There is not much land to farm, and there are many people to feed. Some farmers cut rows in the hillsides and grow crops there. This helps a little, but many kinds of food are shipped to Japan. They can choose anything they want to eat!

Do you ever wonder how you taste things? You owe your sense of taste to your taste buds. We have nine thousand taste buds just on the tongue alone. There are also taste buds on the roof of your mouth. You even have taste buds on the back of your throat.

When you want to hang the American flag over the middle of a street, suspend it vertically with the blue field (called the union) to the north and east-west street. When the flag is displayed with another banner from crossed staffs, the American flag is on the right. Place the staff of the American flag in front of the other staff. Raise the flag quickly and lower it slowly and respectfully. When flying the flag at half-mast, hoist it to the top of the pole for a moment before lowering it to mid-pole. When flying the American flag with banners from states or cities, raise the nation’s banner first and lower it last. Never allow the flag to touch the ground.

Pizza is a favorite food in the United States. Pizza is from Italy in the late 1800s. It became popular in the United States after World War II. People like to add toppings. Some toppings are pepperoni, sausage, and vegetables. These toppings give pizza more flavor. Pepperoni is America’s favorite topping.

Living things are organisms with certain characteristics. They need water, food, and air to survive. They grow and change, and they move on their own. Living things reproduce, or make more of themselves. For example, plants and animals are living things. Plants make their own food and animals eat plants or other animals for food

Have you ever seen a giraffe at the zoo? Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world. The average height of a giraffe is 16-18 feet tall. This animal has a very long neck and legs. Giraffes eat the leaves from tall trees. Other animals cannot reach that high. Male giraffes are even taller than female giraffes.

Hurricanes are large storms. They begin over the ocean. They gather heat and energy from the water. Hurricanes move slowly to land as they grow stronger. Hurricanes are dangerous because of their size. They are also dangerous because of high winds and big waves. Hurricanes can bring flooding, power outages, and tornadoes.

One way to stay healthy is to exercise. Exercise helps you feel better, lose weight, and grow stronger.Taking a walk is a form of exercise. It helps you go outside and get fresh air. Playing a sport is another form of exercise. This is a fun way to be active. Taking classes at a gym is a way to be healthy and fit. There are many types of exercise you can do to improve your health.

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information very quickly. That's why they use pictures! The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.

Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?

There are several ways to determine if a snake is poisonous or not. First, poisonous snakes usually have triangular shaped heads while nonpoisonous snakes have rounded heads. Second, poisonous snakes have pupils that look like slits. Nonpoisonous snakes have pupils that are rounder. Finally, the snouts of poisonous snakes are sometimes upturned, while nonpoisonous snakes have rounded snouts.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

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

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

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.

Which key detail best supports the main idea:

Healthy eating can lead to feeling more energized.

Which key detail best supports the main idea:

The best meal of the day is dinner.

If I was traveling north on Highway 485 in what direction would I be going?

What goes up but never comes down?

What two keys can't open a door?