Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identify Purposes of Text

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Set a purpose for reading informational texts with this reading lesson. To find the central idea of a text, young readers turn titles and subtitles into questions to help them understand the text. They complete a T-chart for the lesson,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elaborated Paragraphs

For Teachers 7th
Bright, bold, and engaging, this presentation on elaborated paragraphs is a good way to reinforce your expectations for your class's writing. Each slide presents a simple, straightforward tip to writing complete paragraphs, including...
Lesson Plan
Read Works

What's the Main Idea?

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
By sharing a summary about their favorite book or movie, your young readers can then discuss the main ideas of their beloved stories. The concept transitions to finding the main idea in poetry. Class members use textual clues in various...
PPT
Curated OER

Recognizing the Main Idea

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Understanding that paragraphs have a main idea expressed in a topic sentence, followed by supporting details in the subsequent sentences is the focus of this presentation. Students practice by reading short paragraphs in 10 slides, and...
PPT
Curated OER

Thesis Statements

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Develop an understanding of main ideas and thesis statements with your class by using this step-by-step presentation. The concepts presented will guide learners through essay focus, main idea, central points, coherency, and proper...
Worksheet
K5 Learning

I Have Been Thinking…

For Students 1st Standards
Scholars read a short story about a girl visiting her grandmother, identify the main idea of the tale, and then write a sentence about this idea. Learners practice their phonics skills by filling in word blanks with letters to complete...
Worksheet
Tallahassee Community College

Finding the Main Idea

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
A short excerpt at the beginning of the sheet provides middle schoolers with questions to think about when looking for the main idea. Followed by that, learners respond to four reading passages by answering...
Organizer
Do2Learn

Umbrella Organizer Frames

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
Being able to identify the details that support a main idea is an important skill. Have your pupils practice with this graphic organizer, which includes space for a main idea, three supporting details, and a final conclusion.
Organizer
1
1
Polk Bros Foundation

Meet the Nonfiction Main Idea Challenge

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Help your class develop the ability to determine a main idea with a packet of materials that you can introduce and use over a period of time. The packet includes some information for the teacher and rationale for the exercises. There are...
Organizer
1
1
Polk Bros Foundation

I Can Identify and Support the Main Idea in Non-Ficiton

For Teachers 5th - 10th Standards
Analyze a historical or scientific informational text by determining the main idea and supporting details. This graphic organizer allows pupils to write down the main idea and four details.
Organizer
1
1
Polk Bros Foundation

I Can Infer the Main Idea When I Read

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
While reading any text, ask your pupils to keep this graphic organizer on hand. They can note down the main idea and three supporting details during or after reading. The instructions allow for individuals to use words or images to...
Organizer
3
3
Polk Bros Foundation

I Can Identify a Nonfiction Writer's Main Idea and Supporting Examples

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Use this page to quickly identify the central idea of a text and organize ideas for writing an informational or explanatory text. The worksheet is split into two parts. In the first part, pupils note down the main idea and supporting...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

Illustration Planner

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
One way to help your pupils more fully understand an idea from the text they are reading is to require them to draw or sketch the concept. This page provides some space to plan the details your students want to include in their...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

Picture the Main Idea

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Invite your learners to represent the central idea of a text visually. Individuals note down the main idea and then have the opportunity to draw four pictures that show the idea. Consider working out the main idea together and then...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

How to Summarize an Event in History or Today - or a Story

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Ask your class to write a quick summary of a historical or current event. The worksheet offers a place to note down important details about the event, such as time, place, people, how it started, and how it ended. Pupils then take this...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

I Can Analyze a Story or History Completely and Carefully

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Start off analysis of a text with a worksheet that asks pupils to complete several tasks. Class members note down a couple of characters or people and their distinguishing traits, describe the most important event, summarize the text...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

I Can Comprehend a Paragraph, then a Page/Section in a Text

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Help your class tackle chunks of text with a simple graphic organizer. Pupils read three paragraphs and, as they read, draw pictures in the provided boxes that demonstrate what each paragraph says. There are three boxes on the page and...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

A Way to Analyze Paragraphs to Figure Out the Main Idea of a Nonfiction Text

For Teachers 5th - 10th Standards
Shrink up a section by asking pupils to write down the main idea for each of seven paragraphs. There is a space provided for each main idea. When students have completed this portion, they write down what they think to be the central...
Organizer
1
1
Polk Bros Foundation

Collect Evidence to Support an Idea

For Teachers 5th - 9th Standards
In order to support an idea, writers must use evidence. Your class members can prepare their evidence with this basic learning exercise. Writers note down the topic they are learning about and their own idea. Next, they come up with...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

Main Idea Analyzer

For Teachers 5th - 10th Standards
Show the connection between the main idea and supporting details with a graphic organizer. Pupils fill in the main idea of a text in the circle and the supporting ideas in the boxes connected to the circle.
Printables
Teacher Printables

Concept Map

For Teachers K - 8th
Prepare your class for a unit by introducing them to the main ideas and topic that will be covered. While you explain the concepts, have your class fill out this graphic organizer, which provides space to write in a topic and six related...
PPT
Orange County Schools

Piggybook

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
Summarizing text is a balancing act between being brief but thorough. You need to be short and to the point, but also cover all the important details, a task that presents a challenge for many young learners. In this lesson based on the...
Organizer
Teacher Printables

Just the Facts

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Show your class how fascinating a text can be by asking them to focus on interesting facts they learned while reading. There are boxes for six facts as well as one large box where pupils can record the most important fact from their...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Transportation Workers

For Students 3rd - 4th
Summarizing a text means being able to identify supporting details. Your class can learn about transportation workers in Chicago as they read a one-page informational passage. When they are finished reading they'll explain what they've...