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1. Main Idea
Main Idea

2. Main Idea
• The main idea tells you what the story is
about or the central thought of a paragraph
or complete text.
• Complete stories have main ideas.
• Individual paragraphs within stories also
have main ideas
• The main idea may be the lesson learned or
moral of a story.

3. Identifying Main Idea
 Sometimes the reader can find the
main idea just by looking at the title
or the first sentence in a paragraph.
 For example, a passage titled: “Why
Students Should Have Less
Homework” it means the main idea
will be about why students should
have less homework!

4. Identify the Main Idea:
• Homeless people have many problems. In
winter, it’s hard to stay warm and it gets
too hot in summer. It’s also hard to keep
things safe without a home. Worst is the
lack of privacy.
• Main Idea:

5. Answer:
• Homeless people have many problems.

6. Main Idea which Stated
and Implied
• Sometimes, a paragraph has a stated main idea
usually in the topic sentence. This means the
paragraph “says” what the main idea is.
• Sometimes, a paragraph doesn’t have a stated
main idea, but has an “implied” main idea.
• When the main idea is implied, you must analyze
supporting details to make an inference, or
educated guess, about the main idea.

7. Supporting Details
• The supporting details are the
things that describe the main idea.
• These supporting details make the
main idea stronger.
• Use the chart in your notes in
order to collect supporting details.
• Analyze the details in order to find
the implied main idea.

8. Read the Passage and
Choose the Main Idea
Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful
sights in North America. It is on the
Niagara River halfway between Lake Ontario
and Lake Erie. Niagara Falls is located on
the American and Canadian border. The
American Falls is 167 feet high. On the
Canadian side, the Horseshoe Falls is 161
feet high.

9. Question
What is the main idea of the passage?
Remember: main idea is what the story is
about.
Complete the graphic organizer in your
notes. List the main idea and four
supporting details. Re-read the passage if
you need to.

10. Lets Practice! Choose the Main Idea
of the following Passages.
The Statue of Liberty is visited by
thousands of people every year. The
Statue of Liberty is a 151 foot statue
of a woman holding a book and a torch.
It was a gift of friendship from the
people of France. It has become the
universal symbol for freedom.

11. Question
• What is the main idea of
this passage?
• What was the passage
about?

12. Answer:
The Statue of Liberty is an
interesting place visited by
many people each year.

13. Find the Supporting
Details in this Passage
The Erie Canal changed the way people moved
goods in the 1800’s. The 363 mile canal
connected Albany, New York to Lake Erie in
Buffalo for the first time. When the Canal
opened in 1825, building supplies and goods
could be transported quickly and cheaply
across New York State. Canal boats pulled by
mules carried people and supplies across New
York.

14. Main Idea:
Lake Erie changed the way people moved goods.
Question
• What are the supporting details of this
passage?
Note:
Remember supporting details describe the main idea.

15. Answer
Supporting Details:
1.The 363 mile canal connected Albany and
New York for the first time.
2.The canal made a way for goods to be
transported cheaply and quickly.
3.The canal boats pulled by mules carried
people and supplies across New York State.

16. Implied Main Idea
“The Native Americans used the trees to build
their houses. They hunted and trapped animals
in the forest for food. They found roots and
berries that they could eat. Some plants found
in the forest were used for medicine.”
- What do you think the main idea is?

17. Answer:
Native Americans used every resource
they could find in nature in order to
live.

18. Implied Main Idea
“Maria offered to help her mother clean the
house. She vacuumed the living room and
dusted the furniture. She picked up the toys
in the playroom. Then, she mopped the
kitchen floor.”

19. Answer:
• Maria is a helpful daughter.

20. Review
• Main Idea - is like the heart of the text or a
paragraph, either stated or implied.
• It is the controlling idea.
• All the other supporting details in the text
or a paragraph should tell us more about
the main idea.