Download Main Idea Mini Lesson

Main Idea
Mini Lesson
ELA6R1: The student produces evidence
of reading that:
f) Identifies and analyzes main ideas,
supporting ideas, and supporting details.
Main Idea
The MAIN IDEA is the most
important idea in the paragraph or
passage.
Main Idea
The MAIN IDEA is the most
important idea in the paragraph or
passage.
The writer can position the MAIN
IDEA anywhere in the passage.
Main Idea
The MAIN IDEA is the most
important idea in the paragraph or
passage.
The writer can position the MAIN
IDEA anywhere in the passage.
Sometimes the MAIN IDEA isn’t
stated - it’s implied, so the reader
must pay attention.
How can I find the main
idea?
 In
many of the paragraphs that
you read, one sentence is more
important than the others.
 This
sentence states the main
idea of the paragraph.
 The
main idea is the idea that is
most important in the paragraph.
 It
tells what the paragraph is
about.
Steps for looking for the
stated main idea in a
paragraph...



Usually found in the first
sentence.
It can be found in the last
sentence used as a summary.
Can sometimes be found in the
middle of the paragraph
What are details?

Details give more information about
the main idea.
 They are called supporting details
because they support the main idea.
 Always remember a detail or
supporting detail is NEVER the main
idea.
Example #1
Fifty years ago, one boy saw a
volcano begin. He was living on a
farm in Mexico. Out in the fields
with his father, he saw the earth
suddenly begin to split open in
front of him. He saw ash and rock
shoot up from the ground.
Frightened, he and his father ran
to warn people in town.
Example #1
Fifty years ago, one boy saw
a volcano begin. He was living
on a farm in Mexico. Out in the
fields with his father, he saw the
earth suddenly begin to split open
in front of him. He saw ash and
rock shoot up from the ground.
Frightened, he and his father ran
to warn people in town.
Example #2
Kids are collecting more than
stamps and stickers these days.
Some collect coins and bills from
around the world. Others collect
miniature houses and mansions. Still
others collect baseball cards and
autographs. An eighth-grade girl in
Detroit, Michigan, collects spiders.
Example #2: Main Idea
Kids are collecting more than
stamps and stickers these days.
Some collect coins and bills from
around the world. Others collect
miniature houses and mansions. Still
others collect baseball cards and
autographs. An eight-grade girl in
Detroit, Michigan, collects spiders.
Example #3
Have you ever heard the saying,
“One man’s trash is another man’s
treasure”? There are a number of
stories from people who have found
valuable antiques at auction sales,
rummage sales, or Salvation Army
resale shops. Next time you think
about throwing or giving something
away, perhaps you should determine
its value.
Example #3: Main Idea
Implied:
Some things are more valuable
than others
Example #4
Would you like to travel through time? If
so, you are not alone. Books, movies, and
television shows have explored this idea.
Time travel seems impossible, but who
knows what the future holds? Once people
thought that humans would never fly. Now
a jet can take us from one ocean to
another in hours. Going to the moon
seemed impossible. Today a spaceship
can get us there. Someday time travel
may be possible, too.
Example #4: Main Idea
Would you like to travel through time? If
so, you are not alone. Books, movies, and
television shows have explored this idea.
Time travel seems impossible, but who
knows what the future holds? Once people
thought that humans would never fly. Now
a jet can take us from one ocean to
another in hours. Going to the moon
seemed impossible. Today a spaceship
can get us there. Someday time travel
may be possible, too.
Example #5
No one is ever prepared for an
earthquake, since there is no precise early
warning system for this type of natural
disaster. Earthquakes are sudden, violent
shifting movements in the earth’s crust.
They can occur at any time and in any
place, although some areas of the earth
are more prone to earthquakes than
others. Some earthquakes are quite small
and go mostly unnoticed. Other
earthquakes release more energy than a
nuclear bomb blast.
Example #5: Main Idea
No one is ever prepared for an
earthquake, since there is no precise
early warning system for this type of
natural disaster. Earthquakes are
sudden, violent shifting movements in the
earth’s crust. They can occur at any time
and in any place, although some areas of
the earth are more prone to earthquakes
than others. Some earthquakes are quite
small and go mostly unnoticed. Other
earthquakes release more energy than a
nuclear bomb blast.
Example #6
When the elephant arrived in England,
people at the zoo thought it would be
amusing to call him Mumbo Jumbo. The
name “Mumbo Jumbo” derived from a
poor pronunciation of an African phrase:
“mama dyambo.” In Africa, “mama
dyambo” meant a person who practiced
traditional African medicine. Often, such
people inspired fear in others, and in the
English language, “mumbo jumbo” came
to mean anything scary. The English
hoped that Mumbo Jumbo the elephant
would grow to a frightening size.
Example #6: Main Idea
When the elephant arrived in
England, people at the zoo thought it
would be amusing to call him Mumbo
Jumbo. The name “Mumbo Jumbo”
derived from a poor pronunciation of an
African phrase: “mama dyambo.” In Africa,
“mama dyambo” meant a person who
practiced traditional African medicine.
Often, such people inspired fear in others,
and in the English language, “mumbo
jumbo” came to mean anything scary. The
English hoped that Mumbo Jumbo the
elephant would grow to a frightening size.