Students will
Learning objectives
- Identify the main idea of a short nonfiction paragraph.
- Tell a main idea apart from a supporting detail.
- Write a detail that supports the main idea.
- Write a title that sums up a whole paragraph.
Main Idea Worksheet
Students read three short nonfiction paragraphs, choose each one's main idea from three options, write a supporting detail, and title one paragraph.
Format
- Color PDFThe full-color resource, ready to print or projectAvailable
- PrintablePrinter-friendly, uses less inkAvailable
- Fillable PDFStudents type answers right into the fileAvailable
- Google ClassroomAssign and share digitallyComing soon
Only the color PDF is ready for this resource so far. The other formats are on the way.
At a glance
- Grades
- 2–4
- Pages
- 2
- Type
- Worksheet
- Includes
- Answer key
Last updated
Page 1 of 2
Main idea and details in three nonfiction paragraphs
Students read three short nonfiction paragraphs, about a hummingbird's nest, lighthouses and maple syrup, and for each one choose the main idea from three options and write one supporting detail. A tip at the top gives them one test for every choice: what is the paragraph mostly about? The maple syrup paragraph has no topic sentence, so students work out the main idea from the steps, then give it a title. Any title that names the whole process counts, with "From Tree Sap to Syrup" as the model.
Bring it into your classroom.
From the creator
Teaching tips
1
In paragraph 2, wrong choice A ("Lighthouse keepers once tended the lamps") is copied almost word for word from the text, so students who match words rather than meaning pick it. Use the key's test: does almost every sentence tell more about this choice?
2
Some students pick "Hummingbirds drink nectar from flowers" for paragraph 1 because it is true. Point out that it is true but not in the paragraph.
3
For the title, students often name one step, such as drilling holes. Ask them to check the title against the first and last sentences of the paragraph.
Explore by skill
Skills covered
Tap a skill to find more resources that practice it.
Differentiation
Meet every learner.
Ways to adjust the three paragraphs for different readers.
Support
Read and talk first
- Read each paragraph aloud and have students say what it is mostly about before they look at the choices.
- Cross out one wrong choice together for each paragraph.
- Highlight the first sentence of paragraphs 1 and 2, which states the main idea.
On level
Teach as written
- All three paragraphs, the detail lines and the title.
- Students mark the sentence each detail came from.
Extension
Write the main idea
- Cover the choices and write each main idea in their own words first.
- Write a topic sentence for the maple syrup paragraph.
- Give titles to paragraphs 1 and 2 as well.
Standards alignment.
Each one is checked against the official documents. Where the resource covers only part of a standard, the note says so.
Common Core ELA · Grades 2–4
RI.3.2Find the main idea and recount key details
For each of three short nonfiction paragraphs, students choose the main idea from three options and write one supporting detail. Students do not explain how the detail supports the main idea.
RI.2.2Identify the main topic and the focus of each paragraph
Students pick what each paragraph is mostly about and give the third paragraph a title. The paragraphs are separate, not one text with several paragraphs.
RI.4.2Find the main idea, explain how details support it, and summarize
Students choose the main idea and give a detail for each paragraph. Explaining how details support the idea and summarizing are not asked for.
TEKS English · Grade 3
3.9(D)Central idea with supporting evidence
For three short nonfiction paragraphs, students choose the main idea and write one detail that supports it; the main idea is picked from choices rather than written by the student.
3.6(G)Use details to find key ideas
Students weigh each paragraph's details to tell the main point from a single detail or an unrelated fact; this is done with short paragraphs, not longer texts.
No reviews yet.
Used it in class? Your notes help another teacher plan.
