Finding the Main Idea

A guide to help students find the Main Idea in Non Fiction texts. It also helps them differentiate between the topic and main idea.

Satisfies the Ontario reading curriculum expectation- Demonstrating Understanding. Here is an example for grade 3:
- Student will demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts by identifying important ideas and some supporting details (e.g., restate smportant ideas and some related details from an informational text about early settlers)

Please like and share this presentation for similar slideshows.

1. Finding the Main Idea Tools for reading nonfiction

2. The MAIN IDEA is what the text is mostly about . SUPPORTING DETAILS back up or support the main idea . But first….let’s look at TOPIC . Main Idea and Supporting Details

3. What is a Topic? A TOPIC is the word or phrase that everything in a text refers back to

4. Looking for a Topic in Text Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful .

5. The Topic is W ater Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it . Every creature needs water to survive. Without water , we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful .

6. Look for Repeated W ords In the last paragraph, the word water was repeated again and again .

7. Look for Repeated W ords Looking for repeated words and phrases is a good way to find topics .

8. Finding Main Ideas Once we have found the topic of the paragraph, we can find the main idea. Topic + Main Point about the Topic = MAIN IDEA

9. Can you Find the Main I dea? Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful .

10. Can you Find the Main I dea? Water is an amazing resource . Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful .

11. Can you Find the Main I dea? Water is an amazing resource . Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful . Topic: Water Main point about the topic:

12. Can you Find the M ain Idea? Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in the world depends upon it. Every creature needs water to survive. Without water, we would not last long. Water makes our world beautiful . Topic: Water Main point about the topic: Water is an amazing resource

13. Finding Main Ideas Notice that topics are expressed as words or phrases , but main ideas are expressed in sentences Topic + Main Point about the Topic = MAIN IDEA

14. Where is the Main I dea? In many paragraphs, the first sentence states the main idea. When the author states the main idea, it is called an explicit main idea .

15. Where is the M ain Idea? But the main idea is not always in the first sentence . When the main idea is not directly stated, it is called an implicit main idea .

16. Look for the Main Idea Croak, croak, kerplop ! What’s that at the water’s edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to live where the land meets the water. This keeps them safe from predators that live on the land. When a predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs can eat animals from both places, including crayfish, spiders, fish, and even birds . The first sentence is not the main idea.

17. Look for the Main I dea Croak, croak, kerplop ! What’s that at the water’s edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to live where the land meets the water. This keeps them safe from predators that live on the land. When a predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs can eat animals from both places, including crayfish, spiders, fish, and even birds . Let’s look for the topic.

18. Look for the Main I dea Croak, croak, kerplop ! What’s that at the water’s edge? It might be a green frog , a creature that’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to live where the land meets the water. This keeps them safe from predators that live on the land. When a predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs can eat animals from both places, including crayfish, spiders, fish, and even birds . Let’s look for the topic .

19. What About the Second S entence? Croak, croak, kerplop ! What’s that at the water’s edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to live where the land meets the water. This keeps them safe from predators that live on the land. When a predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs can eat animals from both places, including crayfish, spiders, fish, and even birds . Main ideas are not usually expressed as questions.

20. What About the Third S entence? Croak, croak, kerplop ! What’s that at the water’s edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to live where the land meets the water. This keeps them safe from predators that live on the land. When a predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs can eat animals from both places, including crayfish, spiders, fish, and even birds . This sentence includes the topic. It also makes a main point about the topic.

21. Topic S entence Croak, croak, kerplop ! What’s that at the water’s edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to live where the land meets the water. This keeps them safe from predators that live on the land. When a predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs can eat animals from both places, including crayfish, spiders, fish, and even birds. . It’s kind of silly that the sentence that states the main idea is called the topic sentence, but that’s just the way it is.

22. Finding the M ain Idea To find the main idea, figure out the topic first. Then, look for a sentence that states a main point about the topic.

23. Let’s Review: How do I find the main idea? Start by finding the topic Then, read each sentence in the paragraph Find a sentence that states the topic and a main point about the topic

24. What Have you Learned? What is the difference between a topic and a main idea?

25. What Have you Learned? A topic is stated in a word or phrase. A main idea includes the topic and the main point, and is stated in a sentence. .