Third graders learn how to find what a text is mostly about, the main idea, and the key details that support it, and check what they know.
Students will be able to…
A paragraph has many sentences but one big point. How do you find the main idea, and how do the details hold it up?
Project this and answer each question about finding the main idea and the details that support it — read the explanation after each one.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A paragraph has lots of sentences, but one big idea holds them together. How do you find it?
Students answer questions about main idea.
Students match details to the idea.
Students build a web.
Students reflect on the difference.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Determine the main idea and key details of a text.
Ask and answer questions using the text.
Describe how details support the main idea.
Recount a text and determine its central message.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students pick a short text, put the main idea in the center of a web, and add the key details that support it around the outside. A printable main-idea worksheet is in the English Language Arts library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.