Determining the Main Idea

What do these three items have in common?

Main Idea Bond Using the dry erase board and the dry erase markers, walk around the room and look at the cards with the different words on them. For each set of words, come up with the main idea of each card.

Finding the Main Idea The main idea is the most important idea a writer makes in a paragraph or passage. Sometimes the main idea is clearly stated in a sentence at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph or passage. Sometimes the main idea is not stated. It is implied. To determine the main idea, readers must combine supporting details. Remember, the main idea tells the author’s point about the topic, and the details offer support for the main idea.

Main Idea Puzzle Pieces Take the puzzle pieces out of the envelops at the table. Put the pieces together to find out the tips for identifying the main idea. Then copy the puzzle pieces into your notes.

Top Secret Tips for Finding The Main Idea Read the entire selection. Do not expect the main idea to be directly stated. Re-read the first and last sentence of the passage (or paragraph). Review the title. Think about the most important idea. While reading, ask yourself, “What point is the author trying to make?”

A Special Kind of Mouse It’s hard to imagine our lives without the personal computer. Computers are part of most people’s everyday life. That wasn’t the case before the 1980s. In fact, in the late 1960s, computers were huge machines that cost millions of dollars. It wasn’t until the 1970s when smaller computers were developed. Still, few people had early computers in their homes. Personal computers became popular after That was the year that Apple Computer, Inc., introduced the Macintosh ®. It was the first easy-to-use computer of its kind. Part of its basic equipment was a mouse. The mouse controlled the movement of the pointer, or curser, on the screen. The mouse also let users point and click to give commands to the computer. In addition, the mouse was an excellent drawing tool. The mouse was first developed by Douglas Engelbart. His original design was a wooden box on wheels that could fit in the palm of a hand. Apple improved on Engelbart’s design and it has become the useful tool we use today.

Main Idea of Special Kind of Mouse The computer mouse is an essential part of the computer.

With the people at your table Read over the selection “Bats”. Write down what you believe to be the supporting details. Write down what the main idea is. We will review what you and your group members came up in with in 5 minutes.

Bats Guide themselves in the dark with sonar system Squeaking sounds spread out like waves and bounce back echoes Large ears pick up the echo and locate objects in its path. Main Idea: Bats use echolocation for “seeing” at night.

Alien Doubts Lack of habitable environments beyond Earth. No other planet in our solar system would have the technology to send flying objects to Earth. Distance between Earth and the nearest star would make it extremely difficult for alien beings to visit Earth. Main Idea: Alien beings are highly unlikely.

Typical Main Idea Question Stems Choose a title for the selection. What is the main idea of the passage? Identify the best summary of the paragraph. Determine the main topic of a paragraph. Determine what a paragraph or passage is mostly about.