Finding the Main Idea

Important Words to Know Paragraph = A group of sentences organized around a topic, a main idea about the topic, and details that support the main idea.

Important Words to Know Main Idea = A statement that tells the author’s point about the topic. The main idea provides the message of a given paragraph or the argument that is being made about the topic.

Important Words to Know Details = The specific information about the main idea or support for the main idea.

Main Idea = Topic + Author’s Point about the Topic

What is the Main Idea? The main idea of a text is the author's message about the topic. It is often expressed directly or it can be implied.

Where do you find the main idea? If the main idea is expressed directly… It is found at the beginning of paragraphs, usually as a topic sentence. Main ideas are also found in the concluding sentences of a paragraph, as a summation.

Where do you find the main idea? If the main idea is implied… Several sentences in a paragraph can imply the main idea by introducing facts about the topic before actually stating the topic. Implied ideas can be drawn from facts, reasons, or examples that give hints or suggestions concerning the main idea.

Questions to Ask Who - Does this passage discuss a person or group of people? When - Does the information contain a reference to time? Where - Does the text name a place? Why - Do you find a reason or explanation for something that happened? How - Does this information indicate a method or a theory?

Finding the Main Idea Tips & Tricks Identify the key words of a sentence Identify key words or topic of a paragraph Identify the topic sentence of a paragraph Recognize the explicitly stated point of a paragraph Infer the main idea of a sentence Infer the main idea of a paragraph Infer relationships among ideas in related paragraphs from longer selections

Let’s Practice…

What is the main idea? Big Macs are disgusting and bad for you. Americans eat too much fast food as verified with the growing obesity epidemic. People enjoy the perks of fast food as seen with the expansion of McDonalds. Peabody, Massachusetts is a tourist trap for burger-loving vacationers.

What is the main idea? If you have ever folded a piece of paper to make an airplane, you were practicing the ancient Japanese art of origami. The word origami comes from two Japanese words: ori, which means “to fold,” and kami, which means “paper.” In origami, a single sheet of paper is folded in different ways to create different shapes, such as animals or flowers. The nice thing about origami is that you can do it anywhere. There is no cutting, gluing, or drawing.

What is the main idea? Origami is for the artistically challenged who don’t like to cut, glue, or draw. Origami is a Japanese art form. Creating paper airplanes is a form of origami. Folding designs out of paper is the ancient practice of Origami.

Read the following passage and write the main idea… Police depend on evidence to solve crimes. Forensic scientists collect evidence to solve many different kinds of cases, including robberies, missing persons, and even murders. Examining the crime scene with precise methods, they collect hair, fibers, trash, and many other tiny bits of material, which help them, determine the individual who committed the crime. They are particularly interested in evidence, such as fingerprints, that can be linked to a specific person.

Possible Answer… Forensic scientists collect evidence to solve many different kinds of mysteries, including robberies, missing persons, and murders.

Read the following passage and write the main idea… To this day, Cleopatra remains a popular figure in Western culture. Her legacy survives in numerous works of art and the many dramatizations of her story in literature and other media, including William Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra. Cleopatra’s death remains a mystery with two possible scenarios: (1) that she applied a toxic ointment, or (2) that she was bitten by an asp or a cobra. Scholars remain unsure if Cleopatra poisoned herself or was murdered.