Main Idea and Supporting Details

The main idea is what a passage is mostly about. What is the main idea? The main idea is what a passage is mostly about.

What are supporting details? They are the sentences that explain, or support, the main idea.

Paragraph Main Idea Supporting Details

Why are main ideas and supporting details important? Good paragraphs have main ideas and supporting details. They help readers understand what an author is saying. They help writers organize their writing so that their message is clear.

Your Goals for the Day To know what main idea is. To know what supporting details are. To know how to identify main ideas and supporting details in a passage.

Many people are scared of bears Many people are scared of bears. There are a lot of stories about bears attacking humans. However, bears do not usually attack humans. Did you know that they are actually shy? In fact, bears usually only attack when they are hungry and are in need of food. There are a lot of bears in the forest. What is the main idea of the paragraph? A. Bears live in the forest. B. Bears usually attack only when they are hungry. C. Bears are actually shy. D. Many people are scared of bears, but bears are actually shy and don’t usually attack unless they are hungry and looking for food.

Many people are scared of bears Many people are scared of bears. There are a lot of stories about bears attacking humans. However, bears do not usually attack humans. Did you know that they are actually shy? In fact, bears usually only attack when they are hungry and are in need of food. There are a lot of bears in the forest. Which sentence in the paragraph does not support the main idea? A. “Many people are scared of bears.” B. “There are a lot of bears in the forest.” C. “Did you know that they are actually shy?” D. “However, bears do not usually attack humans.”

Which sentence best describes the main idea of the passage? A. Brandon Rose is 11 years old and has his own business. He runs Rose Express, a flower delivery service. "I deliver a bouquet of flowers each month to each customer," explains Brandon. "I like telling my customers about the flowers I deliver."      "Rose Express flowers are better than flowers from the store. They're fresher," he says.      Each month Brandon finds out what his nine customers want and orders them from a nursery. His father helps him make deliveries.      Sometimes Brandon's mother helps him, too. She helps him with keeping records.      Brandon wants to increase the number of customers he has. "I want 15 customers by the end of the year," he says. For now, most of Brandon's customers are friends of people he knows. Which sentence best describes the main idea of the passage? A. Brandon Rose, an 11-year-old, has his own flower delivery service. B. Brandon Rose has 9 customers. C. Brandon’s parents help him with his business. D. Rose Express flowers are better than flowers from the store.