Theme vs. Main Idea Get to the Point!

Can you find it? See if you can find the main idea in the following paragraph…

Exercise can help the body in various ways Exercise can help the body in various ways. To begin with, daily exercise can help keep the body at a healthy weight. More importantly, exercise can help reduce stress levels in the body. When you have a difficult test or quiz coming up, a great way to relax is to…move! Exercise is great stress relief.

Exercise can help the body in various ways. This is the main idea. What details did you see that support that main idea? How did you know it was the main idea?

Main Idea Central point that a speaker or writer wants to communicate In essays, the main idea is usually seen in the thesis statement Main ideas are general statements that need supporting details to explain them

Can you find it? Think about some of the stories from your childhood What were the themes in those?

Little Red Riding Hood What is the theme in this children’s story? How do you know?

Goldilocks What is the theme in this children’s story? How do you know?

Theme A theme is a central message, concern, or insight Usually expressed in a 1 or 2 sentence statement about human beings or life Usually not stated directly Can be multiple

Connection to the Text What were the themes of the stories we read a week ago? Yeh-Shen Amigo Brothers