Finding the Main Idea It’s the most important point!

What Is a Main Idea? A main idea is the most important idea expressed in a piece of nonfiction writing. It’s the point that the writer is making. Remember that the topic and the main idea are not the same. The topic, or subject, is what the text is all about. The main idea is the most important thing said about the topic.

Where Is the Main Idea? Main ideas are sometimes stated directly. Stated main ideas are usually written out in a sentence or two. They often come near the beginning or end of the text. However, main ideas are usually implied. If the main idea isn’t stated directly, you have to infer, or guess, the main idea based on the information in the text.

Inferring the Main Idea Step 1:Identify the key details or events in the selection. What ideas do they support? How are these details or events connected? Step 2: Look for a major idea stated several times in slightly different words.

Inferring the Main Idea Step 3: Pay attention to details or key passages near the end of the selection. Is the writer emphasizing or summing up a major idea?

Just remember... Main Idea Important Detail Important Detail Important Detail Important Detail Important Detail Important Detail All the important details in a selection will lead directly to the main idea. Inferring the Main Idea

Let’s Practice When I first got my puppy, I was a bit overwhelmed. Quigley was cute, but he was lots of trouble, and I was responsible for taking care of him and training him. Using the puppy-training manual that my parents gave me, I did my best to house-train Quigley and keep him from tearing up the house and our belongings. He learned quickly, but he had a few bad habits—chewing on shoes, shredding paper, and rolling in mud puddles—that were really hard to break. With months of training, lots of patience, and lots of love, he outgrew most of his bad habits and calmed down a bit. Now, I actually brag about how well behaved he is. © Dale C. Spartas/Corbis

Let’s Practice He was lots of trouble Brag about how well behaved the dog is Overwhelmed by the puppy at first Responsible for taking care of him and training him Training, patience, and love improved behavior He had bad habits The time spent training the puppy was worth it.

On Your Own After battling a blaze in an abandoned auto shop on March 29 last year, New York City firefighters were startled to hear meowing. There, amid the smoke, sat three crying kittens; across the street were two more. Within moments, their mother, a badly injured calico, was found nearby. “She had done her job and pulled them out one by one,” says firefighter David Giannelli, who placed the animals in a box. “Her eyes were burnt shut, but she touched every one of those of babies with the tip of her nose.” from “Trial by Fire,” People Magazine (July 14, 1997) From “Brave Hearts” (retitled “Trial by Fire”) by Dan Jewel and Sophfronia Scott from People Weekly, July 14, Copyright © 1997 by Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of People Weekly.

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