1. Main Idea What’s the Big Idea?

2. Main Idea The purpose of the paragraph or text Main idea tells you what the story or paragraph is about. Every story or paragraph has a main idea All information in the paragraph or story should connect to the main idea Some information is not as important The most important thing that is discussed in the text

3. Identifying Main Idea 1.Read the whole text. 2.Find the topic. Ask: Who or what is the selection about? 3.After finding the topic, ask: What is the author’s main point about the topic?

4. Supporting Details The supporting details are the things that describe the main idea. These supporting details make the main idea stronger.

5. Stated vs. Implied Stated main idea: The main idea is stated in the passage. It can be highlighted or underlined. Implied main idea: It is not stated in the passage. Only hints are given.

6. Example Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to walk on the surface of the moon, but they were not the last. That was Gene Cernan, the last man to step off the lunar surface. In total there have been twelve men who have walked on the moon, all of whom had done so between 1969 and 1972, which is the most recent non-Michael Jackson moon walking.

7. Understanding Main Idea You must comprehend the text. Focus on the BIGGEST idea. Armstrong & Aldrin First Men on the Moon Cernan was the Last Man on the Moon 12 Men Have Walked On the Moon This paragraph is about moon walkers.

8. Careful… Test writers may ask you: “Another good title for this passage would be…” It’s just a way of asking for the main idea.

9. Read the Passage and Choose the Main Idea Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America. It is on the Niagara River halfway between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Niagara Falls is located on the American and Canadian border. The American Falls is 167 feet high. On the Canadian side, the Horseshoe Falls is 161 feet high.

10. Question What is the main idea of the passage? Remember main idea is what the story is about.

11. Answer Main Idea: Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America.

12. Choose the Main Idea of this Passage The Statue of Liberty is visited by thousands of people every year. The Statue of Liberty is a 151 foot statue of woman holding a book and a torch. It was a gift of friendship from the people of France. It has become the universal symbol for freedom.

13. Question What is the main idea of this passage? What was the passage about?

14. Answer Main Idea: The Statue of Liberty

15. Find the Supporting Details in this Passage The Erie Canal changed the way people moved goods in the 1800’s. The 363 mile canal connected Albany, New York to Lake Erie in Buffalo for the first time. When the Canal opened in 1825, building supplies and goods could be transported quickly and cheaply across New York State. Canal boats pulled by mules carried people and supplies across New York.

16. Question Main Idea: Lake Erie changed the way people moved goods. What are the supporting details of this passage? Remember supporting details describe the main idea.

17. Answer Supporting Details: 1-The 363 mile canal connected Albany and New York for the first time. 2-The canal boats pulled by mules carried people and supplies across New York State. 3-The canal made a way for goods to be transported cheaply and quickly.

18. Review Our stories would not make sense if they did not include a main idea with supporting details. You will need to be able to select the main idea and the supporting details from everything you read.