Main Idea & Text Features
Aligned to RI.2.2 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
The main idea is the most important point of a section, and the details tell more about it. Captions, bold words, and an index are tools that help you find and understand facts.
Worked examples
Example 1
A section says bees help flowers grow. That is the main idea. A bold word 'pollen' and a caption under a photo give details that support it.
Example 2
A section says volcanoes form where Earth's plates meet. That is the main idea; the map and the photo caption are the details.
Example 3
The heading usually states the main idea before you read a word of the paragraph. Read headings first.
Practice questions
- State the main idea of a nonfiction section in one sentence.
- Use an index to find which page talks about 'wings.'
- Why might an author put a word in bold?
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Idea Principal y Características del Texto
La idea principal es el punto más importante de una sección, y los detalles dan más información sobre ella. Los pies de foto, las palabras en negritas y el índice son herramientas que te ayudan a encontrar y comprender datos.
Ejemplo 1: Una sección dice que las abejas ayudan a las flores a crecer. Esa es la idea principal. La palabra en negrita 'polen' y el pie de foto debajo de una imagen dan detalles que la apoyan.
Ejemplo 2: Una sección dice que los volcanes se forman donde se encuentran las placas de la Tierra. Esa es la idea principal; el mapa y el pie de foto son los detalles.
Ejemplo 3: El título normalmente dice la idea principal antes de que leas una palabra del párrafo. Lee los títulos primero.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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