= Partner SiteMain or Central Idea
A main idea is the brief summary of the most important concept or concepts in a passage. There can be a main idea, sometimes called a central idea, in a paragraph or a section of a text as well. Be sure to check out our printable main idea graphic organizers and main idea anchor chart too!
Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856. He dedicated himself to education and started many schools for black students. He founded and was named head of the Tuskegee Institute, a black university in Alabama. Washington was a leader of the African American community until his death in 1915.…
Long ago, a group of mice lived on a farm. The mice were happy because the farm cat was old. Lulu was a lazy cat. She liked to sleep all day. Lulu was not interested in chasing the mice, so they ate all the farmer’s grain. One day, the farmer…
If you’re hiking and you spot a rusty old can, you may be tempted to pick it up for proper disposal. While that sentiment is worthy of admiration, it might not always be proper, or even legal. Laws protect archaeological resources on public lands and even in rivers, lakes, and…
The Yukon Quest is a 1,000-mile dog sled race that takes place every February. The race is run between the cities of Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Sled dogs and their mushers, or drivers, race through extreme weather conditions. They also race over mountains and frozen rivers.…
Devils Tower in Wyoming was named the first United States National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt. His proclamation establishing the monument is below. —————————- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas, It is provided by section two of the Act of Congress approved June 8,…
The book Peter Pan is about the magical flying boy Peter Pan who lives in an amazing place called Neverland. It is to Neverland that he has brought his new friends: Wendy, Michael, and John. Once there, Wendy becomes a pretend mother to the other children there, called the Lost…
On September 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech at Rice University in Houston, Texas. His remarks are a continuation of a promise he made in 1961 to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. The promise was kept when on July 20,…
This passage is a speech from Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth. The title character Macbeth is a Scottish general who receives a prophecy that he would one day be King of Scotland. He becomes ambitious and eager to make the prophecy come true. He is encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth. He…
Caitlyn stepped into the warm, wet sand and wiggled her toes. The white, foamy waves raced over her feet and up her legs and then pulled back again. Caitlyn was on vacation with her family, and she loved playing in the ocean water. It was so clear that she could…
On November 1872, women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony and almost 50 other women voted in Rochester, New York in the election for U.S. president. At the time, only men were allowed to vote in New York. Anthony was arrested for illegally voting. Before her case came to trial, she…
