= 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!
Rachel Carson ran home from school. “Mom! Mom!” Mom stood on the front porch. “What’s wrong, Rachel?” “They’re digging up the meadow. There are trucks and men all over.” Rachel paused to catch her breath. “Our beautiful meadow. It’s being destroyed.” Mom gave Rachel a hug. “Yes, honey. It’s called…
Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are interesting animals. They are the biggest cats in the world. A full-grown Amur tiger can weigh over 600 pounds. Unlike lions that live in groups, tigers are solitary animals, meaning they live alone. Tigers also have very good eyesight and hearing. Its…
St. Ives is a place in Great Britain. This poem is a riddle. See if you can find the answer. Kits is a short word for kittens. —————————————- As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, Every sack had…
The first day Mohamed went to a delicatessen in his new neighborhood, he realized that he really wasn’t in Tunisia anymore. He looked up at the menu board, which had nothing but sandwiches on it, and wondered how he was going to figure out what all of these weird names…
Madam C.J. Walker was born on December 23, 1867 near Delta, Louisiana. Her birth name was Sarah Breedlove. Her parents were slaves on the cotton plantation where she was born. Her parents were emancipated, which means freed, in 1863 after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation…
In 1869, naturalist John Muir was hired by a California sheep owner to accompany the flock and shepherds to a summer pasture in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Muir recorded his adventure in his diary which was published in 1911. This passage is from the beginning of the trip. —————————————————— June…
The 1900 Great Galveston Hurricane made landfall on September 8, 1900. At that time, Galveston was the third largest city in Texas with an estimated population of 40,000 people. It was an important city on the Gulf of Mexico. By the time the storm passed, the hurricane and the resulting…
Project Mercury was America’s first human spaceflight program. The project was named after the Roman god of travelers – Mercury. The program began in 1958 and ended in 1963. Project Mercury was an important part of the “Space Race.” The Space Race was a space exploration competition between the United…
Peter Pan tells the story of the adventures of the magical boy named Peter Pan who lives in Neverland with his friends and some amazing beings. Peter’s great enemy, however, is the evil pirate Captain Hook. In this passage, Hook and his pirates have captured many of Peter’s friends. Hook…
Matteo had come to babysit. “I am too big for a sitter!” Sonja said. “We will have fun,” said Matteo “We will not!” said Sonja. She went to her room. She stayed there for a long time. She did not have any fun. Then, Sonja heard something. It was singing.…
