Teach 4 details that imply a text’s main idea

Determining the main idea (or central idea) of any text is the starting point of comprehension. If the reader can’t determine what a text is mostly about, then he can’t analyze it at a deeper level.

However, many students confuse the main idea with the more obvious topic. Although the topic is included in a main-idea statement (e.g., Super Bowl), the rest of the sentence reveals what about that topic the text specifically addresses.

Teach your students to look for the four typical details that authors include to imply what the text is mostly about.

Duration: 3:12 | Grades 3-12