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Lesson Plan: Long Vowel Phoneme "oa"
Students read The Toad and The Goat, discuss main idea and story sequence, and identify rhyming words with the "oa" sound.
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Main Idea and Supporting Details
Second graders write topic sentences. In this writing lesson, 2nd graders construct a paragraph consisting of a topic sentence and 2-4 additional sentences. Students analyze their writing and publish a final copy.
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Creating Summaries
Fourth graders generate written summaries from non-fiction articles. In this writing lesson, 4th graders determine what must be included in writing a good summary and then work in small groups to construct summaries after reading...
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Main Ideas and Sequence Comprehension Test
In this main idea/sequence worksheet, students choose the correct word that fits a description given. Worksheet is labeled as a quiz, but is suitable for practice.
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What's the Big Idea? Exercise 3
In this main idea worksheet, students write the common subject for the group of words. Students add anther word that could be included in the group.
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Key Sentences
In this key sentences worksheet, students read the sentences and select the key sentence for each example and the main idea.
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Animal Farm Chapter One Summary
In this Animal Farm chapter one worksheet, students state the main idea of the chapter. The worksheet asks that the student summary includes title, author, topic, main idea, and quotations. In addition, students paraphrase the chapter...
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"The Important Thing About" Main Idea Worksheet
In this main idea learning exercise, students complete answers to 3 questions: The important thing about is______, it is true that_______, but the important thing is__________. Worksheet is designed to aid comprehension of text.
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Topic, Detail, Response
In this main idea and details learning exercise, students read a passage chosen by the teacher then fill in a 3 part graphic organizer with the topic, details supporting the topic and a personal response to the topic.
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Selective Underlining
In this problem solving activity, students read a three paragraph passage and underline the main idea and supporting details. Students must infer the main idea if it is not directly stated.
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Identify Main Idea
Students identify the main idea of a paragraph. They identify the main idea, think about who or what the story is about. Students are told that the main idea is the most important information the author wants the reader to comprehend the...
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Language Arts: Creating Original Fiction
Fourth graders create fictional stories and demonstrate the use of various writing techniques. After selecting their main ideas, they find appropriate graphics to use as illustrations. In groups, 4th graders apply Hyperstudio in...
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What's Important?
Students, through teacher modeling and guided practice, explore four steps/rules of summarizing. In groups, they read a short passage and then, by applying the summarization rules and skills, write an effective summary of it.
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Language Arts: A "Perfect" Lesson
Students read "Be A Perfect Person in Just three days," and participate in a host of activities. Connected to technology, they use online sources to create word searches and puzzles from vocabulary words. In addition, students create...
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Character Sketch
Students view a PowerPoint presentation about Character sketches, and write a four paragraph character sketch. Emphasis is placed on topic sentences having one main idea per paragraph and elaborating. They study and discuss ways to write...
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What Did You Say?
Twelfth graders identify main ideas in reading selections. They read newspaper letters to the editor, identify the main ideas, list the supporting details, and present each side of the issue to the class.
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Evaluating Material By Using Quotations
Twelfth graders examine how to evaluate reading material by using direct quotations. They read a Newsweek magazine article, answer questions, underline the passage that supports their written response, and write a letter to a senator...
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Finding the Main Idea and Supporting Details
Twelfth graders examine how to identify the main idea and supporting details in a reading passage. They read an article, answer who, what, when, where, and how, discuss the answers, and identify the main idea and supporting details.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Moths
Scientists conduct an experiment to learn about moths' attraction to light in this video segment from WILD TV. [4:10]
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Everglades
In this video segment from WILD TV, a scientist in the Florida Everglades talks about her research on the pig frog. [6:25]
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Semantic Feature Analysis
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section on semantic features helps students recognize supporting details as they read.
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Selective Underlining
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section focuses on identifying main ideas and significant details by selectively underlining them in a text.
Other
Research Assistant: For Students: Purpose Statement
This site gives advice on how to write an effective purpose (thesis) statement. The summary is given as answers to four questions: what? why? when? how?.
University of Houston
University of Houston: Extra! Extra! What's the Big Idea?!
Get the feel of running a newspaper by selecting articles and pictures. If you are interested in checking out real newspapers, there is a clickable list of online newspapers for younger readers.