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Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Explain the Controlling Idea, Purpose, and Distinguish Details

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, students will learn how to pinpoint the controlling idea, which not only identifies the main idea, but also answers questions about the author's goal or...
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: There Is Something in Common: Finding Common Themes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Students will synthesize information from multiple historical fiction books to find common themes and support them with evidence from the text. Working with a partner who has read a different book, they will share their theme from their...
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PPT
Tom Richey

Slide Share: Main Idea and Detail Power Point

For Students 7th
A slide show with eleven slides with information and examples on finding the main idea and supporting details in an informational text.
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PPT
Tom Richey

Slide Share: Skill Main Idea and Details

For Students 7th Standards
A slide show with fourteen slides with information and examples on finding the main ideas and supporting details in an informational text.
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Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Reading for Main Idea and Supporting Ideas (English Iii Reading)

For Students 11th Standards
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] You will learn to find and analyze the main idea and supporting ideas in a variety of texts.
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Lesson Plan
Florida Center for Reading Research

Florida Center for Reading Research: Classifying Info [Pdf]

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A lesson plan in which students read a text and complete a graphic organizer to find the main idea and supporting details. Materials are included.
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Lesson Plan
Lumen Learning

Lumen: Writing Process: Finding Evidence

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson focuses on finding evidence to support your thesis, how to incorporate your findings into your own work, and how to effectively quote, paraphrase, and summarize your information. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.9, W.11-12.1b...
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Interactive
ABCya

Ab Cya: Oli Finds His Place in the Dirt

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
ABCya! presents its fourth children's storybook for the classroom. Oli Finds His Place in the Dirt, is an original work by Michelle Tocci. The story is about an earthworm who feels sad about not being important. This is a great storybook...
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PPT
Other

Prezi: Finding the Main Idea in 2nd Grade

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
By watching this slideshow, students will learn how to find the main idea in a paragraph and the supporting details. It uses the analogy of the layers of a hamburger deluxe.
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Article
Other

Smekens Educational Solutions: Expose K 2 Readers to Annotation Strategies

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
This article discusses how to begin teaching students in K-2 to record their ideas about text using highlighters, colored pens, large graphic organizers, and sticky notes. Students can retell a story with a storyboard, use a web to find...
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Lesson Plan
Education.com

Education.com: Asking Questions and Finding Answers

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] Pretending to be someone else is so much fun! In this hilarious lesson, young scholars will get to take on the persona of a book character as they practice their question and answer skills. At the...
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Unit Plan
CPALMS

Cpalms: "Beary" Good Details

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
This tutorial shares the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" as he goes on a bear hunt to find out who has been sneaking into his house. Question words are highlighted to help Baby Bear collect key details to help him solve this...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Mc Graw Hill: Part 2 Reading: Informational Text: Reasons and Evidence in Text

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Reasons and evidence are given by the author to support topics or ideas. In this resource, learn about finding reasons and evidence in a text. Includes downloadable worksheet.
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Website
Other

Mt. San Antonio College: Finding the Main Idea

For Students 4th - 6th
Learn about the main idea and get tips on how to find it. After practicing with several short texts, learn how to answer different types of questions about main idea and practice each type.
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Unit Plan
Thinkport Education

Thinkport: Using Multiple Sources: Sea Turtle Populations

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
In this science-themed literacy lesson, students learn how to identify the central idea and key details in an article about sea turtles.
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Handout
University of North Carolina

University of North Carolina: Writing Center: Handouts: Evidence

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
What kinds of evidence best support the points you make in a paper? Where can you find the evidence you need? This handout answers all these questions and more, including the difference between primary and secondary sources. You'll also...
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eBook
Curated OER

Mc Graw Hill: Identify the Main Topic and Key Details

For Students 1st - 2nd Standards
This is a practice exercise to help teach how to find the main topic of a passage by looking at key details. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2
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Handout
The Write Place

Literacy Education Online: Logical Fallacies

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site from the St. Cloud State University provides many links in this index with general writing help. Under "Development" you'll find "Sensory Details." Under "Logical Fallicies" you'll find a link by the same name. Look under...
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Lesson Plan
South Carolina Educational Television

Know It All: Finding Theme

For Teachers 3rd Standards
The students will be able to determine the theme of a story by recalling key details that support the theme.
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Topic & Main Idea

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] Recognizing the main idea is the key to good comprehension. The main idea is a general idea under which fits all the supporting material of the passage or paragraph. Learn and use three strategies that...
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Professional Doc
Other

Landmark School Outreach: Finding the Main Idea

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This reading strategy resource provides steps for identifying the main idea of an informational text. Example informational text paragraphs are provided, along with detailed explanations for the processes used in identifying the main...
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Unit Plan
TES Global

Blendspace: Main Idea

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
A learning module that includes six links to videos, images, and websites that reinforce the reading skill of finding the main idea.
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Unit Plan
Thinkport Education

Thinkport: Multiple Sources: Climate Change and Mummies

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
In this science-themed literacy lesson, students learn how to identify the central idea and key details in an article about ancient mummies.
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Lesson Plan
Other

Curriculum Associates: Determining Theme or Central Idea [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
In this reading comprehension lesson unit, students are guided in learning how to find the main theme or idea of a text and understanding how details in the text convey that. Includes lots of exercises and examples, as well as...