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Contributor: Melissa LaRusso. Lesson ID: 10274
Finding the main idea of a book or article is the key to understanding the text. You will become a "text detective" by following three simple steps to determine the main idea of a passage or book!
Books and other writings have a big, or main, idea.
What is the main idea?
Before looking for the main idea, it helps to understand the term, "main idea." A detective can't search for a stolen car without knowing what the car looks like.
The main idea is the point of a specific paragraph. It is the most important part of the paragraph that the writer wants you to remember more than the other parts.
Click on the story title below to read a short passage. Then, see if you can detect the main ideas in the three paragraphs.
Explore the main idea concept further in the Introduction to Reading Skills: Main Idea/Topic Episode 1 video from McGraw-Hill Education Pre-K-12:
How do you find the main idea?
Read the story carefully.
Identify who or what the sentence, paragraph, or passage is about (Hint: this is a person, place, thing, or animal).
Tell what is most important about the who or what.
Put Numbers 2 and 3 together to describe who or what in less than 10 words.
Why should a reader find the main idea?
Determining the main idea improves reading comprehension in all content areas. It also improves the reader's ability to write a summary.
Think about this for a bit, then move on to the Got It? section to practice identifying the main idea.
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