Finding the Main Idea

Grade 7

The

Main

Idea

What is the Main Idea?

The main idea = what the writer wants the reader to understand about the subject.

The main idea of a passage or reading is the central thought or message.

The main idea is always general, details are always specific.

Why is Finding the

Main Idea Important?• Main ideas help the reader remember important information.

• Finding the main idea is the essence of comprehension.

• Readers need to understand what is important and what is detail.

• The main idea is needed for summarizing and for taking notes.

Finding the Main IdeaNon-Fiction

• First, identify the subject of the text. Try locating the subject in any of these places:

– The title– A heading or subheading– The first sentence of each paragraph– Any key words or repeated words or names– The last sentence of each paragraph

Finding the Main Idea

• Second, decide what the author says about the subject.

– Look at the details and what they say about the subject.

– Decide what all these details add up to.

Finding the Main Idea

• Third, use the Main Idea Graphic Organizer to

– Help you sort the subject from the main idea

– List specific details – Determine the main idea

Subject

What the author says about the subject

Main Idea

Detail 1

Main Idea Graphic Organizer

Detail 3Detail 2

Photos of a Humpback Whale

Ugh!  My camera is all slimy.  I was trying tophotograph a humpback whale as he blew from hisblow hole.  It was too close!  When a humpback whalebreathes, it blows air and water vapor out its blow holeon the top of its head.  The whale's breath, forced outthe hole at 450 kph, is composed of air and watervapor; it can reach 5 meters high and seen from 2kilometers away on a clear day.  It contains a fishysmell and oily substance, which can leave a residue ona camera lens, if too close.  Whale's breathing or 'theblow' is usually the first sign that a whale is present.

Photos of a Humpback WhaleUgh!  My camera is all slimy.  I was trying tophotograph a humpback whale as he blew from hisblow hole.  It was too close!  When a humpbackwhale breathes, it blows air and water vapor out itsblow hole on the top of its head.  The whale'sbreath, forced out the hole at 450 kph, iscomposed of air and water vapor; it can reach 5meters high and seen from 2 kilometers away on aclear day.  It contains a fishy smell and oilysubstance, which can leave a residue on a cameralens, if too close.  Whale's breathing or 'the blow' isusually the first sign that a whale is present.

Heading

First informational

sentence

Last sentence

Repeated words

Key words

Finding the Main Idea --- Looking at Details

• The first sentence tells … – Humpbacks blow air and water vapor from their

blow hole while breathing.

• The second sentence tells … – Humpbacks force air and water vapor out of the

hole at 450 mph and reach a height of 5 meters.

• The third sentence tells… – The air and water vapor smells fishy and has an

oily substance.

• The last sentence tells … – A blow hole is usually the first sign of a whale.

Main Idea Formula

Once you’ve discovered the subject you can determine the main idea.

Subject+ What the author says about the subject

= Main idea

Finding the Main Idea

Subject

+What the author says about the subject

=Main idea

How humpback whales breathe

+–Humpbacks blow air and water vapor from their blow hole while breathing.

–Humpbacks force air and water vapor out of the hole at 450 mph and reach a height of 5 meters.

–The air and water vapor smells fishy and has an oily substance.

When a whale breathes, they blow air and water vapor from their blow hole.

Subject

What the author says about the subject

Main Idea

Detail 1

Main Idea Graphic Organizer

Detail 3Detail 2

Moving fromNonfiction to Fiction

Key Features of Fiction and Non Fiction

Fiction• Title• Made up• Details –

TELL/SHOW• Sequential &

important details• Descriptive words

Nonfiction• Title• Factual• Details–

TELL/SHOW• Sequential &

important events• Repeated key words

KEY POINTBOTH Fiction and Nonfiction have MAIN

IDEAS

Think Abouts…

Fiction• Characters• Setting• Plot• Theme• Mood• Problem• Resolution

Nonfiction• Facts• Statistics• Dates• People, animals,

objects• Idea is specific to

topic

The Inventor

The Inventor was in an amazing plight. His coat was dusty and dirty, and smeared with green down the sleeves; his hair disordered, and as it seemed to me grayer--either with dust and dirt or because its color had actually faded. His face was ghastly pale; his chin had a brown cut on it--a cut half healed; his expression was haggard and drawn, as by intense suffering. For a moment he hesitated in the doorway, as if he had been dazzled by the light. Then he came into the room. He walked with just such a limp as I have seen in foot sore tramps.

The Inventor

The Inventor was in an amazing plight. His coat was dusty and dirty, and smeared with green down the sleeves; his hair disordered, and as it seemed to me grayer--either with dust and dirt or because its color had actually faded. His face was ghastly pale; his chin had a brown cut on it--a cut half healed; his expression was haggard and drawn, as by intense suffering. For a moment he hesitated in the doorway, as if he had been dazzled by the light. Then he came into the room. He walked with just such a limp as I have seen in foot sore tramps.

Heading

First informational

sentence

Object Described

Descriptive words

Last sentence

Finding the Main Idea --- Looking at Events

• The first sentence tells … – The inventor was in a plight.

• The second sentence shows … – His coat was dirty and smeared while his hair

was a messy gray.

• The third sentence shows… – His face was a pasty pale with a cut on his chin

and his expression was haggard and drawn.

• The fourth sentence shows … – He hesitated at the doorway before entering.

• The last sentence shows…– He walked with a limp as of his feet were sore.

Main Idea Formula

Once you’ve discovered the subject you can determine the main idea.

Subject+ What the author says about the subject

= Main idea

Finding the Main Idea

Subject

+What the author says about the subject

=Main idea

The inventor

+His coat was dirty and smeared while his hair was a messy gray.

His face was a pasty pale with a cut on his chin and his expression was haggard and drawn.

He hesitated at the doorway before entering.

He walked with a limp as if his feet were sore.

The inventor was in an amazing plight.

Shopping Malls

Shopping malls are becoming popular gathering places for manyAmericans. The convenience of finding many shops under oneroof is in itself enough to draw in a crowd. Department stores, boutiques, book shops and many more try to entice shoppers. shops that provide services such as hair styling add to theconvenience. Entertainment has not been overlooked, either. Movie theaters, restaurants and amusement arcades can be foundin many malls. Last, but certainly not least, shopping mallsprovide a place for people of all ages to go, whether they areinterested in buying or not. Even if they have no money to spend,they are welcome to stroll, look at the window displays, or just siton the benches. When considering these advantages, it is easy tounderstand why people are flocking to shopping malls.

An Excerpt from “The Cay”

He was extremely old yet seemed powerful. Muscles rippled over the ebony of his arms and around his shoulders. His chest wasthick and his neck was the size of a small treetrunk. I looked at his hands and feet. Theskin was alligatored and cracked, tough fromage and walking barefoot on the hot decks ofschooners and freighters.