Sometimes it seems easy to know what the author wants the reader to understand from a paragraph. It may be stated in the title or in the first sentence. Other times the reader has to think carefully about what the author is saying. The main idea isn't always found at the beginning of a paragraph. It's important for students to identify the main idea and supporting details in their reading material.
Main Idea in a Paragraph Lesson Plan Objectives
Students will identify a main idea
- in a title
- in the first sentence of a paragraph
- in the middle of a paragraph
- expressed in two sentences
- at the end of the paragraph
- implied, not stated
Materials Needed
- copies of paragraphs with main ideas in different parts of the paragraph and word webs for each student
- pencils
- paragraphs brought by students
- highlighters
Procedure: Main Idea at the Beginning of a Paragraph
Tell the students that the main idea in a paragraph is the most important part of the paragraph. It is what the author wants them to know. Every other part of the paragraph is a detail that tells more about the main idea. Read the following paragraph to students.
The Long Journey
Visitors remember the long hot trips to Jones Beach. First they rode an automobile to Jolly Bay. Then they rode across the bay on a ferry. When they finally got across the bay they had to ride over a rough trail to get to the beach. The trip took most of the day..
Ask students to tell the main idea of the paragraph. When they have identified the caption, The Long Journey as the main idea, tell them that every other sentence in the paragraph is a detail that tells more about the main idea.
Draw a word web with a large circle in the middle and five circles extending from the large one. Write The Long Journey in the large middle circle. Ask students to say the sentences that support the main idea. Write these sentences in the smaller circles and tell the students these sentences are details that add more information to the main idea, The Long Journey.
Procedure: Main Idea in Other Places
Explain that sometimes the main idea is found in different places in a paragraph.
- In the beginning
- in the middle
- at the end
- two sentences may tell the main idea
- The author may not write the main idea, but expects the reader to find it from the details of the paragraph.
Copy a paragraph from the students' textbooks that tells the main idea in the first sentence. Give each student a copy and ask them to read the paragraph and find the main idea. Draw a second word web and repeat the first exercise writing the main idea in the middle circle and the details in the smaller circles.
Independent Work
Make copies of paragraphs from textbooks, magazines, or newspapers that have the main idea in different parts of the paragraph. Give the students copies of a word web and a paragraph. Ask them to find the main idea and details and write them in the correct places. Guide discussion about the students' answers.
Continue working with word webs and paragraphs until students have identified main ideas in different places and those that are implied but not stated.
Group Work
Have students form groups of four. Give each student a copy of one of the articles that the students brought from home. Ask students to use highlighters to mark the main ideas in their articles. Ask them to trade paragraphs and discuss the results in their groups. Pull the group together and give students an opportunity to share their findings.
Assessment
Teacher observation of student participation in individual and group work.
Finding the main idea is an important comprehension skill. Students should learn to look for the main idea in the title or in the first sentence, in the middle of the story or passage, or at the end. Sometimes the writer implies the main idea but does not write it. Students must learn to identify main ideas even if they're implied but not written.
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