Grade 1 · Reading · Comprehension

1st Grade Main Topic and Key Details worksheets

6 printable versionsBuilding ConfidenceAbout 10 minutes eachFree · no account

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

★

Tired of searching for worksheets?

We’ll email one free Grade 1 worksheet every school day. Your child does it on paper. No account needed.

Version

Main Topic and Key Details

Grade 1 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the answer.

Read this first
How a Frog Grows
A frog starts life as an egg. The mother lays her eggs in a pond. A tiny tadpole hatches from each egg. Tadpoles stay in the water. They breathe through gills, like fish. Tadpoles have tails and swim. Soon they grow legs. Their tails get shorter. Tadpoles hide in the weeds. Big fish cannot see them there. At last, they hop out of the water as little frogs.
1.
What is this text mostly about?
- where a frog lays eggs
- how a frog grows
- what a frog likes to play
2.
Which sentence is a key detail from this text?
- Tadpoles never grow legs.
- Tadpoles live in trees.
- The mother lays her eggs in a pond.
3.
Which sentence is NOT in this text?
- Tadpoles live in trees.
- The mother lays her eggs in a pond.
- Soon they grow legs.
4.
Which title fits the whole text best?
- Where a Frog Lays Eggs
- How a Frog Grows
- Animals That Live in Water
5.
Which sentence gives another key detail?
- Tadpoles live in trees.
- The mother lays her eggs on the grass.
- Tadpoles have tails and swim.
6.
Which title is too small for the whole text?
- How a Frog Grows
- Animals That Live in Water
- Frog Eggs in a Pond
7.
Which title is too big for this text?
- Animals That Live in Water
- How a Frog Grows
- How a Tadpole Swims
8.
Which sentence tells more about how a frog grows?
- Soon they grow legs.
- The mother lays her eggs on the grass.
- Tadpoles never grow legs.
9.
Which question does this text answer?
- How does a frog grow?
- Where do frogs go in winter?
- How far can a frog jump?
10.
What does the word "tadpole" mean in this text?
- a kind of fish
- a small pond plant
- a baby frog that lives in water

1st Grade Main Topic and Key Details worksheet 1 – printable PDF — Download PDF: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

The main topic tells what a nonfiction text is mostly about, and key details teach something important about that topic. Young readers sometimes choose the most surprising sentence as the topic or select an answer that is true in real life but never appears in the text. This worksheet gives children short informational texts, printed once above the questions that use them, and asks them to name the broad topic, locate a supporting fact, reject an unrelated statement, choose a title that covers the whole text, and find another key detail.

Support versions use the shortest texts in the pool. Standard and challenge texts are longer, with more facts to sort. Before looking at the choices, ask your child to finish the sentence, 'This whole text teaches me about…' Then have them point to one sentence that proves their answer. That two-step routine links the big idea to evidence.

What your child will learn

State what a text is mostly about
Choose a key supporting detail
Reject an unrelated detail
Select a title that fits the whole text

Common Core standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.2

Worked example

A text says bees visit flowers and carry pollen. Its main topic is how bees help flowers; carrying pollen is one key detail.

Common mistake

Choosing one interesting detail as the main topic instead of finding an idea that covers every sentence.

Helpful hint

Ask what all the sentences teach together, then find a fact that supports that idea.

Next skill: Ask and Answer Questions Earlier: Beginning, Middle, and End

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with main topic and key details?

Choosing one interesting detail as the main topic instead of finding an idea that covers every sentence.

How can I help my child with main topic and key details?

Ask what all the sentences teach together, then find a fact that supports that idea.

Are these 1st grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

More 1st grade comprehension

See all comprehension

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records