Read each passage. Circle the sentence that tells the main idea.
Read this first
Maya at the Piano
Maya practices the piano every day. She plays for twenty minutes after school. She plays her hardest song on Saturdays. Her teacher says her playing is getting better.
1.
Music is fun.
Maya practices the piano every day and is getting better.
She practices only once a month.
She plays her hardest song on Saturdays.
The Rainforest
Rainforests are warm and wet all year. More than half of the world's kinds of plants and animals live there. Tall trees make a green roof high above the ground. Many animals live in the trees.
2.
Forests are important.
Rainforests are cold and dry.
Rainforests are warm, wet places full of life.
Many animals live in the trees.
Penguins
Penguins are birds that cannot fly. They use their wings to swim fast in the sea. Their feathers keep them warm and dry. They eat fish and krill.
3.
Penguins fly south each winter.
Penguins are birds that swim instead of fly.
Penguins use their wings to swim fast.
Birds live in many places.
Busy Honeybees
Honeybees live together in a hive. Each bee has a job. Some bees gather nectar from flowers. Others feed the baby bees. A few guard the door of the hive.
The main idea is what a whole passage is mostly about, and the key details are the facts that support it. A third grader learns to tell them apart: the main idea covers everything in the passage, while a detail covers only one part. This topic has both skills, and each worksheet practices one: the odd-numbered versions ask for the main idea of four short passages, and the even-numbered versions ask for a detail from each passage.
The wrong choices include a detail that is too small to be the main idea, a statement that is too big, and a sentence the passage does not say. Building Confidence has three choices, On Level and Challenge Me have four. Ask your child to say the passage in one sentence before reading the choices.
What your child will learn
Find the main idea of a short passage
Tell a key detail from the main idea
Check that a detail is really in the passage
Common Core standard: RL.3.2, RI.3.2
Worked example
Honeybees each have a job: some gather nectar, some feed babies, and some guard the door. The main idea is that bees in a hive each have a job. 'Some bees gather nectar' is one detail.
Common mistake
Choosing a detail as the main idea because it appears in the passage, even though it covers only one part.
Helpful hint
Ask: does this sentence cover the whole passage, or just one part?
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