Description
Our Main Idea Lesson Plan develops critical thinking skills as students will be able to determine the main idea of a text, and explain how details support the main idea. This lesson includes ample opportunities to practice locating the main idea sentence within a passage, as well as engaging creativity as students compose their own paragraph with accompanying images or drawings.
Sample Classroom Procedure / Teacher Resources Snippet:
- Ask one student to stand in front of the room. Ask him/her to tell the class an interesting fact about themselves. Write it in a sentence for display. The student remains in front of the room.
- Do this four more times, writing each sentence for display.
- Ask the class to think of a sentence you could write that introduces the information you have written. (Example: Mrs. [teacher name] has some interesting students in her classroom.)
- Tell students this is a Main Idea sentence. Tell the class each student standing supports the main idea with their information.
- Distribute Main Idea content pages. Read and review the information with the students. Use additional resources to enhance understanding.
- Ask students to share the main idea of their favorite book.
- Allow for responses and discussion.
- Distribute Activity pages. Read and review the instructions. Remind students the Main Idea sentence may not always be placed at the beginning of a paragraph. Distribute the scissors, glue, construction paper, colored pencils.
- Tell students when they make their paragraph it may be based on something true or make-believe. Students may add images or draw pictures on the construction page related to the paragraphs.
- Once all are completed, allow students volunteers to share the correct answers as well as their paragraphs with the class, identifying each main idea sentence.
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Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1.D, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.4
Class Sessions (45 minutes): At least 2 class sessions
Additional Resources:
Want more reading resources? Check out our other Reading Lesson Plans!