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Angeles Rubio Yair
Mendiola Lobera Eduardo

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Finding the Main Idea
Updated August 31, 2023
A commonly used reading comprehension strategy is to teach students how to find the main idea. But why does this strategy work?

To support students' understanding and to help lessen students' cognitive demands, the research recommends that educators explicitly teach students about text structure. What Works Clearinghouse offers recommendations for improving reading comprehension in early readers. Specifically they suggest: "teach students to identify and use the text organizational structure to comprehend, learn, and remember content" (Shanahan et al, p. 17). They go on to assert that research related to effective strategies shows that students can retain and understand information better when they are taught how to "recognize the structure of a text" (Shanahan et al, p. 36).

These recommendations and research demonstrate the effectiveness of explicitly teaching students to find the main idea. Learning to recognize text structure and to apply strategies to identify and generate topics, main ideas, and supporting details helps develop comprehension skills. As content becomes more challenging, effective comprehension strategies play an ever-more-essential role.

How Can I Locate the Main Idea?

Once you can find the topic, you are ready to find the main idea. The main idea is the point of the paragraph. It is the most important thought about the topic.

To figure out the main idea, ask yourself this question: What is being said about the person, thing, or idea (the topic)?

The author can locate the main idea in different places within a paragraph. The main idea is usually a sentence, and it is usually the first sentence. The writer then uses the rest of the paragraph to support the main idea.

Let's use the paragraph below as an example. First find the topic, then look for the main idea.

Summer is a wonderful time to spend at West Beach. It is a beach with light- colored, soft sand. The coastline goes on for a long way and many people enjoy walking along it. Children like to play in the surf and walk along the rocks that are visible at low tide. This is a fun beach for people of all ages.

In this paragraph:

the topic is West Beach

the main idea (what the writer is saying about the topic) is that summer is a wonderful time at West Beach

Here is another example:

The movie Apollo 13 was a blockbuster for the summer of 1995. It is an exciting story about space exploration. In the movie, the astronauts get in trouble while they are trying to return to Earth. People in the audience are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens. What makes it even more exciting is that it is a true story.

In this paragraph:

the topic is the movie Apollo 13

the main idea is in the first sentence: Apollo 13 was a blockbuster for the summer of 1995

While the main idea is usually in the first sentence, the next most common placement is in the last sentence of a paragraph. The author gives supporting information first and then makes the point in the last sentence.

Here's a paragraph we can use as an example. Try to locate the topic and the main idea.

Most teenagers and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow the choices. For example you can take an interest test, do some research on your own about a career, try volunteer work in the field in which you are interested, or "job-shadow", in which you spend a day with a person who is working in a field that interests you. These are just a few helpful ideas as you begin to choose a career.

In this paragraph:

the topic is jobs or career choices

the main idea is a few ideas to help the reader choose a career

Finally, an author might put the main idea in the middle of a paragraph. The author will spend a few sentences introducing the topic, present the main idea, then spend the rest of the paragraph supporting it. This can make the main idea more difficult to find.

See if you can find the topic and main idea in the paragraph below.

The United States seems to be in love with the idea of going out to eat. Because of this, a real variety of restaurants has come about specializing in all kinds of foods. McDonald's is the king of a subgroup of restaurants called fast-food restaurants. Chances are, no matter where you live, there is a McDonald's restaurant near you. There are even McDonald's in the Soviet Union. Now McDonald's is trying something new. It is called McDonald's Express and there is a test site in Peabody, Massachusetts. It is part of a Mobil gas station. This allows you to fill up with gas and fill up on food at the same time. What will they think of next?

In this paragraph:

the topic is McDonald's

the main idea is in the middle of the paragraph, in the third sentence: McDonald's is the king of fast food

Excerpted from:
Study Skills: A Landmark School Student Guide
(out of print)
by Diane Vener,
© 2002 Landmark School, Inc.
References:

View Course Descriptions

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Finding the Main Idea Strategies | Landmark Outreach

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Learn strategies to help students with finding the main idea by asking this question: What is being said about the person, thing, or idea (the topic)?

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The main idea of a paragraph is the author's message about the topic. It is often expressed directly or it can be implied.

Where are the main ideas found?
It is easy to identify a main idea that is directly expressed in the text.

Main ideas are often found at the beginning of paragraphs. The first sentence often explains the subject being discussed in the passage.

Main ideas are also found in the concluding sentences of a paragraph. The main idea can be expressed as a summation of the information in the paragraph as well as a link to the information in the next paragraph.

The main idea is not always clearly stated. It is more difficult to identify a main idea when it is inferred or implied. It can be implied through other words in the paragraph. An implied main idea can be found in several ways.

Several sentences in a paragraph can imply the main idea by introducing facts about the topic before actually stating the topic.

Implied ideas can be drawn from facts, reasons, or examples that give hints or suggestions concerning the main idea. These hints will be clues leading you to discover the main idea in the selected text.

Try the passage below to see if you can pick out the main idea.

"To many parents, the infant's crying may be mainly an irritation, especially if it continues for long periods. But crying serves important functions for the child as well as for the parents. For the child, crying helps improve lung capacity and the respiratory system. Perhaps more important, the cry serves as a signal of distress. When babies cry, they indicate that they are hungry or in pain, and this is important information for parents."

Use the hints below to determine the correct main idea of this paragraph.
After reading a paragraph ask, "What point is the author making in this passage?"

Ask the following questions:

Who - Does this passage discuss a person or group of people?

When - Does the information contain a reference to time?

Where - Does the text name a place?

Why - Do you find a reason or explanation for something that happened?

How - Does this information indicate a method or a theory?

How can I determine if I have selected the correct main idea of a paragraph?

If you are able to summarize the information in the passage in your own words,you have absorbed the correct main idea. To accomplish this goal, try the steps listed below after reading a short section of your textbook.

Write a short summary in your own words about what you have read.

Does your summary agree with this general topic?

Does your summary contain the same ideas being expressed by the author?

Could you write a headline (or textbook subheading) that would express your summary in less than five words?

If you are able to rephrase your choice of a topic sentence into a question and then determine if the passage answers your question, you have been successful at selecting a main idea.

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Finding the Main Idea When Reading: Columbia College

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The main idea of a paragraph is the author's message about the topic. It is often expressed directly or it can be implied. It is easy to identify a main idea that is directly expressed in the text. Main ideas are often found at the beginning of paragraphs.

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mostly about.It sums up the whole story.It is what you come up with if you were asked to summarize a story in one sentence.

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(Links)

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Tips to identify the main idea and some excersices about this.

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Tips to identify the main idea and some excersices about this.

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We have a beautiful song to understand this topic in a easy form.

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We have a beautiful song to understand this topic in a easy form.

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The main idea is the central, or most important, idea in a paragraph or passage. It states the purpose and sets the direction of the paragraph or passage.

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What is the Main idea of a text?