Main Idea
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Discuss
Where is the main idea most often found?
1 / 7
Alright, class. I know you're ready for the weekend. (Ya!) Don't forget about your five-page paper. (No!) Make sure that you express your main idea and back it up.
Listen up,
Lend me an ear,
The hot new thing is the main idea.
Supported by the details to keep it all clear,
The main idea's the reason that we're all here.
Yeah, come on.
Have you ever read something and when you got to the end,
You didn't get the point, nope, you didn't understand?
Well let me break it down for the next time you read,
There's gonna be three basic things you'll see:
The subject, main idea and the details,
Sort of like a city, the house, the people.
Subject is the broad thing that it's about,
The main idea? (What's that now?)
It's the main thing the writer wants to say,
It's the central point. You get it? OK?
You can often find it in the first couple lines,
But it could be anywhere, so go find it.
It's supported by specific details,
The facts in the sentences, be real —
They should add up to make the main idea, kid,
They form up like cheerleaders in a pyramid.
Like I just read an article called “Bear Facts,”
And it talked about how they could be brown or black,
Polar or grizzly or another type,
They're all good hunters and they know how to fight.
'Cause they have big paws so they can catch fish,
And big sharp teeth that they eat with.
And if they wanna climb a tree to find something to eat,
Their super sharp claws are all that they need.
See? Now let's break it down,
I mean let's dig deeper in the article I found.
What's the subject? (Bears!)
And what would be the main idea they had there?
(That bears are good hunters. That's most important!)
And how about the details they had to support it?
(They have large teeth, paws and claws!)
And that's how you know hunting is a bear's job.
Listen up,
Lend me an ear,
The hot new thing is the main idea.
Supported by the details to keep it all clear,
The main idea's the reason that we're all here.
Yeah, come on.
I just read a story about a boy named Ben
On the first day of school (Well what happened then?)
Ben clutched his new backpack and walked in
With a big smile when he saw his old friends.
Tried to play it cool when he saw his old crush,
But when she was close, his mind turned to mush.
He liked his art teacher, that class was real fun,
Ben was so worked up that he could hardly eat lunch.
Now what's the subject? (Ben's first day of school!)
And what's the main idea? What's the author wanna prove?
(Ben's first day of school was exciting!)
And details to back that up? Where are they hiding?
(When Ben saw his old friends he was psyched,
And he was nervous around the girl that he liked!)
He even had a backpack that was brand new
Now I get the main idea. Can you?
Listen up,
Lend me an ear,
The hot new thing is the main idea.
Supported by the details to keep it all clear,
The main idea's the reason that we're all here.
Yeah, come on.
Have you ever read something and when you got to the end,
You didn't get the point, nope, you didn't understand?
Well let me break it down for the next time you read,
There's gonna be three basic things you'll see:
The subject, main idea and the details,
Sort of like a city, the house, the people.
Subject is the broad thing that it's about,
The main idea? (What's that now?)
It's the main thing the writer wants to say,
It's the central point. You get it? OK?
You can often find it in the first couple lines,
But it could be anywhere, so go find it.
It's supported by specific details,
The facts in the sentences, be real —
They should add up to make the main idea, kid,
They form up like cheerleaders in a pyramid.
Like I just read an article called “Bear Facts,”
And it talked about how they could be brown or black,
Polar or grizzly or another type,
They're all good hunters and they know how to fight.
'Cause they have big paws so they can catch fish,
And big sharp teeth that they eat with.
And if they wanna climb a tree to find something to eat,
Their super sharp claws are all that they need.
See? Now let's break it down,
I mean let's dig deeper in the article I found.
What's the subject? (Bears!)
And what would be the main idea they had there?
(That bears are good hunters. That's most important!)
And how about the details they had to support it?
(They have large teeth, paws and claws!)
And that's how you know hunting is a bear's job.
Listen up,
Lend me an ear,
The hot new thing is the main idea.
Supported by the details to keep it all clear,
The main idea's the reason that we're all here.
Yeah, come on.
I just read a story about a boy named Ben
On the first day of school (Well what happened then?)
Ben clutched his new backpack and walked in
With a big smile when he saw his old friends.
Tried to play it cool when he saw his old crush,
But when she was close, his mind turned to mush.
He liked his art teacher, that class was real fun,
Ben was so worked up that he could hardly eat lunch.
Now what's the subject? (Ben's first day of school!)
And what's the main idea? What's the author wanna prove?
(Ben's first day of school was exciting!)
And details to back that up? Where are they hiding?
(When Ben saw his old friends he was psyched,
And he was nervous around the girl that he liked!)
He even had a backpack that was brand new
Now I get the main idea. Can you?
This song teaches students how to identify the subject, main idea and details of a passage. This lesson also provides examples and offers an opportunity for practice.