Main Idea (Nonfiction)

A penny for your thoughts?  If it's a 1943 copper penny, it could be worth as much as fifty thousand dollars.  In 1943, most pennies were made out of steel since copper was needed for World War II, so the 1943 copper penny is ultra-rare.  Another rarity is the 1955 double die penny.  These pennies were mistakenly double stamped, so they have overlapping dates and letters.  If it's uncirculated, it'd easily fetch $25,000 at an auction.  Now that's a pretty penny.

• Pennies are pretty.
• This paragraph is about rare and valuable pennies.
• Pennies are made of copper.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

When one hears the term "reality" applied to a television show, one might expect that the events portrayed occurred naturally or, at the least, were not scripted, but this is not always the case.  Many reality shows occur in unreal environments, like rented mansions occupied by film crews.  Such living environments do not reflect what most people understand to be "reality."  Worse, there have been accusations that events not captured on film were later restaged by producers.  Worse still, some involved in the production of "reality" television claim that the participants were urged to act out story lines premeditated by producers.  With such accusations floating around, it's no wonder many people take reality TV to be about as real as the sitcom.

• This paragraph is about how reality television isn't always "real."
• This paragraph is about how real television is.
• Television portray real participants in a sitcom.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Yellowstone National Park is mainly located in Wyoming, although three percent is located in the state of Montana.  The Continental Divide of North America runs diagonally through the southwestern part of the park.  The park sits on the Yellowstone Plateau, which is an average elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level.  This plateau is bounded on nearly all sides by mountain ranges.  There are 290 waterfalls that are at least fifteen feet in the park, the highest being the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, which falls 308 feet.

• This paragraph is about the waterfalls in Yellowstone.
• This paragraph is about the Yellowstone River.
•   This paragraph is about physical features of Yellowstone Park.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

What is the difference between Main Idea and Supporting Details?

• Main Idea is the end, and Supporting Details are the beginning.
• Main Idea is what the passage is about, and Supporting Details help describe/explain the Main Idea.
• Main Idea is in every passage, but Supporting Details are only in some. 
• Main Idea is what supports the supporting details. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake. They use an instrument called the Richter scale. The Richter scale compares the strength of different earthquakes. Earthquakes  below 2.0 usually can’t be felt. Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause damage. A magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake and can cause tremendous damage.
What is the main idea?

• Scientists can measure the intensity of an earthquake.
• Strong earthquakes can cause lots of damage.
•  Some earthquakes are very small. 
• There is a type of scale called a Richter scale

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Irish immigration to the U.S. began during the early development of the American colonies. It is estimated that 200,000 Irish came to the U.S. in the 17th and 18th centuries. The numbers swelled from 1820 to 1850 to almost 2 million Irish immigrants. Most of these were fleeing the potato famine from 1845 until 1852. Steady numbers continued to arrive during the late 19th and 20th centuries. Today, over 36 million Americans claim some level of Irish ancestry.
What is the main idea?

• The potato famine caused many Irish to immigrate to the U.S.
• The U.S. is a country of immigrants.
• The Irish are coming to the U.S. still today.
• The Irish came in large numbers to the U.S.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

The Constitution of the U.S. has been amended several times to allow more citizens the right to vote. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, extended voting rights to former slaves. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote. In 1971, the 26th Amendment granted voting rights to those 18 years and older, changing the requirement that voters must be 21 years old.
What is the main idea?

• The Constitution has been amended many times.
• Women didn’t vote until 1920 but men could vote since the founding of the country
• Today, almost anyone can vote.
• The Constitution has been amended several times to grant more citizens the right to vote.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Soccer is known in some countries as football. It is a popular sport across the world, with over 200 countries playing the sport. It is estimated that over 250 million people, both men and women, play soccer. The sport has been part of the Olympic games from 1900 to 1928 and from 1936 to today.
 What is the main idea?

• Soccer is important at the Olympics.
• Soccer is a worldwide sport.
• Soccer is also called football.
• Soccer is played by men and women.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

Hummingbirds love pink or red flowers. They guard their favorite flowers and try to keep other birds away. They fight one another for food. Their wings make a whirring sound when they hover over flowers to sip nectar. The tiny birds fly long distances to go to a warmer climate for the winter. They make their tiny nests in shrubs or trees. 
What is the main idea?

• Hummingbirds are interesting birds
• They hover over flowers to sip nectar.
• They fly long distances to travel to warmer climates in the winter
• They guard their favorite flowers

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Native Americans dried strips of meat, pounded it into a paste, and then mixed it with fat. Sometimes they added berries and sugar. Then they pressed it into small cakes. They called these cakes pemmican. Pemmican didn't spoil, and it provided lots of energy for people traveling or going hunting. Today explorers still carry and eat this food.
What is the passage mostly about?

• who uses pemmican today
• what can be put into pemmican
• how pemmican was prepared by Native Americans.
• why people eat pemmican today

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2