Central Idea

Is this a Central THEME or Central IDEA:

• Central Theme

• Central Idea

Is this a Central THEME or Central IDEA:

• Central Theme

• Central Idea

What is a central theme of "King Midas"?

What text features can give you a clue of what the main idea is?

• Title

• Headings

• Pictures

• All of these

What is the best question to ask yourself when you are trying to find the main idea?

• Who is the main character?

• What is the main event?

• What is one important detail?

• What point is the author trying to make?

“The rain forest is home to many creatures. Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest. Butterflies and anteaters also live in the rain forest.”
What is the central idea?

• Sloths and tapirs are other creatures that live in the rain forest.

• The rain forest is home to many creatures.

• Monkeys, toucans and macaws live in the rain forest.

It is estimated that over twenty million pounds of candy corn are sold in the US each year. Brach's, the top manufacturer, sells enough candy corn to circle the earth 4.25 times if each piece were laid end to end. That's a lot of candy corn, but that's nothing compared to Tootsie Roll production. Over 64 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day! But even Tootsie Rolls have got nothing on the candy industry's staple product, chocolate. Confectioners manufacture over twenty billion pounds of chocolate in the United States each year. Now that's a mouthful!

• This central idea is about chocolate.

• The central idea is how Tootsie Rolls are better than candy corn.

• The central idea is about how to circle the earth 4.25 times.

• The central idea is about how many popular candies are produced each year.

School uniforms are far cheaper than the currently popular fashions. Many students work long hours at a paying job instead of doing homework because they feel they have to "keep up appearances." If students wore uniforms, there would be no need for most of them to have jobs that take away from their study time.

This passage is mostly about?

• popular fashions being expensive

• school uniforms being a good idea.

• students working many hours at jobs.

• teens enjoying wearing uniforms.

Every fall, each oak tree drops a great quantity of acorns. Acorns are the seeds for new oak trees. Not all acorns become oak trees. Actually, only a few are lucky enough to grow into trees. These lucky acorns find good soil and the right amount of sun and water.

The main idea is...

• Acorns grow very slowly.

• All acorns become oak trees.

• An acorn must find the right place to grow.

Chocolate is a popular food. Today, we think of it mainly as a candy. Years ago, it started out as a drink. All chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao tree. There are many steps to follow in turning cacao beans into the kind of chocolate we eat.

The main idea is...

• Making chocolate is a long process

• Chocolate is high in vitamins

• Chocolate has few uses