Middle School Main Idea

IDENTIFY THE MAIN IDEA Before you put on that skeleton costume and rove door-to-door pandering for candy, take a minute to reflect on this tradition. Halloween is believed to have come from an ancient Celtic festival dating back some 2,000 years. November 1st was the Celtic New Year and marked the end of summer to the Celts. They celebrated on its eve by wearing costumes made of animal skins and dancing around bon fires. Over the next two millennia, this primitive celebration grew to be the candy fueled costume ball that we know today.

• The origins of Halloween

• The New Celtic Year

• Primitive traditions

• Why the skeleton costume is the best for Halloween

John and Matt want to be firemen.  They want to ride on the big fire truck.  John wants to climb ladders and rescue people from fires.  Matt wants to hold the big hose and spray water on the fires to put them out.
What is the main idea?

• John wants to climb a ladder.

• John and Matt want to be firemen

• Matt wants to hold a fire hose.

• They want to ride on the big fire truck.

If the main idea is...
The Crayola crayon box has so many colors to use!
What could a detail be?

• I like to color in coloring books.

• Crayons are made of wax.

• Macaroni and Cheese is one of the colors!

• Crayola crayons are $2 for each box.

If the main idea is...
Trees help humans in many ways.
What could a supporting detail be?

• Trees need water to grow.

• Trees give us food.

• Trees are in danger.

• Birds live in trees.

What is the main idea?
  Ways to Get to School
There are many different ways to get to school. Some children walk to school. Other children take a bus. Some children ride their bikes. Some children are driven to school by their parents.

• Some children walk to school.

• Some people ride the bus.

• There are different ways to get to school.

• Some people like to sing.

What does the MAIN IDEA of a story tell the reader?

• The lesson or moral 

• The conflict of the story

• What the story is about 

• The beginning, middle, or end

The main idea is supported by what?

• concluding sentences

• details

• a chair

Please read the following details and determine the main idea of these words.
-ghosts
-October
-costumes
-pumpkins
-haunted houses

• Halloween

• Christmas

• Spring

• Birds

What is the main idea of this passage?

• Lions live in groups called prides

• Male lions leave their prides to start a new one

• Female lions stay in the pride they were born to

• Prides are mostly made up of female lions

Select ALL of the strategies that can be used to help you find the main idea of a non-fiction text?

• Look for words/phrases that repeat.

• Read the topic sentence and the conclusion sentence.

• Read the title and make a guess.

• Look for supporting details that support the main idea.

• Ask yourself "who or what did or does what?"