Finding the Main Idea Grade 8

What is the Main Idea? The main idea = what the writer wants the reader to understand about the subject. The main idea of a passage or reading is the central thought or message. The main idea is always general, details are always specific.

Why is Finding the Main Idea Important? Main ideas help the reader remember important information. Finding the main idea is the essence of comprehension. Readers need to understand what is important and what is detail. The main idea is needed for summarizing and for taking notes.

Finding the Main Idea First, identify the subject of the text. Try locating the subject in any of these places: –The title –A heading or subheading –The first sentence of each paragraph –Any key words or repeated words or names –The last sentence of each paragraph

Finding the Main Idea Second, decide what the author says about the subject. –Look at the details and what they say about the subject. –Decide what all these details add up to.

Finding the Main Idea Third, use the Main Idea Graphic Organizer to … –Help you sort the subject from the main idea –List specific details –Determine the main idea

Subject What the author says about the subject Main Idea Detail 1Detail 2Detail 3Detail 4 Main Idea Graphic Organizer

Find the Main Idea The Battle of Gettysburg July 1 – 3, 1863 On July 1, Southern General Henry Heth took his division into Gettysburg to retrieve a reported store of shoes for his men. Just west of town he met with a Northern brigade. For two hours these forces fought and throughout the day, more and more Union and Confederate divisions joined the fight until Union troops retreated from Gettysburg to rally on Cemetery and Culp’s Hills. Neither side had planned to fight at Gettysburg, but this unintended meeting had sparked one of the decisive battles of the war.

The Battle of Gettysburg July 1 – 3, 1863 On July 1, Southern General Henry Heth took his division into Gettysburg to retrieve a reported store of shoes for his men. Just west of town he met with a Northern brigade. For two hours these forces fought and throughout the day, more and more Union and Confederate divisions joined the fight until Union troops retreated from Gettysburg to rally on Cemetery and Culp’s Hills. Neither side had planned to fight at Gettysburg, but this unintended meeting had sparked one of the decisive battles of the war. Heading Subheading First sentence Last sentence Repeated words Key words and names

Finding the Main Idea --- Looking at Details The first sentence tells … –why a Southern general went to Gettysburg The second sentence tells … –he met a Northern brigade The third sentence tells… –that more divisions on both sides joined the battle and the Union troops retreated The last sentence tells … –that this meeting set off a major battle

Main Idea Formula Once you’ve discovered the subject you can determine the main idea. Subject +What the author says about the subject =Main idea

Finding the Main Idea Subject +What the author says about the subject =Main idea How the battle of Gettysburg began + a Southern general went to Gettysburg he met a Northern brigade more divisions on both sides joined the battle and that Union troops retreated this meeting set off a major battle General Heth took his division to Gettysburg to retrieve shoes for his men. The main idea in this paragraph was EXPLICITLY stated in the first sentence.

Florida Flashbacks by Gary Peterson As the canoe sliced through the black water, an alligator slipped from its perch atop a submerged log and disappeared beneath the surface. Off to the right, a green heron stalked its prey from the shore as slivers of sunshine shone through the canopy of Spanish moss and cypress. This was a glimpse of what Florida was before the rise of Mickey, Miami, and millions of tourists.

Florida Flashbacks by Gary Peterson As the canoe sliced through the black water, an alligator slipped from its perch atop a submerged log and disappeared beneath the surface. Off to the right, a green heron stalked its prey from the shore as slivers of sunshine shone through the canopy of Spanish moss and cypress. This was a glimpse of what Florida was before the rise of Mickey, Miami, and millions of tourists. Heading / title First sentence Last sentence Key words

Finding the Main Idea --- Looking at Details The first sentence illustrates … –how the canoe moved through the dark water and an alligator was beneath the surface

Finding the Main Idea --- Looking at Details The first sentence illustrates … –how the canoe moved through the dark water and an alligator was beneath the surface The second sentence illustrates … –how a heron stalked its prey from the shore under the canopy of moss and cypress

Finding the Main Idea --- Looking at Details The first sentence illustrates … –how the canoe moved through the dark water and an alligator was beneath the surface The second sentence illustrates … –how a heron stalked its prey from the shore under the canopy of moss and cypress The last sentence tells … –what Florida was like before modern times

Finding the Main Idea Subject +What the author says about the subject =Main idea Looking back at Florida + how the canoe moved through the dark water and an alligator was beneath the surface how a heron stalked its prey from the shore under the canopy of moss and cypress what Florida was like before modern times being able to see what Florida was like before it was modernized and had millions of tourists The main idea in this paragraph was EXPLICITLY stated in the last sentence.

Labor Struggles for Reform Imagine that you were a coal miner in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Poverty probably forced you to quit school as a boy and join your father in the deep pits of the anthracite mines nearby. Here you lived your life in darkness, for you rose before the sun each morning and spend your day in the blackness beneath the earth. You earned little for your labor, because there was no minimum wage and no recognized voice to represent the interests of the miners. Although you lived with the threat of gas explosions, cave-ins, and death, your employers took no responsibility for working conditions in the mines. In the Gilded Age, labor unions struggled to improve your life and the lives of other miners.

Labor Struggles for Reform Imagine that you were a coal miner in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Poverty probably forced you to quit school as a boy and join your father in the deep pits of the anthracite mines nearby. Here you lived your life in darkness, for you rose before the sun each morning and spend your day in the blackness beneath the earth. You earned little for your labor, because there was no minimum wage and no recognized voice to represent the interests of the miners. Although you lived with the threat of gas explosions, cave-ins, and death, your employers took no responsibility for working conditions in the mines. In the Gilded Age, labor unions struggled to improve your life and the lives of other miners. First sentence Last sentence Title Repeated words Key words

Finding the Main Idea Subject +What the author says about the subject =Main idea The life of a coal miner + You had to quit school as a boy You worked long days in darkness You earned little money Although the work was dangerous, your employer was not responsible for working conditions Because of working conditions in coal mines, labor reform was badly needed The main idea in this paragraph is an IMPLIED main idea. You must INFER the most important idea.