How to Read Smarter Finding the Main Idea

The Point The main idea is the big point (big picture) that the writer is communicating to the reader. Often the reader can approach the main idea just by looking at the title. For example, a passage titled: “Why Doctors Deserve More Dollars” will include reasons for that idea.

The Roof Figure Try to see the main idea as a roof. It should be big enough to include everything in the reading passage. But it shouldn’t be too big for the text. Main Idea/Thesis Topic Point Example etc

General Versus Specific The main idea is a general one. The supporting ideas in the passage are specific ones. Which word is the most general: Potato or Vegetable?

What about the topic? The topic is the general subject of a reading passage. To find the topic, just ask yourself: “Who or what is this passage about?” The topic can be expressed in a word or a phrase.

The Topic Sentence Many paragraphs have topic sentences that indicate what they are about. Find the topic sentence in this paragraph: Homeless people have many problems. In winter, it’s hard to stay warm, and it gets too hot in summer. It’s also hard to keep things safe without a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.

Supporting Details Supporting details prove the value of the main idea. What are they here? Homeless people have many problems. In winter, it’s hard to stay warm and it gets too hot in summer. It’s also hard to keep things safe without a home. Worst is the lack of privacy.

Get the Point? Read this short paragraph: Engineers create wealth for society. So, tennis is a game and the resources of the earth are scarce. Have you gone mad? Thus the only solution is to educate the public on being socially responsible.

Get the Point? We would go crazy if texts were written like this all the time. It was difficult to understand because it was made of different ideas that did not link. There was no common thread. The good news is that normal passages have main ideas!

Lantern fish live near the bottom of the ocean where it is very dark, so they carry their own lights. The lights look like tiny glowing pearls. They are called photophores. A lantern fish can flash its photophores on and off.

A backswimmer has a rounded back and its underside is flat. When it floats on its back it looks like a little boat. It rows itself along in the water using its two hind legs like oars. The backswimmer spends most of its time upside down.

Next time you see lightning, count the number of seconds that pass until you hear thunder. The lightning is a mile away for every five seconds that you count. In this way, you can “measure” how far the lightning is from you. Scientists know that the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound. So calculating the difference between the two speeds, they have developed this easy five-second formula.

Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America. It is on the Niagara River halfway between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Niagara Falls is located on the American and Canadian border. The American Falls is 167 feet high. On the Canadian side, the Horseshoe Falls is 161 feet high.

The Statue of Liberty is visited by thousands of people every year. The Statue of Liberty is a 151 foot statue of woman holding a book and a torch. It was a gift of friendship from the people of France. It has become the universal symbol for freedom.

The Erie Canal changed the way people moved goods in the 1800’s. The 363 mile canal connected Albany, New York to Lake Erie in Buffalo for the first time. When the Canal opened in 1825, building supplies and goods could be transported quickly and cheaply across New York State. Canal boats pulled by mules carried people and supplies across New York.