1. Main Idea/ Central Idea

2. Main idea (or central idea) is the most important idea, notion, piece, or thing in the text.
A main idea is a sentence, not one word.
It is not a summary.
When trying to locate the main idea, look for the biggest thing that is happening. It is not usually an event but a concept/idea.

3. Main idea is not always the topic or the title
Main idea is not always the topic or the title. For example, the topic might be clowns, but the main idea might be, “Some people love clowns, but others find them terrifying.”
Supporting details are facts, reasons, examples, etc that support, develop, convey, and prove the man idea.

4. For example…
In The Outsiders, the main or central idea is that two rival gangs allow hatred and violence to destroy lives.
A summary of The Outsiders would be much longer and would include all of the important events in the story.