1. Finding Topic and Main Idea
Introductory Lesson
Finding Topic and Main Idea

2. What is the Topic?
Topic is what the text is generally about. It is the general subject of the text.
Cooking

3. What is the Main Idea?
Main idea is the most important idea in a paragraph or selected text.
It’s what the writer wants
you to know about the topic.
How to Bake a Pie

4. What are Supporting Details?
A great pie begins with a tasty crust. Some pies have a graham cracker crust, while others have
Supporting details help to explain each main idea.

5. Guided Practice
Dr. Jane Goodall is the world's leading authority on chimpanzees. Most of her life has been spent living with the chimpanzees in a National Park in Tanzania. For 40 years she has observed and documented the chimps’ behavior. Before her work, no one knew that chimpanzees make tools and eat meat, just like humans. Goodall is still in Tanzania today, continuing her research.

6. What is the paragraph generally about?
What is the Topic?
What is the paragraph generally about?
Dr. Jane Goodall is the world's leading authority on chimpanzees. Most of her life has been spent living with the chimpanzees in a National Park in Tanzania. For 40 years she has observed and documented the chimps’ behavior. Before her work, no one knew that chimpanzees make tools and eat meat, just like humans. Goodall is still in Tanzania today, continuing her research.

7. What does the writer want you to know about this topic?
What is the Main Idea?
What does the writer want you to know about this topic?
Dr. Jane Goodall is the world’s leading authority on chimpanzees. Most of her life has been spent living with the chimpanzees in a National Park in Tanzania. For 40 years she has observed and documented the chimps’ behavior. Before her work, no one knew that chimpanzees make tools and eat meat, just like humans. Goodall is still in Tanzania today, continuing her research.

8. What details help to explain the main idea?
What is the Main Idea?
What details help to explain the main idea?
Dr. Jane Goodall is the world’s leading authority on chimpanzees. Most of her life has been spent living with the chimpanzees in a National Park in Tanzania. For 40 years she has observed and documented the chimps’ behavior. Before her work, no one knew that chimpanzees make tools and eat meat, just like humans. Goodall is still in Tanzania today, continuing her research.

9. Practice
Different cultures have very different ideas about dating. Dating is usually a group event in Europe, where it’s not uncommon to have as many as 30 teens going to a movie together. In Japan and Korea, most teens spend their time studying. There, dating doesn’t usually begin until college. It is against the law to date in Iran. Teens are separated until they reach marrying age, when their parents introduce them to each other.
Circle the topic. Underline the main idea.

10. Practice
April Fools Day is a fun holiday where people play good-natured pranks on one another. A common joke in our home was filling the sugar bowl with salt. If you don’t mind spending a few dollars, you can buy whoopee cushions, disappearing ink, or other items made for joke-playing. Businesses even get into the spirit of April Fools. Burger King once unveiled a “left-handed whopper” on April Fools Day, and Taco Bell announced it had purchased the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.
Circle the topic. Underline the main idea.

11. Finding the Main Idea
The main idea of a paragraph may be either implied or stated.
What is an IMPLIED main idea?
A writer may only suggest their main idea without directly saying it.
What is a STATED main idea?
A writer usually states their main idea directly in a topic sentence.
What is a TOPIC SENTENCE?
A topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph.

12. ANSWER: All of the above
Finding the Main Idea
Where will you find the topic sentence?
The TOPIC SENTENCE is…
the first sentence in the paragraph.
the last sentence in the paragraph.
in the middle of the paragraph.
ANSWER: All of the above
Common
Unusual
Rare
All of the paragraphs we looked at included a topic sentence.
Can you find it?

13. Stated Main Idea
Most teens and young adults do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It is a big decision. There are a number of things you can do to narrow your choices. For example you can take an interest test, attend a career fair, or research careers on your own. You might volunteer in the field that interests you or shadow (tag along with) someone already doing the job you are considering. These are just a few ideas that can help you in choosing a career.
Circle the topic. Underline the main idea.

14. Stated Main Idea
Americans love dining out. As a result, all kinds of restaurants have sprung up. McDonald’s is the king of what’s commonly known as the “fast food” restaurant. More than 31-thousand McDonald’s restaurants, with more than 1.5 million employees, serve more than 62 million customers every day! And, they are still growing, opening new restaurants at a rate of one a day in China alone. Chances are there’s one near you.
These slides reinforce the idea that the topic sentence IS the main idea.
Circle the topic. Underline the main idea.

15. Implied Main Idea
Hints for Finding an
IMPLIED MAIN IDEA:
Identify the topic of the paragraph.
Ask yourself, “What is the writer trying to say about this topic?”.
Confirm your guess by reading each sentence again. Does each major detail support your main idea?
The United States calls its basic unit of currency the “dollar”. The money in Great Britain is called the “pound”. Korea uses the “won”. In Russia you spend “rubles”. Mexico and the Philipines use a “peso”. The country of Zaire calls its currency “Zaires”.
What is the topic? Can you figure out the main idea?

16. Implied Main Idea
TOPIC:
Money -or- Currency
MAIN IDEA:
Different countries have different names for their money/currency.
The United States calls its basic unit of currency the “dollar”. The money in Great Britain is called the “pound”. Korea uses the “won”. In Russia you spend “rubles”. Mexico and the Philipines use a “peso”. The country of Zaire calls its currency “Zaires”.
What is the topic? Can you figure out the main idea?

17. Implied Main Idea
Hints for Finding an
IMPLIED MAIN IDEA:
Identify the topic of the paragraph.
Ask yourself, “What is the writer trying to say about this topic?”.
Confirm your guess by reading each sentence again. Does each major detail support your main idea?
Some sneakers have a tread that keeps boaters from slipping. Basketball shoes also grip the floor to help players make quick turns. Jogging shoes have arch supports and springy soles to cushion the impact of running. Some sneakers are built for looks alone.
What is the topic? Can you figure out the main idea?

18. Implied Main Idea
TOPIC:
Sneakers
MAIN IDEA:
Sneakers are designed for different purposes.
Some sneakers have a tread that keeps boaters from slipping. Basketball shoes also grip the floor to help players make quick turns. Jogging shoes have arch supports and springy soles to cushion the impact of running. Some sneakers are built for looks alone.
What is the topic? Can you figure out the main idea?