Grade 3 English Language Arts · Level 3, Understand Informational Text and Explain Ideas

Find Main Idea and Supporting Details

Determine the main idea of a multi-paragraph informational text, recount key details, and explain which details support the main idea.

How the lesson starts: Find Main Idea and Supporting Details

Rafi's Big Top
Welcome to the circus of Rafi the raccoon! Rafi builds a big tent for every paragraph. The roof is the main idea. It covers everything the paragraph is mostly about. Let's find the roof!
Topic plus point
Listen. Snow monkeys live in cold mountains. They have thick fur. They soak in hot springs. They huddle to share heat. First, find the topic. Snow monkeys. Next, ask what the text says about them. They stay warm in clever ways. Put the two together!
Let's test the choices
Rafi tests three choices. Snow monkeys have thick fur. Too small! It's just one detail. Animals live in many places. Too big! It's not just about snow monkeys. Snow monkeys have clever ways to stay warm. Just right. It covers every detail.