Strategies to Determine the Main Idea of an Informational Text
Basics on the topic Strategies to Determine the Main Idea of an Informational Text
Do you want to be better at finding the main idea of an informational text? Learn three useful strategies for determining the main idea through our video, activities, and exercises!
Main Idea – Definition
The main idea of a text is the main message that the author wants the reader to know or understand about a topic.
Key details in a text support the main idea. They are sentences with important information that explain or define the main idea, and they give the reader more details.
It is useful to understand how to find the main idea and details of a text to better understand it and to know the most important information about the text.
Techniques and Strategies for Finding the Main Idea
In order to find the main idea of the text, you need to read it carefully and pay attention to the words or phrases that are being repeated in the text. They can give you a clue about the topic and the idea. It is important not only to skim the text, but read every word.
In this text, we will look at three techniques to help determine the main idea of an informational text. We can ask about important points the text makes about the topic, look for a pop-out sentence, or identify the who and the what of a text.
| Technique 1 | Technique 2 | Technique 3 |
|---|---|---|
| important points | topic | pop-out sentence |
| who + what = main idea |
Finding the Main Idea – Practice
Let’s read a text about mushrooms and practice all three strategies to determine the main idea!
Mushrooms are a type of fungus that come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. There are more than 14,000 species of mushrooms that come in a wide range of colors, including bright red and yellow, as well as darker shades, or even transparent. While all mushrooms have a cap and a stalk, mushrooms look very different in terms of size and shape. Some are so tiny that we can barely see them, while others are large and noticeable to the eye.
Let’s determine the main idea. First, identify the topic, which is mushrooms. Then, ask yourself: What are the most important points this text makes about the mushrooms?
- The text states that mushrooms ”come in a wide array of colors, including bright red and yellow, as well as darker shades, or even transparent”, and that they can ”look very different in terms of size and shape”.
These key details explain the characteristics of mushrooms, which means that the main idea is: “Mushrooms are a type of fungus that come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.” As you can see from this example, sometimes the main idea is found in the first sentence.
Let’s read more:
Fungi usually grow in dark humid parts of the forest. But mushrooms can be found in a variety of environments. Some of them grow in fields and gardens, some species can even survive in a desert. Mycologists, or scientists who study mushrooms, have also discovered fungi underwater! There are multiple habitats where they can grow.
To determine the main idea, let’s identify a pop-out sentence. A pop-out sentence is a sentence that stands out and gives an overview of the text you are reading. In this text, mushrooms can be found in a variety of environments is a pop-out sentence and the main idea, since the rest of the text describes the environments in which mushrooms can be found.
Let’s read one more paragraph and identify the main idea using the who and the what questions:
Mushrooms have several important jobs in the ecosystem. Their main role is helping break down dead plants and turning them into soil. Some mushrooms are edible and are eaten by animals, insects, and, of course, people. However, many of them are poisonous and can be very harmful. This is why it is advised not to pick mushrooms in the forest, but to only eat the ones sold in the store.
Let’s use main idea questions to help find the main idea. Who and what is this paragraph about? Mushrooms are who the text is about, and there are details that explain what jobs they have in the ecosystem. The main idea of this paragraph is “Important jobs mushrooms have in the ecosystem.”
These techniques for identifying the main idea can be used in different types of texts.
Finding the Main Idea – Summary
Now let’s review what we have learned about the strategies to determine the main idea.
The main idea of a text is what the author wants the reader to know or understand about a topic. You can use different strategies to determine the main idea of a text:
- identify the topic and the most important points the author makes about the topic;
- find the pop-out sentence;
- identify the who and the what of a text.
Now you know the best strategies to determine the main idea of an informational text. To better understand the concept of the main idea of a text and why it's important, check out our video, worksheets, and examples and practice exercises for improving main idea comprehension!
Frequently Asked Questions about the Main Idea
Transcript Strategies to Determine the Main Idea of an Informational Text
"Look what I have Pearl! What do you think we should name our new pet!?" "Otis, what IS that? It looks like a vegetable." "It's a sea cucumber, and they're actually really cool." Let's find out more about Otis' new pet by learning... Strategies to Determine the Main Idea of an Informational Text. Remember, the main idea is what the author wants the reader to know or understand about a topic. Key details are sentences with IMPORTANT information that explain or define the main idea. Let's read some text about sea cucumbers and use different strategies to determine the main idea! Sea cucumbers are marine animals that can have many different characteristics. There are over one thousand five hundred species and they can be a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. Some grow to be less than one inch long, while others are as long as several feet. One way to find the main idea is to FIRST identify the topic, (...) which is sea cucumbers. Next, ask yourself: What are the most important points this text makes about the topic? (...) The text stated that the many different species can be a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes, and explained their size. Since these explain the characteristics in more detail, we know that the main idea is, 'sea cucumbers are marine animals that can have many different characteristics'. Often, the main idea is found in the first sentence of a text but NOT ALWAYS. Let's read this paragraph and practice another strategy. The seafloor is also called the benthic zone. Sea cucumbers are scavengers that feed on small food items on the seafloor. Using the tentacles that surround their mouth, they feed on algae, plankton, and sand. That is how they get all the nutrients they need to survive. Another way to find the main idea is to identify the POP OUT sentence, which is the sentence that stands out or gives an overview of what you are reading. Can you find the POP OUT sentence? (...) Sea cucumbers are scavengers that feed on small food items on the seafloor' is the POP OUT sentence, since the other text connects to this and describes what they eat and where. Notice, in this paragraph, the main idea is in the second sentence. Let's read one more paragraph and try to find the main idea using the last strategy! Sea cucumbers play an important role in their ecosystem. As they move around the ocean floor, they loosen and improve the soil. They swallow sand to clean the algae off of it and the clean sand gets digested and disbursed back onto the sea floor. They also enrich the water with important nutrients that help coral reefs grow and flourish. The last strategy to find the main idea is to identify the WHO and the WHAT. WHO and WHAT is this paragraph about? (...) Sea cucumbers are WHO this text is about, and there are key details explaining WHAT they do to play an important role in their ecosystem. While Otis and Pearl brainstorm a name for their new pet, let's summarize. Remember, we can use different strategies to determine the main idea of a text. One way is to identify the topic and the most important points the text makes about the topic. Another way to is to find the POP-OUT sentence. Or you can identify the WHO and the WHAT to help you determine the main idea. "Wow Otis, sea cucumbers are really cool and also really important to the environment!" "Yeah... are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "There you go little one, run free!" (...) "OH I guess it's staying right here. That makes sense, I imagine a far journey would be CUMBERSOME!"
Strategies to Determine the Main Idea of an Informational Text exercise
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Describe strategies for determining the main idea of an informational text.
HintsAsk yourself what type of writing an informational text is. Are there plots and characters in these texts?
There are 4 good strategies for finding the main idea, and 1 choice that is not a strategy.
SolutionGOOD STRATEGIES
- Identify the topic of the text.
- Identify important points in the text.
- Find the pop out sentence of the text.
- Answer the questions who and what about the text, to determine the main idea.
- Identify the main character of the text.
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Identify the topic, main points, and main idea.
HintsThe important point 1 appears first in the text, and the important point 2 appears next.
The topic of a text is who or what the text is about. This is often, but not always, in the first line of the text.
The important points will explain more details about the topic, such as size, shape, color, smell, speed, and so forth.
The main idea will include the topic.
Solution- The topic of this text is sea cucumbers.
- An important point about sea cucumbers is that sea cucumbers can be a wide variety of sizes, colors, and shapes.
- The second important point about sea cucumbers is that some grow to be less than one inch long, while others are as long as several feet.
- Because of the additional information about the topic from the main point, we can determine the main idea is sea cucumbers are marine animals that can have many different characteristics.
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Find the main idea of the text.
HintsOne strategy to identify the main idea is to first find who and what the paragraph is about.
The answer to what (1) appears first in the text and the answer to what (2) appears next.
SolutionWHO is the text about?
- Sea cucumbers
- Loosen and improve the soil
- Enrich the water with nutrients
- Sea cucumbers play an important role in their ecosystem
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Find the pop out sentence.
HintsThe pop-out sentence gives an overview or summary of what the rest of the text is about.
The pop-out sentence is not always in the first line of the text.
There are 2 connecting sentences to support the pop out sentence.
Which sentences give further details about the art and history of the country? These are connecting sentences.
SolutionPop out sentence/main idea
- Tuscany is very rich in culture, history, and art and is truly exceptional.
- There are more art and history museums than any person could ever visit in a lifetime.
- Many famous artists and writers were born in or lived in Tuscany and it is truly a historical gem.
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Find the pop out sentence.
HintsThe pop-out sentence gives an overview or main idea of what the rest of the text is about.
What is the main idea of this text? The pop-out sentence will introduce this.
The pop-out sentence is not always in the first line of the text.
SolutionThe pop out sentence of this text is
- Sea cucumbers are scavengers that feed on small food items on the sea floor.
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Define the strategies and main idea.
HintsThe topic of a text is who or what the text is about.
The main idea sentence gives an overview or summary of what the rest of the text is about.
Ask yourself who is the text about? And what about them is so important or interesting?
Solution- The topic of this text is octopuses.
- The important points that describe this topic are octopuses can recognize individual people, octopuses have excellent vision, and an octopus can change its skin.
- The main idea sentence of this text is an octopus’s abilities are amazing!
Identifying Main Topic
Identifying Main Topic — Let's Practice!
Strategies to Determine the Main Idea of an Informational Text
Key Details that Support the Main Idea
Finding the Main Idea of an Informational Text Using Key Details
Finding the Main Idea of an Informational Text using Key Details— Let’s Practice!
