Hands-On Main Idea

For whatever reason in LIFE, main idea is one of the most challenging comprehension skills for students to grasp.  This activity can be completed during a guided reading session with a small group.  It can also be placed into a learning center for review.

I begin my lesson with a group of blocks using only two colors.  I ask students to tell what color are most of the blocks.  Next, I connect this to main idea and tell the students that the main idea is what most of the sentences are about.

We analyze each sentence one at a time to determine what the sentence is about and place a block next to it.  If the following sentence tells about the same thing, I place a block of the same color next to it.

This process is continued for every sentence.  When a sentence is about something different, a different color block is used.

The students are then able to visualize what main idea means  Then, we discuss how to create a sentence that explains what most of the sentences are about.  99.9% of all students I have worked with really understand main idea after using this method.