Helping young readers determine the main idea in a reading passage is in my opinion the most important comprehension skill to have. Readers need to be able to state in their own words what they've just read. However, distinguishing the main idea sentence from the topic can be confusing for many students. A lot of my students will state the main idea of a passage with just one word or "all about...." While this tells me they got the gist of the story, it does not mean that they actually full understood what they read. To become a better and deeper reader, students MUST be able to state the main idea in a sentence in their own words. I show my students this strategy for checking for understanding in their reading. I tell my students that if they can state the main idea in their own words, then they comprehend what they've read. However, how do I get my students to understand the difference between the topic and the actual main idea? Well keep reading to find out my favorite lesson on teaching the main idea!
I first use short passages that I printed from teacherspayteachers. I laminated the cards and tape them onto 10 different posters. I then write Title on one side of the passage and Main Idea on the other. I let students work together in pairs or triads. They rotate around the room stopping at each Title/Main Idea Poster with a passage to read on it. Students are given post-its to record a title for the passage and a main idea sentence. They place the title post-it on the title side and the main idea post-it under the main idea side. I have the students place their post-its face down so that other groups don't copy from others.
After students have rotated around the room, I hand a poster to each group. They work together to read all of the different titles and main ideas on the poster. They get to choose the best title and the best main idea for their passage.Oh and the best part?? I play music while the students work and move around the room. It really makes for a memorable lesson!!
I first use short passages that I printed from teacherspayteachers. I laminated the cards and tape them onto 10 different posters. I then write Title on one side of the passage and Main Idea on the other. I let students work together in pairs or triads. They rotate around the room stopping at each Title/Main Idea Poster with a passage to read on it. Students are given post-its to record a title for the passage and a main idea sentence. They place the title post-it on the title side and the main idea post-it under the main idea side. I have the students place their post-its face down so that other groups don't copy from others.
After students have rotated around the room, I hand a poster to each group. They work together to read all of the different titles and main ideas on the poster. They get to choose the best title and the best main idea for their passage.Oh and the best part?? I play music while the students work and move around the room. It really makes for a memorable lesson!!