Go back See all

    Main Idea and Details

    from
    Assign Activity

    Subject: ESL/ELL (English Language Learning)

    Lesson Length: 30 - 45 mins

    Topic: Main Idea and Supporting Details

    Grade Level: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

    Standards / Framework:

    Brief Description: Students will determine the main idea and at least two supporting details of a passage.

    Know Before You Start: Students should be familiar with determining main ideas and details. Sample passages will be needed for students to determine the main idea of.

    Hook:

    • Read and discuss the sample comic.

    • Review that the main idea is what the author wants you to remember the most. 

    • Display a short passage and work together to determine the main idea and supporting details.

    Activity:

    • Have students read a text in order to find the main idea and supporting details. 

    • Using the sample comic as a guide, have them explain the main idea and supporting details in a comic. 

    • Display sentence frames for students to refer to while working or print them for individual students based on their language levels.

    Closure:

    • Have students share their comics with the class or in a small group.
    • Have students think of a story they know well and consider what the main idea is.

    Differentiation:

    • Provide a variety of passages on student independent reading level.

    • Adapt sentence frames to match language levels. 

    • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
    • Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
    • Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.

    Resources:

    Suggested Content Packs:

    Suggested Story Starters:

    Assign Activity

    Related Ideas

    Summary Tweet

    Students will read an informational article and determine the central ideas of the text.

    I Used to Think / Now I Think

    Students will use the "I Used to Think/Now I Think" strategy to help them determine specific text evidence and infer information drawn from text. They will create a comic to demonstrate their understanding before and after reading.