Determine Main Idea and Supporting Details (RI3.2)

Determine Main Idea and Supporting Details (RI3.2)

RI3.2 – Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Introduction

The main idea of a passage tells you what it is mostly about. The supporting details help you understand the main idea.

Model

Read the passage below.

Texas is a large state with many different landforms. Landforms are what make up Earth’s surface. In south Texas and in the panhandle, there are plains. Plains are flat land usually covered with grass. Prairies are also covered with grass, but they can have hills too. Prairies are found in north and central Texas. Texas Hill Country, in the middle of the state, has hills and plateaus. A plateau is a high, flat landform. East Texas is home to a thick forest of pine trees. The Gulf Coast is an area of beaches and wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico.

What is the main idea? The main idea can usually be found in the first or last sentence of a passage. To identify the main idea, ask yourself: What is this passage mostly about?

·  The main idea of this passage is that Texas has many different landforms.

What are the supporting details? Each supporting detail is connected to the main idea. A supporting detail gives key facts related to the main idea. To identify supporting details, ask yourself: What are the different landforms in Texas?

·  Plains are in south Texas and the panhandle.

·  Prairies can be found in north and central Texas.

·  The middle of Texas has hills and plateaus.

·  East Texas has forests with pine trees.

·  The Gulf Coast has beaches and wetlands.