Main Idea and Supporting Details
Name: Date: Class:
Read the stories below and identify the main idea and supporting details for each paragraph.
Helpful Batting Tips
To hit a homerun, you must first choose the right bat. Bring the bat to the plate, and stand in the correct position. Take a few practice swings, and wait for the pitcher to throw the ball. Size up the pitch. If you think the ball is in the batter’s zone, swing. After you hit the ball, drop the bat quickly. Do not throw it. Run as fast as you can toward first base. Keep your eye on the outfielders. If the drop the ball, or if the ball goes over the fence, keep going.
1. What is the topic of this paragraph? ______
2. What is the main idea of this paragraph? ______
3. What details support the main idea? ______
A Book Lover’s Motto
My teacher invited a well-known writer to English class today. He wore a T-shirt that read, “So many books, so little time.” One of the students in our class asked him why he wore that shirt. He told us that he learns something new from every book he reads. He said he likes to learn and told us a little bit about all the kinds of books he read: action/adventure, mystery, historical fiction, and science fiction. He then starts to tell us about his school years.
1. Main idea: ______
2. Supporting details: ______
When I was in sixth grade, I was more interested in reading historical-fiction novels than history textbooks. The characters in the novels were always more developed. They were different from the ones I read about in the pages of my social studies book. The characters had personalities. They made friends with other people in their lives. They invented things. They played sports. In the textbook, the same people always seemed so distant, like wooden figures. In the novels, they came alive.
1. Main idea: ______
2. Supporting details: ______
The action/adventure stories I found in the library were exciting page-turners. They made me feel like I was watching a movie. Most of the time, I would forget about the words I was reading on the page because they became pictures in my mind. The characters were like friends to me. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to them next. Before I knew it, the events had unfolded and the story was over. So I would act out the stories with my friends, or draw pictures of the action heroes.
1. Main idea: ______
2. Supporting details: ______
Sometimes movies are made from some of my favorite books. Most of the time, the actors and actresses in the movie do not look like the people I pictured as I was reading the book. Sometimes new events are added to the movie. However, I think a book is better than any movie because you can use your own imagination. That’s why I chose to write my own stories, and that’s why I wore this shirt today.
1. Main idea: ______
2. Supporting details: ______