Search Identifying the Main Idea in Nonfiction Educational Resources

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180 filtered results
Identifying the Main Idea in Nonfiction
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Find the Main Idea: Shark
Find the Main Idea: Shark
Worksheet
Find the Main Idea: Shark
Kids will learn about sharks as they read this short and informative worksheet.
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Main Idea: Working Dogs
Main Idea: Working Dogs
Worksheet
Main Idea: Working Dogs
Children will be inspired by the many ways dogs help their human companions in this nonfiction reading comprehension worksheet.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Learning About the Ocean
Learning About the Ocean
Worksheet
Learning About the Ocean
Learners will practice identifying the main idea and supporting in works of nonfiction texts as they learn about the ocean.
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
The Gold and Salt Trade
The Gold and Salt Trade
Worksheet
The Gold and Salt Trade
Explore West Africa's historical gold salt trade with this fascinating reading passage and accompanying set of comprehension questions!
6th grade
Social studies
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Biography of George Washington Carver
Informational Reading Comprehension: Biography of George Washington Carver
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Biography of George Washington Carver
Read an informational passage about George Washington Carver to learn about his life and achievements!
6th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Get Ready for Second Grade
Get Ready for Second Grade
Workbook
Get Ready for Second Grade
This workbook is packed with worksheets that will help students practice the core concepts featured in the second grade curriculum, from word study and math to reading and writing.
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Workbook
Informational Reading Comprehension: Where Are the Stars?
Informational Reading Comprehension: Where Are the Stars?
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Where Are the Stars?
Read an enlightening passage about light pollution and learn ways to bring back the dark night skies in this three-page reading comprehension worksheet!
7th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Extended Informational Reading Comprehension: Food Science
Extended Informational Reading Comprehension: Food Science
Worksheet
Extended Informational Reading Comprehension: Food Science
Learn all about the fascinating field of food science in this four-page informational reading comprehension worksheet!
7th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Main Idea Multiple Choice
Main Idea Multiple Choice
Worksheet
Main Idea Multiple Choice
Readers practice identifying the main idea in works of nonfiction in this two-page reading comprehension worksheet.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Discovering Kites
Informational Reading Comprehension: Discovering Kites
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Discovering Kites
In this seventh-grade ELA worksheet, students read a fascinating informational text about the history of kites and answer comprehension questions covering a variety of reading skills. 
6th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Main Idea of a Story Worksheet
Main Idea of a Story Worksheet
Interactive Worksheet
Main Idea of a Story Worksheet
This main idea worksheet guides your child through reading comprehension practice. Download today to get started!
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Interactive Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Sustaining the World With Seaweed
Informational Reading Comprehension: Sustaining the World With Seaweed
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Sustaining the World With Seaweed
Students read all about seaweed and answer standards-based comprehension questions in this four-page reading comprehension worksheet.
7th grade
Science
Worksheet
Find the Main Idea: Butterflies
Find the Main Idea: Butterflies
Worksheet
Find the Main Idea: Butterflies
Children learn about the ways that butterflies like the viceroy and buckeye avoid predators in this engaging reading comprehension worksheet.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Informational Text 1
Informational Text 1
Guided Lesson
Informational Text 1
Now that reading skills are more developed, second graders will move on to comprehension of informational text. This guided lesson supports this through an exploration of the main idea of a text, as well as the other text features, such as: captions, photographs, maps headings, subheadings, glossary, index, icons and graphs. Kids will look at two texts that cover the same topic, but in different ways.
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Guided Lesson
Fifth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Fifth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Workbook
Fifth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Prepare learners for their fifth grade year with the help of this Fifth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1.
5th grade
Reading & Writing
Workbook
Video Games: Not Just for Fun
Video Games: Not Just for Fun
Worksheet
Video Games: Not Just for Fun
Develop reading comprehension with this video game passage. Ask your students to read the excerpt, then answer questions about the main ideas and details.
5th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
What's the Main Idea?
What's the Main Idea?
Interactive Worksheet
What's the Main Idea?
The main idea is the most important idea in a paragraph. With this worksheet, students will read the paragraphs carefully then circle the statement that best fits the paragraph's main idea.
2nd grade
Reading & Writing
Interactive Worksheet
Third Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Third Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Workbook
Third Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Week 1 of our Third Grade Fall Review Packet features 5 days of learning activities designed to prepare students for their third grade year.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Workbook
Second Grade Independent Study Packet - Week 5
Second Grade Independent Study Packet - Week 5
Workbook
Second Grade Independent Study Packet - Week 5
Get Week 5 of our independent study packet resources for second graders.
2nd grade
Fine arts
Workbook
Fourth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Fourth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Workbook
Fourth Grade Fall Review Packet - Week 1
Help children prepare for their fourth grade debut with Week 1 of our Fourth Grade Fall Review Packet.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Workbook
Extended Reading Comprehension: Funding Space Exploration
Extended Reading Comprehension: Funding Space Exploration
Worksheet
Extended Reading Comprehension: Funding Space Exploration
This four-page worksheet gives students a chance to engage deeply with a rigorous nonfiction text about government funding for space exploration.
7th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Life Cycles
Life Cycles
Workbook
Life Cycles
In this life science packet kids will cut and paste various forms of insects, mammals and more, learning the similarities and differences of living things during stages of life.
2nd grade
Science
Workbook
Make a Timeline of an Influential Person
Make a Timeline of an Influential Person
Activity
Make a Timeline of an Influential Person
Children research and make a timeline of an inspiring woman in this biography activity.
2nd grade
Social studies
Activity
Informational Reading Comprehension: Baobab, Tree of Life
Informational Reading Comprehension: Baobab, Tree of Life
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: Baobab, Tree of Life
Discover why an odd-looking tree is known as Africa’s "tree of life" with this reading comprehension worksheet.
6th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: History of the Candle
Informational Reading Comprehension: History of the Candle
Worksheet
Informational Reading Comprehension: History of the Candle
Learn all about the history of candles with this two-page nonfiction reading worksheet!
6th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet

Search Identifying the Main Idea in Nonfiction Educational Resources

Does your child have trouble understanding the main points of non-fiction? Education.com offers worksheets and lesson plans on everything from sea creatures to science. With gentle and structured guidance on the process of reading a text and asking follow-up questions, your child will soon figure out the main topic all by herself. For more advanced readers, check out our characters, setting, and events in fiction texts resources.

Get the Gist: Resources on Identifying the Main Topic in Nonfiction

Most books and articles have multiple themes but one central topic. The Learning Library’s resources on identifying the main topic in nonfiction help students cut through the weeds and discover what’s most important. There are printable worksheets, comprehensive workbooks, alluring hands-on activities, and teacher-created lesson plans that are focused specifically on pinpointing the big picture.

Many of the worksheets are composed with interesting excerpts—like the popular Video Games: Not Just for Fun challenge—that ask follow-up questions to help students determine the text’s main point. Other worksheets hone reading comprehension while introducing students to overlooked characters in history, such as Madam C.J. Walker who was born to slaves and yet became the first woman to earn a million dollars in the U.S.

A mix of lesson plans that serve a variety of age levels is available in the resource center. Highly-rated examples include Activist Heroes, where students determine the main topic by reading excerpts about leaders in history such as Frederick Douglass. Another popular worksheet, Super Survival Skills, assigns students to reiterate excerpts on outdoor survival.

These lessons along with the interactive hands-on activities ensure students of all grade levels get the gist.