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.
Develop reading comprehension with this video game passage. Ask your students to read the excerpt, then answer questions about the main ideas and details.
In this worksheet, students will read two different passages about the platypus. Kids will compare and contrast the passages, and identify the main ideas.
In this biography worksheet, children are introduced to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who in 1993 became the second female Justice of the Supreme Court in the United States.
What does it all mean? In this sixth-grade worksheet, students will practice using text evidence to identify the theme of a story they've read recently.
In the worksheet Ideas of the Harlem Renaissance, children learn what this cultural movement was about, as well as some famous artists who emerged at the time.
Learn about Eleanor Roosevelt, the groundbreaking first lady known for her humanitarian work and for being the first U.S.delegate to the United Nations in 1942.
Learn all about the interesting world of the whale while practicing fluency and reading comprehension skills using this helpful nonfiction reading worksheet.
This social studies worksheet is a great way to encourage the next generation to understand the value and impact of voting while helping learners practice reading comprehension strategies.
Finding the main idea is the most important reading comprehension skill kids will learn, and it requires lots of reinforcement. Our main idea worksheets keep kids engaged with fun and interesting reading passages carefully selected for each grade. Take a look at other fourth grade worksheets to practice additional comprehension skills.
What is the Main Idea?
Downloading and printing the above main idea worksheets are a surefire way to gain practice with finding the main idea in a story. From nonfiction passages about animals to summaries of classic tales, the focus here is on exposure to a wide range of texts. Reading comprehension worksheets with questions that challenge kids to think deeply about the ideas presented in a text will help build analytical skills. Here are some additional strategies for helping kids find the main idea in a story:
Make sure students have a strong understanding of categorization and basic reasoning skills; they should understand that all apples are fruits, but not all fruits are apples. This will cue their brain to sort out the main idea from the other information presented in a text.
Introduce kids to two of the most important words in the world of reading comprehension: "Who" and "What". If they can answer who the story is about and what the story is about, they are well on their way to finding out the main idea.
Especially for visual learners, analyzing the title and pictures that go along with a story is a great way for kids to learn how to focus in on the main idea.