Main Idea and Supporting Details Worksheets Reading Comprehension

Main Idea and Supporting Details Worksheets

Tired of the same old main idea worksheets and boring reading comprehension passages? This no-prep resource will give your students plenty of main idea and key details practice in a new and engaging way!

What is included?

This resource includes 3 different types of activities that add differentiation and choice to your lessons that target finding the main idea and supporting details within the text.

• Main idea and Details Reading Passages with Questions
• Main Idea and Supporting Details Sorting
• Which detail doesn’t belong? Paragraph Activities

More Details

There are a total of 25 main idea and supporting details worksheets in this resource. Each type targets this skill in a different way:

Set A:

Each page in this set features a short informational non-fiction passage. Students will read the text and then answer two text-based questions (one true/false and one short response). Each passage is accompanied by a main idea and details graphic organizer. Students cut out four statements that were in the passage and glue them onto the graphic organizer to show which is the main idea and which are the supporting details.

In some of the passages, the main idea is implied rather than explicitly stated. There are plenty of details in the text to help readers determine the main point. The answers to the other questions are found directly in the text. I like to have my students highlight where they found the answers (as pictured on the cover). This shows me that they referred back to the text to find the information.

Topics included in these reading passages: penguin habitats, dental health, the sun, Helen Keller, and pioneer life.

Each these worksheets includes a bonus research question that you can use to extend your students’ learning. These are short questions related to the topics in the passages that can be answered through an internet search.

Set B:

The second set of worksheets feature three different main idea statements. Students cut out the supporting details at the bottom and glue them under the correct main idea. The three main ideas deal with similar topics, so students will have to read each detail carefully to determine which main idea it supports.

Topics included in these main idea and details sorts: pets, bees, camping, stars

Set C:

These worksheets help students discern between supporting details and non-pertinent information. They will read a short passage and underline or highlight the sentence that does not support the main idea. Each page contains three passages.

Topics included in these short paragraph activities: dolphins, spiders, Benjamin Franklin, Sacajawea, hippopotamus, car racing, history of video games, branches of government, Disney World

These main idea and supporting details worksheets work well as homework, in literacy centers, or even for assessment. The cut-and-glue component helps students stay engaged and on task. And because each set of worksheets addresses main idea in a different way, you will be able to provide differentiated activities to your students.

WHAT OTHER TEACHERS HAVE SAID:

❤️ Heather P said, “The scaffolded approach used with this product was just what my students needed. It worked really well broken down and used as exit tickets, small group work and independent practice.”

❤️ Simply by L said, “Very helpful resource for helping students understand the difference between a main idea and a detail. The sorting activities helped to break the skill down into stages that facilitated learning.”

STANDARDS SUPPORTED BY THIS RESOURCE:

CCSSRI.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

CCSSRI.3.2
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

CCSSRI.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSSRI.4.2
Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.