Skill library: Main Idea

Welcome to the Storyworks Skill Library! Use the slideshow below to introduce what the main idea is to your students. Then have them practice the skill on a story of their choice with our guided interactive activity.

 

Essential Question: How can finding the main idea help you better remember what you’ve read?

Background Builder: Main Idea

Learn how to find the main idea of a story.

Guided Interactive Activity

Use this interactive slide deck to guide your students through a learning journey all about finding the main idea.

Need a Printable PDF?

Download this evergreen activity to practice finding the main idea with any Storyworks story.

Top stories for teaching

main idea:

INFOGRAPHIC Potbellied Pigs: The Perfect Pets? Here’s why you should take one home today!
DEBATE Is TikTok Good for Kids? Jade is begging her parents to let her make videos with this app. They say it’s a bad idea. Who’s right?
NONFICTION Out of the Burning Darkness A 14-year-old boy. A dangerous coal mine. And a horrific accident that would change America forever.
PAIRED TEXTS My Life Without Hair An illness took away Ariah’s hair—and her confidence. Here’s how she found it again.
PAIRED TEXTS How Pizza Conquered America Frank Mastro helped turn an Italian dish into an American classic. So why have you never heard of him?
NONFICTION