Main Idea & Details Graphic Organizer Worksheets Reading Comprehension Passages

Main idea is something we have to teach all year. Wouldn’t it be nice to have ready-to-go worksheets and graphic organizers right at your fingertips? These no-prep activities are just what you need! They teach students to find and discriminate between the main idea and supporting details in a hands-on and engaging way.

WHAT YOU WILL GET:

This resource includes two different types of worksheets to practice reading strategies in both printable and digital formats.

8 Reading Comprehension Worksheets
On each page, students will read a short story or informational passage and then use the text to answer comprehension questions. After completing this page, they will move on to the main idea and details activity:

8 Main Idea & Details Worksheets
These go along with the reading passages. Each page has a cut-and-glue graphic organizer. Students cut out four statements found in the comprehension story and glue them onto the graphic organizer to show which is the main idea and which are the supporting details.

In most of the passages, the main idea is explicitly stated. However, in several it is implied. There are plenty of details in the text to help readers determine the main point.

Answer keys are included.

OTHER SKILLS INCLUDED:

While these activities are designed to help teach main idea, some of the comprehension questions include practice with other reading skills as well including:

• sequencing
• cause and effect
• making inferences
• using context to determine meaning
• finding text evidence

When answering the comprehension questions, 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 and reinforces the importance of using text evidence.

HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE

These worksheets work well as homework, in literacy centers, or even for assessment. They are also excellent for students with a main idea IEP goal because they let you easily target the skill and collect specific data. The hands-on features are ideal for keeping students engaged.