• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Having Fun First

Helping you to creatively reach all your unique learners

Subscribe

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Shop
    • Shop Website
    • Teachers Pay Teachers
    • Amazon Storefront
  • FREEBIE
  • Curriculum
  • Contact

on September 29, 2022 · Leave a Comment

Teaching Topic vs Main Idea

Hey there friends,

It’s officially fall and my favorite time of the year. So with leaves and cooler weather on my mind, I decided to give some festive flair to some much-needed explicit instruction on teaching topic vs main idea.

topic vs main idea

Teaching topic vs main idea comes up so much as our year progresses and I would find myself giving mini-lessons on the spot when it came up. The following resources will help build that foundation ahead of time and support our nuggets as they work through writing with topic sentences and ideas.

I decided to go with fiction texts for the focus of topic vs main idea because it seems to be the more challenging genre to separate the two. I hope you love these fun fall mentor texts that I chose. I sure enjoyed reading them with my students!

5 Books & Resources for Teaching Topic vs Main Idea

“Sweep”
I picked up this book for the cover alone and had no idea how amazing its content would be. I just love a book that showcases social-emotional struggle. It is such a great talking point and important for our kids to see they aren’t alone. As the main character Ed’s emotions take over the reader considers the impact that can have. Through his journey, he realizes that big emotions are ok, and we can handle them in a variety of ways.

The Fox and the Falling Leaves activities for teaching topic vs main idea

“The Fox and The Falling Leaves” or “Fletcher and The Falling Leaves”
This is another great book focusing on those oh-so-important social-emotional skills that our young students face. Fox has many wonders and shows great empathy as his friend the tree loses his leaves.

The Golden Acorn activities for teaching topic vs main idea

“The Golden Acorn”
This is a great book about the importance of teamwork and how our competitive nature can take over and its effects on those we care about. There is a great lesson in this book that our students need to hear as we learn how to collaborate with one another and hear everyone’s voices.

The Scarecrow activities for teaching topic vs main idea

“The Scarecrow”
Oh, my love… this book is about the cutest fall book I have ever read. The friendship and the illustrations just pull at those heartstrings. This is a great story about the power of compassion and the joy of helping others.

“The Very Last Leaf”
This is a great story about how it’s ok to worry and how all of us go through doubt and how we can make it through that. Learn about worry, facing fears, growth mindset, and more with this great fall-themed book.

The resources are available individually in my website shop or on TpT by clicking on the images above. They can be purchased all together in my Fall Reading Comprehension Bundle.

resources for teaching topic vs main idea

You can also shop for these book titles in my Amazon store by clicking on the book titles above. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Guiding questions to use with students

I like to ask my students the following questions when I’m teaching topic vs main idea.

TOPIC

  • What are one or two words that describe what the text was all about?
  • What or who is the text all about?
  • Think about how the story ends. What were you left thinking about?

MAIN IDEA

  • What was the story mostly about? A sentence or two to describe.
  • What point is the author trying to make?
  • What does the author want us to know or learn?
  • What is the most important point or thought about the topic?

A fun way to practice Topic, Main Idea, and Supporting Details

To help students ease into learning about the topic, main idea, and details you can try this fun hands-on activity that will surely engage your students. This activity is great for visual learners. I like to call this activity the topic and main idea mystery bag!

Topic vs Main Idea mystery bag activity

To prep for this activity think of a topic and main idea. For example, the topic is “sandwiches” or “making a sandwich”, with the main idea being “how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Then you will think of details that would support that main idea and topic and find the images for that. (Pictures of bread, jelly, peanut butter, spreading the toppings, cutting it, etc.) Print and place images in the bag.

To save you time I included this sample in my Main Idea and Details freebie below!

To do this activity with your students you will take out one image at a time from the bag or have students draw them out. Name the item or action. Continue with this process naming each image as a supporting detail. What is great about this activity is it requires some conversation and real thought about our goal of figuring out the main idea and details.

As I mentioned above, I have created a great Topic, Main Idea, and Supporting Details FREEBIE for you. These tools/activities are taken right from my Guided Reading with a Purpose Fall Bundle.

free resource for teaching topic vs main idea

If you have other fun ideas for teaching topic vs main idea I would love for you to share them. We can always keep growing in our craft!
I hope you have a wonderful week and as always feel free to reach out with any comments, questions or just to connect!

Kacie Brown Having Fun First signature

Filed Under: FREEBIE, guided reading Tagged With: fall, Guided Reading with a Purpose, topic vs main idea

Previous Post: « 6 Morning Meeting Activities for the Classroom
Next Post: Teaching Text Features Glossary & Bold Print with Penguin Research »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Shop the Site

Visit the Shop


Shop Featured Materials + Resources

Shop Amazon

Subscribe

Sign up to gain access to valuable free resources, encouraging tips and sale alerts.

Find it Fast

Read by Category

Popular Posts

Taking Care of the Earth: 5 Text to World Connections Books and Activities
Guided Reading Program: Guided Reading With A Purpose!
5 Reading Comprehension Activities for Context Clues
Blurt Beans to the Rescue
Compare and Contrast Reading Passages from Fairy Tales
Space Reading Comprehension Activities
Activities for Autism Awareness Month & Teaching Special Needs Acceptance
Dinosaur Reading Comprehension
Simple Steps on How to Implement STEM in Your Classroom
Teaching Text Evidence with the book "Blizzard"

Grab My Button

Grab My Button

Subscribe

Sign up to gain access to valuable free resources, encouraging tips and sale alerts.

Footer

Latest on Facebook

Latest on Instagram

Made a fun stop at the pet store… just for… an Made a fun stop at the pet store… just for… and Wyatt trying to convince me to get this adorable chameleon. Not happening… but he was a super cute reptile friend.
🐶Happy National Puppy Day! 🐾⁣ ⁣ Celebrat 🐶Happy National Puppy Day! 🐾⁣
⁣
Celebrate in style with this Pawsitively Pawsome Puppy Craft! 💛Create a fun and adorable display with printable bulletin board letters, writing prompts, and craft activities.⁣
⁣
Download your Pawsitive Puppy Craft today! 🐕Link in Bio⁣
⁣
#nationalpuppyday #classroomcrafts #tpt #iteachtoo#teacherstuff #teachersofig #teachersofinstagram
🌸 Spring has Sprung! 🌸⁣ ⁣ Get your class 🌸 Spring has Sprung! 🌸⁣
⁣
Get your classroom ready for the season with this Spring Craft! 🎨🚪 This resource includes printable bulletin board display letters, writing prompts, and fun craft activities.⁣
⁣
🌷 This craft is perfect for adding a pop of color and creativity to your classroom. Your students will love creating their own unique designs and displaying them for all to see!⁣
⁣
🌼 Don't wait, get your Spring has Sprung Craft today and bring the beauty of spring into your classroom! 🌺Link in Bio⁣
⁣
#springcrafts #classroomdecor #bulletinboards #teacherspayteachers #writingprompts #craftideas #marchdecor #classroomideas #teacherresources
Happy First Day of Spring! 🌷Need a fresh way to Happy First Day of Spring! 🌷Need a fresh way to start your morning?  These morning message slides include an inspirational quote of the day, a funny joke, a word of the day, and a question of the day.⁣
⁣
Grab your March Morning Slides today!  Available for 2𝗻𝗱 & 3𝗿𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 or 4𝘁𝗵 & 5𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲! 😍⁣
⁣
🔗This resource is linked in my bio and it's available on TpT!⁣
⁣
#morningmessage #secondgrade #thirdgrade #fourthgrade #fifthgrade #secondgradeteacher #thirdgradeteacher #fourthgradeteacher #fifthgradeteacher #tpt
Explore context clues and new vocabulary with thes Explore context clues and new vocabulary with these 5 books full of imagination! ✨📚⁣
⁣
Teach students how to use context clues when learning new vocabulary with this bundle of reading comprehension and writing activities. Includes graphic organizers, mentor posters, and other support materials to guide students through the comprehension process using the IDEAS strategy for 5 different mentor texts. ⁣
⁣
The texts all have a fun, imaginative theme with activities for a whole week of material for studying context clues.⁣
⁣
Books Covered in this Bundle:⁣
✨Chrysanthemum⁣
✨Verdi⁣
✨The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors⁣
✨The Curious Garden⁣
✨Strange Planet⁣
⁣
Click the link in my bio to purchase the bundle on TpT!  Individual book resources are also available on my website.⁣
⁣
#guidedreading #guidedreadingwithapurpose #contextclues #secondgradeteacher #secondgradeteachers #iteachsecond #iteachsecondgrade #iteach2ndgrade #iteach2nd
🌟Attention 2nd Grade Teachers! 🌟 Here's a gr 🌟Attention 2nd Grade Teachers! 🌟 Here's a great way to increase engagement in your math lessons... daily math practice slides!⁣
⁣
Each slide includes:⁣
💚Number of the Day⁣
💚Story Problem of the Day (Missing piece)⁣
💚TIME of the Day (Am vs. PM)⁣
💚Fraction of the Day (whole, half, third, fourth, and equal parts)⁣
⁣
This engaging daily math practice resource is the perfect way to start your math lessons or to initiate transitions in or out of the classroom with your students while also practicing and reviewing important math concepts. ⁣
⁣
You can easily share the slides digitally with students, project them on your board, or print them out! ⁣
⁣
Click the link in my bio to grab your Daily Practice Slides for March! 🌈⁣
⁣
#secondgradeteacher #secondgradeteachers #iteachsecondgrade #iteachsecond #iteach2nd #iteach2ndgrade #secondgrademath #2ndgradeteacher

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Latest on Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 · BRANDING + WEBSITE DESIGN BY LAUGH EAT LEARN