Find Important Ideas
Determining the main idea of a story or passage of expository prose helps to cement its meaning to memory. The main idea consists of the theme of the story or the point of the text. Other sentences clarify or support the main idea. The main idea illustrates the purpose of the text or the author's intent for writing the text.
Finding the main idea teaches students that attentive reading results in better comprehension.
The Hamburger Game
The Hamburger Game teaches students to choose the main idea—or "meat"—from a passage of text. Three or four sentences are presented, one of which is the main idea. The other sentences provide further description and additional details. The student must identify the main idea and move the "meat" to the center of the sandwich. Five correct answers will complete the hamburger.