Main Idea and Details
Identify main idea and 3 supporting details.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Ask for the main idea first and check it before the details. A main idea that is actually a detail — bees make honey — will produce three details that do not belong under it, and it is much easier to fix at the start. Say the main idea in one sentence and count the details out loud so three means three. Twelve minutes covers three or four passages properly.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- Question promptAsk a story-grammar question: who, where, what was the problem, what happened next?Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two possible next parts of the story and let the student pick and say it.Log as cued
- ModelTell that part yourself; the student tells it back in their own words.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer parts, and keep a first-next-last visual on the table.
Ask for the retell without the pictures, with a feeling or a reason added to each part.
Matching IEP goal
Given a picture or story prompt, Student will state the main idea and two supporting details in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than one question prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Eight short informational sentences with the same question attached: bees collect nectar from flowers and bring it to the hive to make honey — what is the main idea and three details; volcanoes form when melted rock rises and erupts; recycling turns old paper, plastic and glass into new products; penguins live in cold places, huddle for warmth and swim to catch fish. Short passages, so the structure is visible rather than buried.
What to listen for
Listen for a main idea that is too narrow or too broad. Bees are insects is broader than the passage supports; bees fly to flowers is one of the details. The right answer sits between, and finding that level is the actual skill. Watch whether the details are drawn from the text or from what the student already knows about bees.
Carrying it home
Ask what a paragraph was mostly about after reading it. One question, ten seconds, and it is the single most useful comprehension check a family can make.
What's in this activity
- Bees collect nectar from flowers and bring it to the hive to make honey. Main idea? 3 details?
- Volcanoes form when melted rock rises from deep inside the Earth and erupts. Main idea? 3 details?
- Recycling turns old paper, plastic, and glass into new products instead of trash. Main idea? 3 details?
- The water cycle moves water from the ocean to clouds and back down as rain. Main idea? 3 details?
- Firefighters train for years, wear heavy gear, and rescue people from burning buildings. Main idea? 3 details?
- Penguins live in cold places, huddle together for warmth, and swim to catch fish. Main idea? 3 details?
- Seeds need soil, water, and sunlight to grow into plants. Main idea? 3 details?
- Bats hunt at night, use echolocation, and sleep upside down during the day. Main idea? 3 details?
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Third through sixth, matched to when main idea questions dominate comprehension assessment.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all eight passages play free.
- My student gives a detail as the main idea. How do I fix it?
- Ask whether the other sentences fit under it. A detail cannot hold the rest of the passage, and testing it that way is quicker than explaining the concept again.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.