Honestly, there isn’t a magic formula for teaching main idea with fiction text. Teaching upper elementary students how to find the main idea in a story is challenging. How can teachers help kids grasp this crucial skill using fiction texts? It’s not always easy, but with the right strategies and resources, it can become fun and engaging. Thankfully, these practical tips and main idea resources will make sure students get the hang of it! 

Why is finding the main idea challenging?

Teaching main idea in upper elementary can be tricky for a few reasons. First, as students get older, they begin to read more complex stories with detailed plots and many characters. It can be tough for them to sift through the information to figure out main idea. 

Second, understanding main idea requires thinking beyond just the facts in the story. However, most upper elementary students are still learning how to think in abstract ways. Check out these 5 fail-proof ways of teaching main idea that get students thinking outside the box!

Lastly, fiction stories can have different meanings and themes that aren’t always clearly stated. This makes it challenging for students to pinpoint a single main idea when there might be multiple interpretations. Honestly, these are a few factors that make finding main idea in a fiction text a bit of a puzzle. Luckily, there is an easy way to scaffold student thinking, making learning main idea simple. 

Teaching Main Idea with Fiction Texts

Main idea seems like such a basic concept once you’ve taught it year after year. However, it can seem daunting to students. This is where scaffolding comes in. A great way to begin is with easy-to-read texts. Using simple fiction texts helps students practice identifying main idea and finding supporting details without getting overwhelmed. 

As students regularly practice with basic passages they will get better at finding the main idea and spotting supporting details. Over time, they’ll become more skilled at explaining how the details support the main idea. Luckily, this Main Idea with Fiction Texts is the perfect resource to scaffold this skill. Plus, you can grab it for FREE at the bottom of this post!

Finding Main Idea and Supporting Details 

The Main Idea with Fiction Texts Freebie contains two short fiction passages. Inside each passage, the main idea can be easily pinpointed. Specifically, each of the two high-interest passages has three supporting details for students to find. 

Many times, students struggle with organizing the information they find. Thankfully, this main idea resource contains a graphic organizer right beside the fiction text. Students can easily transfer the main idea and supporting details to the graphic organizer to visually be able to see their thinking.

Keeping their thoughts organized, allows students the opportunity to re-read their choices and make sure they are correct. Using graphic organizers when teaching main idea is also a fantastic tool to lead into teaching summary. 

Honestly, students will have so much fun reading about the tiger cub and Celia the dragon, finding main idea and supporting details will feel like a breeze! 

Breaking Down the Steps

Once students have read the passage, it is important to remember to walk them through the steps of finding main idea. Always start by asking students to identify the topic of the passage. Honestly, students can easily mistake the topic of the story for the main idea sentence. Therefore, asking them “who” or “what” the story is about before discussing main idea, will help eliminate any confusion. 

Next, lead the conversation towards finding main idea. Main idea is typically the most important thought or point of the topic. Lastly, students can hunt for supporting details throughout the text that help describe the main idea. 

Teachers can help students visualize main idea by using graphic organizers as well as highlighting main idea and supporting details in specific colors. 

Scaffolding Instruction

Using easy-to-read fiction texts is a fantastic way to start finding main idea. As students begin to master this skill with shorter texts, teachers can gradually move them to more complex texts. Luckily, the Main Idea and Supporting Details Fiction Set 1 and Main Idea and Supporting Details Fiction Set 2 are perfect for this! 

Both main idea resources contain 20 fiction texts with graphic organizers for practicing main idea. As students work through the fiction texts, the location of the main idea shifts from the first sentence, to the second sentence, and then to the last sentence. When students have mastered Fiction Set 1, they can move right along to Fiction Set 2. 

Teaching students how to find main idea in fiction texts can indeed be a complex task. However, it is an essential skill for reading development. Using simple texts like Main Idea with Fiction Texts Freebie, learning main idea becomes enjoyable for students. The more students practice, the more they will feel comfortable identifying main idea and supporting details.

Grab the FREE main idea activity here!

Save these main idea resources!

Make sure to save this resource to your favorite fiction Pinterest board. You will be able to come back to it when you are ready to make teaching main idea with fiction texts a breeze!