Understanding Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts
Understanding Key Ideas and Details in Informational Texts Objective: Students will learn how to identify the main idea and key details in an informational text and explain how the details support the main idea.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the main idea of an informational text.
- Locate key details that support the main idea.
- Explain how key details help understand the main idea.
Materials Needed
- A short informational text suitable for a 7-year-old (e.g., a simple article about animals or weather)
- Paper and pencil
- Highlighters or colored pencils
Key Vocabulary
- Main Idea
- The most important point or message the author wants to share in the text.
- Key Details
- Facts or information in the text that support or explain the main idea.
- Informational Text
- A type of writing that gives facts and information about a topic.
Detailed Activities
Reading and Identifying Main Idea
- Read the selected informational text aloud together with your child.
- Discuss what the text is mostly about and help your child state the main idea in their own words.
- Write the main idea on a piece of paper.
Finding Key Details
- Reread the text and ask your child to highlight or underline important facts or details.
- List these details on the paper below the main idea.
- Talk about how each detail supports or explains the main idea.
Explain the Relationship
- Have your child explain in simple sentences how the key details help us understand the main idea better.
- Encourage your child to use phrases like ‘This detail shows…’ or ‘This fact tells us…’.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson focuses on reading comprehension skills important for understanding nonfiction texts.
- Encourage your child to think about what the author wants to teach or explain.
- Be patient and provide examples if your child struggles with identifying main ideas or details.
Assessment Questions
- What is the main idea of the text we read?
- Can you tell me two details that support the main idea?
- How do these details help us understand the main idea?
Extension Ideas
- Have your child write their own short informational text with a clear main idea and supporting details.
- Use everyday informational materials such as recipe cards or brochures to practice finding main ideas and details.
- Read a different informational text and repeat the activities to build confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try breaking the text into smaller parts and discuss each part separately. Use simple language and examples related to your child’s interests.
About 45 minutes is enough, but feel free to split the activities into shorter sessions if your child needs breaks.
Yes, choose texts that are age-appropriate and on topics your child enjoys to keep them engaged.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Children may confuse the main idea with the topic or a minor detail.
- Some students might list details without understanding how they support the main idea.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use shorter texts with clear, explicit main ideas.
- Provide graphic organizers that separate main idea and details visually.
- Give more guided questions to help focus on key points.
For Advanced Students:
- Challenge them to find implied main ideas not directly stated.
- Ask them to compare main ideas across multiple texts on a similar topic.
- Encourage writing summaries using main ideas and details.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend 15 minutes on reading and identifying the main idea.
- Spend 20 minutes finding and discussing key details.
- Spend 10 minutes explaining the relationships and reviewing.
Standards
- 7.RI.3 — Analyze the relationship between a main idea and the supporting details in a text.
Printable Worksheet
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