The main idea is the point or message - what an author presents and what a reader takes from a text. It is the focus of the article. By searching for that main idea in a reading, students gain a better understanding of a text. While it is usually found in the opening paragraph when the author is setting up the topic and expressing the thesis, the location can vary according to the type of reading. 

Through four simple steps, students will learn to practice finding the main idea in a single-page nonfiction article. Students can expect to learn close-reading strategies paired with note-taking skills in order to develop their own main idea statements. Students will receive an article to read and print out before class (a full list of materials is posted below).