The Main Idea and a Summary

1. Write two lines on the board: "Bees" and "Bees help farmers grow food, but bees are in danger."
2. Ask: "Which one could be the title of a book, and which one could be proved by a book?" Take answers. The first is a topic; the second is a main idea.
3. Write on the anchor chart: "Topic = what the text is about, in 1-3 words. Main idea = the one sentence the whole text is trying to prove."

1. Display the text. "Pollen Carriers: As a honeybee drinks nectar, pollen sticks to the hairs on its body. When it flies to the next flower, some pollen rubs off, and that flower can now make seeds and fruit." "Food on Our Plates: Apples, almonds, cucumbers and blueberries all need pollinators. In some places farmers rent hives and drive them to orchards each spring." "Bees in Trouble: In recent years many hives have died over winter. Scientists point to disease, pesticides and the loss of wild flowers."
2. Read it aloud. Then ask for each section in turn: "What is this section about, in five words or fewer?" Write them in the margin: "bees carry pollen," "many foods need bees," "bees are dying."
3. Explain the move: the main idea is not any one of these. It is the sentence that all three margin notes fit inside. Model drafting it badly first — "Bees carry pollen" — and ask: "Does the Bees in Trouble section fit inside that?" No. Redraft: "Honeybees are important because they pollinate many foods people eat, but they are in danger." Check each margin note fits. All three do.
4. Show how to explain support. Point to "farmers rent hives" and ask: "Why would an author put that in?" Answer to fish for: it proves bees are important, because farmers would not pay for something they did not need. Write: "The detail about renting hives supports the main idea because it shows farmers need bees enough to pay for them."
5. Now model the summary. Write: "Honeybees carry pollen between flowers, which lets plants make fruit and seeds. Many foods, such as apples and almonds, depend on them, and some farmers rent hives. However, many hives are dying from disease, pesticides and the loss of wild flowers." Point out: one sentence per section, in the order of the text, and no "I."
6. Show a bad summary and cross out the opinions in red: "Bees are amazing and I think everyone should plant flowers to help them." Ask what the author said versus what the writer added.

“A summary is the text made smaller, not the text made yours. If a sentence in your summary tells me what you think, cross it out — the author did not write it, so it does not belong.”

1. Pairs read: "Built by Tiny Animals: A coral reef is made by millions of tiny animals called polyps, which build hard skeletons of limestone. Over hundreds of years the skeletons pile up into reefs." "Homes for Sea Life: Reefs cover a tiny part of the ocean floor, yet about a quarter of all sea creatures live on or near them." "Reefs at Risk: When the sea gets too warm, polyps lose the tiny plants that feed them, and the coral turns white. If the water stays warm, the coral dies."
2. Pairs write the three margin notes first, then the main idea sentence, then check that each margin note fits inside it.
3. Circulate. The main idea to fish for: "Coral reefs are built by tiny animals and are home to many sea creatures, but warm water can kill them." If a pair writes "Coral reefs," ask: "Can a book prove that? What is it trying to prove about them?"
4. Pairs write a three-sentence summary and swap. Each partner reads the other's with the red pen and crosses out any word the author did not mean, such as "sadly" or "we must." Take one crossed-out word to the class and discuss why it is opinion.

1. Students complete the printable practice sheet alone: identify the main idea, match two details to it, and write a short summary.
2. Remind them of the order: margin notes first, then main idea, then summary. Students who finish write one sentence explaining which section of the coral text matters most to its main idea, and why.

1. Read aloud: "Coral reefs are beautiful and everyone should visit one." Ask: "Main idea, summary sentence, or neither?" Answer: neither — it is opinion. One student explains which words gave it away.

“Topic is what it is about. Main idea is what it proves. Summary is what it says, smaller — with none of you in it.”