Prepared by CMDU

 To understand a paragraph, it’s important to find

the topic.
 The topic is the idea to which all of the details in
the paragraph refer.
 A topic is usually expressed as a word or phrase.
Water is an amazing resource. Everyone
in the world depends upon it. Every
creature needs water to survive. Without
water, we would not last long. Water
makes our world beautiful.
Water is an amazing resource. Everyone in
the world depends upon it. Every creature
needs water to survive. Without water, we
would not last long. Water makes our world
beautiful.

Topic = WATER
 We could see that the
topic was water because it
was repeated again and
again.
 This is a good way to
help us find a topic—
looking for repeated
words or phrases.
Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In
Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in
colonial times. There are guides in costumes who
can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You can
even sample some colonial food at the restored
taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you
feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.
Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In
Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in
colonial times. There are guides in costumes who
can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You
can even sample some colonial food at the restored
taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will make you
feel as if you have been transported to the 1700s.
 We could tell that the
topic of the paragraph is
Williamsburg because it
was repeated several
times.
 The topic of a paragraph is not always repeated
over and over in the same way.
 Sometimes, you need to look for multiple
referents—that is, words or phrases that refer to
the same thing.
Here is the Williamsburg paragraph again. Notice how
Williamsburg can be replaced by other words or phrases:
Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In this
Virginia town, you can see how people lived in colonial
times. There are guides in costumes who can show you
to taverns, shops, and houses. You can even sample some
colonial food at the restored taverns! One visit to this
place will make you feel as if you have been transported
to the 1700s.
 Williamsburg is referred
to in several different
ways.
 This Virginia town and
this place both refer back
to Williamsburg.
 The topic is still
Williamsburg.
 Assateague Island is a very special place. A long
sandy beach stretches into the Atlantic Ocean.
Windswept dunes are home to foxes and seagulls.
The famous wild horses, or ponies, also live on this
small island.
 Assateague Island is a very special place.
A long sandy beach stretches into the
Atlantic Ocean. Windswept dunes are home
to foxes and seagulls. The famous wild
horses, or ponies, also live on this small
island.
 Authors sometimes refer to
the same idea in different
ways.
 “Assateague Island” and
“this small island” are
really the same place.
 When you are trying to
figure out a topic, look for
different ways of saying the
same thing.
 Once we have figured out the topic of a
paragraph, we need to find the main idea.
 The main idea is the main point of the paragraph.

MAIN IDEA = Topic + a statement about the topic

 Water is an amazing resource. Everyone
in the world depends upon it. Every
creature needs water to survive. Without
water, we would not last long. Water
makes our world beautiful.
 Water is an amazing resource. Everyone
in the world depends upon it. Every
creature needs water to survive. Without
water, we would not last long. Water
makes our world beautiful.
 The first sentence is the
main idea.
 Water is an amazing
resource.
 The topic = water
 The main point about the
topic = it’s an amazing
resource
 Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In
Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in
colonial times. There are guides in costumes who
can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You
can even sample some colonial food at the
restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will
make you feel as if you have been transported to
the 1700s.
 Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit. In
Williamsburg, you can see how people lived in
colonial times. There are guides in costumes who
can show you to taverns, shops, and houses. You
can even sample some colonial food at the
restored taverns! One visit to Williamsburg will
make you feel as if you have been transported to
the 1700s.
 Once again, the main idea
was in the first sentence.
 Topic = Williamsburg
 Main point about the
topic= it’s a great place to
visit
 What do you think?
 Croak, croak, kerplop! What’s that at the water’s
edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-
suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to
live where the land meets the water. This keeps them
safe from predators that live on the land. When a
predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can
quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs
can eat animals from both places, including crayfish,
spiders, fish, and even birds.
 Croak, croak, kerplop! What’s that at the water’s
edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-
suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to
live where the land meets the water. This keeps them
safe from predators that live on the land. When a
predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can
quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs
can eat animals from both places, including crayfish,
spiders, fish, and even birds.
 Croak, croak, kerplop!
can’t be the main idea of
the paragraph
 This sentence does not
express a topic or a main
point about the topic
 Croak, croak, kerplop! What’s that at the water’s
edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-
suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to
live where the land meets the water. This keeps them
safe from predators that live on the land. When a
predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can
quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs
can eat animals from both places, including crayfish,
spiders, fish, and even birds.
 Croak, croak, kerplop! What’s that at the water’s
edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-
suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to
live where the land meets the water. This keeps them
safe from predators that live on the land. When a
predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can
quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs
can eat animals from both places, including crayfish,
spiders, fish, and even birds.
 Croak, croak, kerplop! What’s that at the water’s
edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-
suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to
live where the land meets the water. This keeps them
safe from predators that live on the land. When a
predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can
quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs
can eat animals from both places, including crayfish,
spiders, fish, and even birds.
 Do you think that the
second sentence, What’s
that at the water’s edge?
is the main idea?
 This doesn’t make sense
either. The paragraph is
not mostly about the
water’s edge.
 Croak, croak, kerplop! What’s that at the water’s
edge? It might be a green frog, a creature that’s well-
suited for life at the pond’s edge. Green frogs like to
live where the land meets the water. This keeps them
safe from predators that live on the land. When a
predator like a snake comes near, the green frog can
quickly leap into the water and get away. Green frogs
can eat animals from both places, including crayfish,
spiders, fish, and even birds.
 Is the third sentence, It
might be a green frog, a
creature that’s well-suited
for life at the pond’s edge
the main idea?
 This sentence includes the
TOPIC (green frog) and a
main point about the topic.
(it’s well-suited for life at
the pond’s edge)
 As you can see, the first
sentence is not always the
main idea.
 To find the main idea, you
need to think about the
topic of the paragraph.
 Look at each sentence until
you find the best main idea
sentence.
 What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park is
a great place to see the Cumberland Valley. This
is because the park was built on top of a
mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and
farms of the valley stretch out far below. The
Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the
letter s, can also be seen.
 Start by finding the topic.
 Then look at each sentence
in the paragraph.
 Look for the sentence that
states the topic and gives a
main point about the topic.
 Once you think you have
found it, match it against
the rest of the sentences.
 What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park
is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley.
This is because the park was built on top of a
mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and
farms of the valley stretch out far below. The
Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the
letter s, can also be seen.
 What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park
is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley.
This is because the park was built on top of a
mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and
farms of the valley stretch out far below. The
Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the
letter s, can also be seen.
 The topic, then, is Kings
Gap State Park.
 To find the main idea, we
need to understand what
the paragraph is saying
about Kings Gap State
Park.
 What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park
is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley.
This is because the park was built on top of a
mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and
farms of the valley stretch out far below. The
Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the
letter s, can also be seen.
 The first sentence, What a
gorgeous view, does not
state the main idea.
 It does not state the topic
of the paragraph.
 What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park
is a great place to see the Cumberland Valley.
This is because the park was built on top of a
mountain. From the mountain top, the fields and
farms of the valley stretch out far below. The
Doubling Gap, a mountain that curves like the
letter s, can also be seen.
 The second sentence, Kings
Gap State Park is a great
place to see the
Cumberland Valley,
includes both a topic and a
main idea.
 Let’s see if all of the other
sentences in the paragraph
relate back to it.
 What a gorgeous view! Kings Gap State Park is a
great place to see the Cumberland Valley. This is
because the park was built on top of a mountain.
From the mountain top, the fields and farms of the
valley stretch out far below. The Doubling Gap, a
mountain that curves like the letter s, can also be
seen.

The rest of the sentences do relate back to the second sentence.

It’s the main idea.
 What is the topic of a text?

The topic is the word or phrase that all of the

sentences in a paragraph refer to.

What is a main idea?

The main idea of a paragraph is the topic, plus
a feeling or attitude about the topic.
 Is the main idea of a paragraph always the first
sentence?
No! Sometimes the main idea appears in other parts
of the paragraph.

How do we find the main idea?

We need to think about the topic, and look for a
sentence that includes the topic plus a main point
about the topic.
A. Yes! Every paragraph in the whole universe is
like this and you will never have to think hard
again.
B. No, some paragraphs are different. Sometimes
the paragraph has the topic sentence at the end
of the paragraph. Sometimes the author leaves
out the main idea altogether, and we need to
figure it out.
 The answer, of course, is B.
 While most paragraphs do have a stated main
idea, some do not.
 Sometimes this is because the author wants to
make the reader think more carefully.
 (Dark secret) Sometimes it’s because the author
just didn’t write the paragraph very well!
1. Find the topic of the paragraph.
2. See if the first sentence states the main idea.
3. If not, check other sentences in the paragraph.
4. Find the sentence that includes the topic and states a
main point about the topic.
5. Make sure that the other sentences in the paragraph
relate back to the main idea.
 Can you find the frog in
this picture?
 What about this one?
 What have you learned
about topics and main
ideas?
 You are going to do more
practice in class with your
teacher.
 Thanks for reading!
 Don’t forget to do your
quiz!

 Taken and adapted from Learning.hccs.edu