Writing Main Ideas Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: W.4.2.B

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

The main idea of any work drives the story. Being descriptive and learning how to express the main themes and values of a story is an art that escapes many young writers. An author needs to careful craft the method that they use to drive the main idea out of a statement and placement of their words within that statement. Students should have a great deal of practice set forth for writing the main idea. I takes a good deal of experience to learn how to develop an engaging and utterly memorizing experience for your audience. These worksheets will have students practice how to determine this quality from the work of another author.

Writing Main Ideas Worksheets:

Paraphrasing Quotations - A paraphrase is a restatement of a quotation using your own words. Paraphrasing is a good idea if a quotation is long or wordy. See if you can break down and build off of a Thomas Jefferson quote.

Working From Notes - Marcia’s class went on a field trip to the White House. When they got back to class, the teacher asked each student to write a paragraph about their experience.

Why Have Children? - Aaron is pondering this one very deeply. Read Aaron's notes. Use the information provided to write a paragraph.

Back to School Shopping - Ellie is working on her Language Arts assignment. Ellie has to write a paragraph about something she did to get ready for the new school year. Read the list of details below. Identify a good main idea. Then develop it into a paragraph using Ellie's details.

Summarizing Quotations - Time to see what the meaning of these statements are. Read each quotation by Benjamin Franklin. Then write down the main point. It does not have to be organized in the same way as the original quotation.

Using Quotations as Supporting Details - Quotations can add texture, interest and a human feeling to the details supporting the central theme in a paragraph.

Developing the Main Idea - Read Frank's notes. Underline the sentence that you think expresses the main idea of what Frank wants to say.

Using Quotations - A paraphrase is a restatement of a quotation using your own words. A summary of a quotation is shorter than a paraphrase and conveys only its central message.

What's It About? - The main idea of a paragraph is what the paragraph is about; it is the point that the writer is trying to make.

Developing the Main Idea - Below are provided a number of facts and quotations about homeschooling.

Using Images to Support Your Message - Images are often used in books and magazines to support a main idea. Study each image.

Using Definitions to Support Your Goal - One kind of fact that can be used to support a main idea is a definition. Use a dictionary to help you find the facts you need to develop the central theme.

Give It Legs Like A Stool - Read each topic sentence. Then put a check mark after each sentence that supports the main idea.

On Target! - You develop a main idea by providing details which support it. You can develop it with facts, details, quotations, or any other kind of information that supports it.

Civil Disobedience - Civil disobedience is looked at and from a far. Read the information provided below. If the information supports the idea of civil disobedience, write a P for "pro" on the line. If the information does not support the idea of civil disobedience, write a C for "con" on the line.

How to Write Main Ideas of a Story?


All good and impactful stories have a main idea. They are the basic guideline that is followed throughout the story by the author. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you are writing the main idea of a story.


Setting the Purpose


The first and foremost step towards writing the main idea of a story is to decide the purpose. The purpose refers to the reason for writing your story. It will be considered the main theme of your story. Getting clear with the purpose is a must when writing the main idea. This is because it encapsulates the purpose of the story. It gives greater meaning to the story. Your readers will have something to look up to. The purpose will be the learning element for the readers. To set the purpose, you will have to decide what message you want to give the readers. What is one issue that you are passionate about? How can you relate the purpose with the characters and storyline? You should find answers to these questions before writing the main idea of the story.


Decide the Placement


Usually, the main idea of a story is easily guessed by the readers when they reach the middle of the story. This is due to the clues that the chain of events unfolds. The central theme does not have a specific place in the story. Rather, it is brought up in different parts of the story. However, if you still want your theme or main idea of the story to have a strong impact on the reader, then mention it in the concluding part. If your main idea is a moral or valuable lesson for the reader, then write it in a single sentence at the end of the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Back to School Shopping Preview