Finding Topic, Main Idea, and Key Details Reading Comprehension Passages

Are your students struggling with correctly finding topic, main idea, and key details? This test prep reading strategy resource walks students through a scaffolded approach for identifying main ideas and key details. Then, students apply the strategy using short non - fiction reading passages. It is a great tool to help with reading comprehension and standardized test preparation.

Once students know the basic procedure, add short reading comprehension passages to various class assignments on a weekly basis to improve comprehension and the ability to summarize and identify important ideas within a text.

Resource Includes:

- CCSS RI.1, RI.2, RI.10 for 4th, 5th, 6th grades

- A scaffolded approach with 3 easy prompts for identifying topic, main idea, and key details

- Cue card with prompts to distribute to students to use as a resource

- 2 practice reading comprehension paragraphs where students utilize the cue cards and find topic, main idea, and details

- 1 blank master handout to add additional practice paragraphs

- 7 reading comprehension passages with 5 multiple - choice questions for each reading passage in standardized test format

- Non - fiction reading passage topics are:

1. Alaska
2. Madame CJ Walker
3. Sleep Patterns
4. Trains
5. Dinosaur Teeth
6. Taino Language
7. Companies and Stocks

- Answer keys for all handouts

- The blackline master printable pages are in secure PDF format.

The benefit of this reading strategy is the way it helps students clearly recognize the difference between a topic and a main idea. They are so similar, and it is easy for students to mix them together. The procedure provided in the resource walks student through a set of 3 simple cloze sentences to identify topic, main idea, and details. It is almost foolproof!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Julene S. said "Students seem to have a tough time with Main Idea vs. Topic. This resource really helped them identify the difference."

I always need more short reading passages to reinforce close reading strategies. My Reading Comprehension Passages Test Prep Product includes 10 additional non - fiction reading passages.

I also offer reading passages in conjunction with my social studies units of study:

- Native American Reading Passages

- Early Explorers in the New World Reading Passages

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