This free graphic organizer is great for having your second and third grade students work on using different parts of texts to determine the main idea. Easy to use, just print and use with any text! When introducing, or reinforcing, main idea with my students, I review multiple ways to help determine the main idea of stories.

To find the main idea we:

• look at the title
• look at the pictures
• look for repeated words
• reread the first sentence

My class uses this organizer to list information gained from each of those tips and then combine it together to write the main idea in the middle.

Perfect for cooperative learning too!

• create groups of 4
• assign each student one strategy
• have them share with their group what they found
• work together to determine main idea