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What's the Idea?

The main idea is the most important idea of a paragraph.  A main idea is often stated in the first sentence of a paragraph.
The main idea is what the paragraph is all about! 

Example #1... What's the Idea?

     Austin likes to help his dad every week with the lawn.  He helps pick up any twigs that may be in the way so his dad doesn't run over them with the mower.  Austin also helps rake the grass into small piles when his dad is done mowing.  Sometimes his dad lets him ride the mower all by himself.  This is Austin's favorite part of helping.

The main idea is ...
Austin likes to help his dad every week with the lawn. 
The other sentences support the main idea
by telling you what Austin does to help his dad  every week. 

Example #2... What's the Idea?

The main idea is ...
Ants are very busy insects.
The other sentences support the main idea
by telling you what the ants do to keep themselves busy.

To practice finding the main idea in a paragraph click the
Ants on the A!