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A Hands On Approach to Teaching Main Idea to Primary Students

How do you feel when you hear the words main idea or main topic? Do you cringe or do you get excited? If I’m being honest, I used to completely tense up when this unit was up next because it’s a HARD concept for students. Not only was it really difficult for students to understand at times, it often felt repetitive and well….boring. So you know what I had to do- figure out how to PLAY with it! 

a hands on approach to teaching main idea and main topic

Before we dive into all the fun, let’s talk a little about the difference between main idea and main topic. While teaching primary grades K-2, it is our responsibility to teach the main topic in preparation for the main idea beginning in third grade. But what’s the difference? The main topic is one or two words about the text, whereas the main idea is a sentence that explains what the text is mostly about. For example, when reading about animals, ‘dolphins’ might be the main topic, while the main idea is ‘Dolphins care for their calves’. 

So while the title of this blog is teaching the main idea, take note that these activities will focus on the main TOPIC as it is the prerequisite skill for our primary learners before really diving deeper into the main idea in third grade and on. Of course you can always extend any of these activities as needed but either way, with all this fun, they’ll be on their way to mastery in no time! So let’s get into some enjoyable, hands on, engaging ways to teach the main topic!! 

What’s the Bag About?

Setting the stage for this concept can get students SUPER excited about this crucial new skill! This super easy, low prep introductory lesson is an amazing way to get students engaged and interested in the mystery of what they’ll be learning.  

Start by creating some topic bags for students. All you need is some paper bags, printed pictures, and a recording sheet. Told you it was super easy! I like to give 6 different topics for students to figure out. You simply cut out the pictures that relate to each topic and stick them in the bag for students. I also like to write the topic on the bottom so students can do a quick self check when they are done. Check out THIS resource where is the activity is completely done for you!

I typically have students work together in groups of 4-5. They will look at the pictures to determine the main topic of all the pictures. Again, since it is the main topic and not the main idea, all they need to come up with is one or two words. Take a look at the pictures below to see some of the fun in action! 

hands on main idea activity

Engaging main idea activites Main idea bags main topic in first grade

Main Idea Bags

Students will rotate through each of the bags working together and getting a great introduction into the main topic. At the end of this lesson, I explain more about what the main topic is and how we use it. 

a hands on approach to teaching main idea

Gallery Walk

Gallery walks are a great and engaging teaching tool. This activity is another quick, easy, and low prep activity that builds on the introductory lesson. It’s perfect to give students more practice before getting ready to dive into texts. 

For this activity, you will create ‘posters’ to display as an art gallery of sorts.  Students will rotate through the different posters in groups to determine the main topic, this time using sticky notes to record their answers. For this gallery walk we recreate a serene environment as if we were at an art museum admiring and thinking about what the artist has created. Students work quietly, I like to use the phrase, “brains on, voices off”, as their groups walk and determine the main topic. 

After students have had their quiet work time, they will be given an opportunity to share their thoughts before moving on to the next poster. THEY LOVE IT! They are doing some great learning AND having a blast! You can check out our gallery walk video below!

teaching main idea in primary

main idea for primary students hands on main idea activity

Click HERE to see this activity in action!

Transfer the Skills

Now that students have had a great introduction to this tricky concept, it’s time to dig into ALL the books! This is really important for students because this is where they begin to transfer all those important introductory skills they’ve gained. 

To support students’ understanding, I like to use this interactive anchor chart that we use daily during our whole group time. We use a table analogy, helping students understand that the details help support, or ‘hold up’ the main topic. One trick I love to use to really help students master this skill is to work backwards. I’ll have students use sticky notes to share all the details we learned while reading. They get to come up to the interactive chart and stick their details on our table legs. After sharing all the details, we determine the main topic together using our details. 

main idea anchor chart

Grab this fun main idea/topic craft that goes perfectly with this concept!

main idea freebie

Love this FREE resource?

Sign up now and get exclusive access to this freebie and many more in the continuously growing freebie library!

While students work independently, they get to read a book of their choice while determining the main topic. Students can use the graphic organizers below to get comfortable and then they are given a little more freedom later on in the unit to share their learning in a way that works for them. Learn more about providing student choice HERE! 

Making Connections

Some other important topics that can be tied in with this unit are teaching the difference between fiction and nonfiction, as well as how to utilize text features to help us learn more details and determine our main topic. These anchor charts are a few ways to give reference to these other skills while learning about the main topic. They’re a great resource for students to look back to when working independently with their different types of texts. 

fiction vs nonfiction anchor chart nonfiction text features anchor chart

I know how challenging this topic can be for students but now you can breathe a little easier and have a great time teaching students about this crucial concept! I really hope you enjoyed learning about some engaging ways to teach the main topic/idea to your little learners! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! Not only will you get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including the main idea/topic craft FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how-to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me  @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.

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Well this should be fun! 😝 What is something you say 2451 times a day as a teacher? Let us know below! ⬇️••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachfirst #iteachtoo #igconnect4edu #teacherfunny #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #teachergram #teachershare #teacherquotes #teacherhumor #teacherfun #teacherweekend ... See MoreSee Less

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It’s time for #tptfreebie Friday! 🥳Grab this adorable and no prep color by code activity.It’s an easy and engaging QUIET activity that students can enjoy as morning work, a time filler, fast finisher, or even as homework!Grab your FREEBIE now with the link on my profile or drop a 🤩 and I’ll share the link!When is your 100th day? Let us know below! ⬇️••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachfirst #teacherhacks #numbersense #makelearningfun #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #colorbycode #teachershare #teacherinspiration #100thday #100thdayofschool ... See MoreSee Less

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Have you tried would you rather with students?!It’s an easy, engaging, and NO PREP activity for the 100th day. You can easily build in movement by having students jump for answers or run to a side of the room for their choice. This is a great activity that can be used as a morning meeting activity or as a timer filler throughout the day. The students LOVE the 100th day themed prompts and have a BLAST!Learn more about this and other easy and engaging 100th day activities with the link on my profile or drop a 🥳 and I’ll share the link!Thanks for capturing this @mrs.rappsclass 😍••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachfirst #teacherhacks #teacherideas #teachingtips #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #teachershare #classroomcommunity #teacherinspiration #makelearningfun #100thdayofschool #100thday ... See MoreSee Less

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This though. ❤️••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers #teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachtoo #igconnect4edu #teachingideas #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #primaryteaching #teacherblogger #teachermomlife #teachermom #teachershare #teacherquotes #kindergarten ... See MoreSee Less

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