Do your students always correctly identify the topic and main idea of an informational text? I find that some students can identify the topic of a text (“ice cream”), but may have trouble identifying the main idea ABOUT the topic that the author wants them to know. They might repeat or generalize the topic (“stuff about ice cream”), rather than expressing a full idea about it (“you can eat lots of toppings with your ice cream”).

These scaffolded worksheets are a helpful way for students to practice finding the topic versus the main idea. The fun ice cream theme requires students to closely examine the paragraphs to determine how their main ideas are different. These are great to use during your nonfiction unit and throughout the year.

What's Included:

• posters/word wall cards in color and B&W (2 versions)
• handout/anchor chart (great for reading notebooks)
• graphic organizer to use with any text
• matching worksheet
• cut & glue sorting worksheet
• "homework fix" worksheet
• differentiated passages (students identify the topic and main idea)
• differentiated exit tickets (great for assessment)
• writing extension
• answer keys with sample answers

Recommended Grade Levels: 3, 4, 5

Number of Pages: 15 + answer keys

What Teachers Are Saying:

"This was a game changer! My students were STUCK and I knew I had to change up my lessons and how I was explaining things. After I found this resource, things just CLICKED for the students and they had a better understanding! They also loved the ice-cream theme. Thank you!" - Tracy

"Thank you so much for this! It provided an easy-to-follow learning progression and my fourth graders really "got it!" Perfect!" - Kristen