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[Coop and Dino singing]

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When you’re reading a book, it’s important to know and understand the main idea of the [Book opens]

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text of the story.

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Otherwise, you’ve just got a bunch of minor ideas whizzing around inside your head, and

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who needs that noise? [Ideas buzzing round a mans head]

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The main idea, aka the most important idea in a passage or a story…

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…is different from a detail, which drills down a bit and tells you something specific [Dino discussing details of a story]

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about the main idea.

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Like…you might be reading an article suggesting that pumpkin pie is the healthiest food on

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the planet…which would be the article’s main idea. [Person reading pumpkin pie article]

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There might be a supporting detail saying that pumpkin pie is zero calories.

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It would be a lie, but a very detailed lie…

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When you’re reading, think about what the passage or book is mostly about.

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For example, if there’s a book titled “Whales Around the World”… [Man reading a book about Whales around the world]

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…it’s a good bet we’re looking at a nonfiction book that will teach us about all

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the different whales in the world.

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It’s…probably not about a bunch of jet-setting whales with an overabundance of frequent flyer miles. [Whales walk up to airport reception desk with baggage]

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For a fiction book, it’s a little different.

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We think of the main idea in a fiction story as the message or lesson the author is trying

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to tell us.

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Let’s take a look at the story “The Tortoise and the Hare.” [Tortoise walking slowly]

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So we all know that the hare bragged about being faster than the tortoise, and

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then stopped to take a nap.

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Because that many carrots would cause anyone to crash. [Hare napping by a tree]

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The Tortoise was slow and steady and continued on with the race, and won. [Tortoise crossing the finish line]

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What was the main idea of this story?

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Well, it seems to be that persistence and determination pay off in the end, and it’s

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never a good idea to brag.

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And…that there’s a right and a wrong time to catch a few Z’s… [Hare napping by a tree with a bunch of carrots]

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If you’re just reading a paragraph or a short passage, pay attention to what the first

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sentence of each paragraph says.

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Often, the main idea is stated there.

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Other times, you’ll need a decoder ring to find it. [Person wearing a decoder ring]

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So…keep one handy.

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