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Main idea and details organizer (free printable)

A house with a roof for the main idea, three pillars for the supporting details and a base for the summary. Edit the labels and print for any text.

Printed on the sheet. Leave it empty to write by hand.
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Main Idea and Details, page 1Main Idea and DetailsText: ______________________________NameDateMain ideaDetail 1Detail 2Detail 3SummaryFree at teach.peabody.kids

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About this sheet

The main idea of a text is what holds it up, and the details are what it stands on. A house is a picture that makes the relationship plain: a roof that covers everything, pillars that carry it, and a floor that gathers the whole. Students write the main idea in the roof, one detail in each pillar, and a closing summary in the base. If a pillar has nothing that supports the roof, the idea is not yet right, and students notice it. Edit the labels to ask for details, evidence or facts, and add more pillars by typing more labels between the first and the last. It works with a paragraph, a page or a whole article.

Grades: 2 to 8. Best in: September, October, January.

How to use it

  1. Edit the labels if you like: the first line is the roof, the last is the base, and every line between them is a pillar.
  2. Read a short passage together. Ask students to write the main idea last, after they have found three details, to see if the details agree.
  3. Share a finished page in pairs and ask the partner to say whether the details really support the roof.

Five ideas for class

  1. Start with a very short text, one paragraph, and have students find the details first and name the idea they point to.
  2. Use it with a passage from the reading section of this site, then check the answers against the questions.
  3. Ask students to write the main idea in one sentence, then in a title of five words, to practice making ideas smaller.
  4. Use it in other subjects: the main idea of a science section or a history chapter, with details taken from the headings.
  5. Show a roof with the wrong idea, too big or too small, and ask the class to repair it using the pillars as evidence.

Related

Questions

Why a house?

A house is a familiar picture of something that is covered by one thing and supported by others. The idea transfers to a paragraph without much explanation.

Can I have more than three pillars?

Yes. Type up to four details between the first and last label, and the pillars redraw to fit.

What goes in the base?

By default, a summary. You can change it to So what? or Why does this matter? to ask for the reader's own thinking.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Choose Print, then pick “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheet prints: the page around it is hidden. You can also save a sheet as a PNG image under the preview.

Can I print it in black and white?

Yes. Switch to Black and white beside the sheet: fills turn white and lines turn black, so it saves ink and photocopies cleanly.

Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?

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