Main Idea Sentence Starters

Standard: RI4.2 Determine the main idea, explain how it is supported by key
details; summarize the text.

Level 1:

The main idea of the story is _______________. I know this because in the text, the
author said that ___________________. Another detail from the text is ___________________.
These show me the main idea because ___________________.

Level 2:

The main idea of the story ‘___________’ is _______________________. The first

detail is _____________________. I know this because in the text it says,
“___________________.” Another detail that supports the main idea is _________________. I
know this because in the text, “___________________________.” A final detail from the text is
______________________. In conclusion, these details support the main idea because they
show ____________________.

Level 3:

The main idea of the story titled ‘___________’ is _______________________. The first
detail is _____________________. I know this because according to the text on page ____, the
author says “__________________________________.” An additional detail that supports the
main idea is __________________________________. I know this because according to the
text on page _____, the author says “______________________________.” Furthermore, a
final detail from the text is _____________________________________. In conclusion, these
details support the main idea because they show ______________________________.
 Determine The Theme Sentence Starters

Level 1
The theme of the story is ______________. I know this because, in the text
_________________. Another reason is because _____________.

Level 2
The theme of the story _______________ is _______________________.
According to the text, the character is motivated by ________________. An
example of a character action or interaction is _____________________.
These examples help me determine the theme because
________________________.

Level 3
The theme of the story titled ___________ is _______________________.
According to the text, on page _____ the character is motivated by
________________. I know this because in the story, it says
“______________________________.” Furthermore, an example of a
character action or interaction on page _____ is ____________________. I
know this because in the story it says, “__________________________.”
In conclusion, these examples help me determine the theme because
______________________________________.
Comparing Sentence Starters
 The sources are similar because ____

 One commonality is that both sources ____

 Similarly to the firsthand account, the secondhand account

____
Contrasting Sentence starters
 The sources are different because

 Contrastingly, the firsthand source discusses ____, while

the secondhand source discusses ____

 The two sources differ because ____

 One variation between the two sources is ____

Comparing Sentence Starters

 The sources are similar because ____

 One commonality is that both sources ____

 Similarly to the firsthand account, the secondhand account

____