Finding the Main Idea in Fiction
A Grade 4 ELA worksheet to practice identifying the main idea in fictional passages.
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Finding the Main Idea in Fiction
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Read each short story carefully. Then, answer the questions about the main idea of the story.
Lily loved her new kite. It was bright red with a long, swishy tail. One windy afternoon, she took it to the park. She ran and ran, letting out more string. The kite soared high above the trees! But then, a strong gust of wind pulled the string right out of her hand. The kite danced away, smaller and smaller, until it was just a tiny speck in the sky. Lily felt a tear roll down her cheek. She searched for hours, but her beautiful red kite was gone.
1. What is the main idea of this story?
2. Which sentence best tells what the story 'The Lost Kite' is mostly about?
Lily likes to play in the park.
Lily lost her favorite red kite.
The wind was very strong that day.
Kites can fly very high.
Squeaky the squirrel was very hungry. Winter was coming, and he needed to gather nuts. He saw the biggest, juiciest acorns on the other side of the busy road. Squeaky was scared of the loud cars, but he knew his family needed food. Taking a deep breath, he darted across the road, dodging cars and trucks. He safely reached the oak tree and quickly gathered as many acorns as he could carry. Then, he bravely crossed the road again, his cheeks stuffed with food for his family.
3. What is the main idea of this story?
4. The main idea of 'The Brave Squirrel' is that Squeaky was to get food for his family.
5. A good main idea tells you what the story is about.
6. The main idea is usually found only in the first sentence of a story.
True
False
7. Why is it important to find the main idea when you read a story?