What does main idea mean anyway?

The main idea is the most important or central thought of a section of text. It tells about the big, overall idea; it is NOT a specific
detail. The main idea statement should be in your own words (not copied from the text).

How can I figure out what the main idea of a passage is?
You can figure out the main idea of a passage by asking yourself two questions:
1. WHO or WHAT is the subject/topic of this section?
2. What is the author saying about him/her/it?
You can also just ask yourself, What is this part MOSTLY teaching me?
Make sure your main idea is a FULL SENTENCE; it SHOULD NOT be a phrase or a word. Also make sure that you can find
supporting details in the text to support your main idea, which are sentences that help explain and/or prove the main idea. In the
model below, supporting details are underlined.

Identifying Main Idea: Model

Deep Sea Treasure Hunters by Ramona Rivera
Deep-sea diving is a dangerous but fascinating activity. Some
people dive for fun or sport, and some make a career out of
hunting for sunken treasure. These types of career divers fall into
one of two categories: those who want to study their discoveries
and those who want to sell the treasures they find.
The divers who study sunken treasures are concerned with
preservation of the sites. These divers often locate, map, and study
shipwrecks. When they find a site, the divers are interested in using
the information that the treasure provides to form a story about the
ship that wrecked. By studying artifacts such as coins or jewelry
found at site, these divers learn many things about the lives of the
ships passengers. They also learn more about the cargo and the
daily lives of the sailors aboard the ship. Sometimes they even learn
why the ship sank.
1. Who/what is the subject
of this section? Divers
who dive for profit
2. What is the author
saying about them?
How they research and
take care of the treasures
they find
Main Idea: Sport divers must
carefully research and take care of
the treasures they find.

1. Who or what is the

subject/topic of this section?
Deep-sea divers
2. What is the author saying
about deep-sea divers?
That there are 2 types
Main Idea: There are two types of
deep-sea divers; those who study
and those that want to make money.

1. Who/what is the subject

of this section? Divers
who dive for a career
2. What is the author saying
about them? They study
artifacts left over from
shipwrecks to learn more
about the people who were
on the ship
Main Idea: Career divers study
artifacts left over from shipwrecks
to learn more about the people who
were on the ship.

The deep-sea divers pursuing profit must carefully research their sites
to make sure it is legal to take artifacts from the location. They must
also take measures to preserve the artifacts so
that they dont corrode and lose value once they are
recovered. For these deep-sea divers, the
1. Who/what is the subject
measure of their success is the dollar value of the
of this section? Divers
treasure they find.

Whether deep-sea divers wish to study treasure or collect it, divers must obey the
laws, dive in teams, and be careful at all times. We must respect the power and mystery
of our oceans if we hope to uncover their many hidden treasures.

2. What is the author saying

about them? They must
follow rules and be careful
Main Idea: Divers must be careful and
follow all the laws if they want to continue
to find treasure in the oceans.