Lesson 1: Using Headings to Determine the Main Idea (Nonfiction)
Lesson Plan
- Learning Goal
- Identify and describe the main idea of a nonfiction text using section headings and textual details.
- Duration
- Approximately 50 minutes
- Necessary Materials
- Provided: Direct Teaching Example Chart, Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: The Shark: Silent Hunter by Renée Le Bloas-Julienne, chart paper, markers, copies of sections of The Shark or other nonfiction books from classroom or school library
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Teacher Modeling
will discuss how headings in nonfiction can help us determine the main idea of that section of the book. I will choose a section in The Shark: Silent Hunter by Renée Le Bloas-Julienne. I will read the heading and think aloud about what the main idea of this section is. I will read the section and identify the main details in the text. I will use those details and the section heading to determine the main idea of the section. (See Direct Teaching Example Chart provided in Teacher and Student Materials below.)
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Think Check
Ask: How did I determine the main idea of the section? Students should respond that you looked at the section heading and thought about what the section may be about. You then read the section and paid close attention to important details. Finally, you used the text details and the section heading to determine what the section was mostly about.
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Guided Practice
will choose another section from the book to read. We will discuss the heading and what we think the main idea is. We will read the section, determine the important details in the text, and use the section heading to help us identify the main idea of the section.
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Independent Practice
will choose another section of the book to read and determine its main idea. You will explain how you identified the main idea. (Student Independent Practice is provided below.) Note: Teachers will need copies of sections of this book for students or other nonfiction books from the library.
TIP: If you decide to have students use other nonfiction books for the Independent Practice, make sure to review them before the lesson to ensure that the headings are very clear and explicitly inform students of the main idea.
Standards Alignment
(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

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