CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.2
The Standard
Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text
What This Standard Means
Students need to tell what the whole nonfiction text is mostly about, not just name one fun fact. They also need to look at each paragraph and say what that paragraph is mainly about. They should use headings, repeated words, pictures, and key details to help decide.
Mastery looks like a student saying, “The whole article is about how bees help plants, and this paragraph is about bees moving pollen.” Students often get stuck by picking a tiny detail as the main topic, copying the title only, or giving one main idea for every paragraph.
Ways to Teach It
- Give partners a short animal article, sticky notes, and ask them to label the main topic and each paragraph’s focus.
- Ask students, “Which detail tells the most about this paragraph, and which detail is just interesting?”
- Use a three-paragraph passage and have students match each paragraph to the best focus statement from three choices.
- Read a simple school lunch menu article and identify the whole topic, then the focus of paragraphs about choices, prices, and rules.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.2
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.2
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.5
Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.2
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.2
With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.