CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2
The Standard
Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify what an informational text is mostly teaching and select details that support that point. They explain those connections and write a brief summary in their own words.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student states the text’s central point in one clear sentence and selects details that directly support it. The student gives a brief, accurate summary without opinions or minor facts.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose a catchy fact or the topic instead of the central point. They may include minor details, opinions, or copied sentences in a summary. Some list supporting facts without explaining how they connect.
How to Assess It
- Give students a 150-word nonfiction passage. Ask them to state its main idea, cite two supporting details, and write a two-sentence summary.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups sentence strips from a short article, then have them sort each strip as main idea, supporting detail, or extra information.
After reading, ask: What does the author most want readers to understand, and which two details prove your answer?
Play Detail Detective by showing one main idea and four facts, then awarding points for choosing and explaining the strongest supporting facts.
Read a school lunch menu notice, identify its main message, and write a summary for a student who was absent.
Free download
Printable RI.4.2 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Reading: Informational Text progression map.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
Keep exploring
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.