CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.2
The Standard
Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are 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 find more than one central point in an informational text. They connect relevant details to each point, then give a concise account of the whole text.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students state two or more central points in their own words. They match each point with strong text evidence and write a brief, accurate summary without personal opinions.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose a topic, such as pollution, instead of a complete main idea. They may select interesting facts that do not support the central points or include opinions in the summary.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short article and ask them to write two main ideas, one supporting detail for each, and a three-sentence summary.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups sentence strips from an article to sort under two student-written main idea headings.
Ask students to explain which detail best supports each main idea and why another detail is less useful.
Play Main Idea Match by having teams pair detail cards with main idea cards, then defend each match using the text.
Read a school newsletter article and write a short summary for a student who missed the announcement.
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Printable RI.5.2 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.2, 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.
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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.7.2
Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
- 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.
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