Cluster 1: Key Ideas and DetailsArchived

This is a close reading lesson that uses the book From Egg To Chicken By Gerald Legg. Students will identify nonfiction text features, answer text-dependent questions, and sequence main events. They will write an informative piece about what they've learned in the lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explore what living things need to survive. This lesson utilizes a read aloud of the text The Magic School Bus Hops Home: A Book about Animal Habitats. Through this book, and a PowerPoint that has been included with the lesson, students will read about animals and their habitats and the needs of living things. Students will also determine the meanings of key vocabulary words and then write about what they've learned. A graphic organizer to help students with their writing and a writing rubric have also been included with the lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use What Do You Do With A Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page to identify the main topic and key details using the illustrations and text with teacher support, in pairs, and independently. Students will work to complete a 3-2-1 card, a group poster and presentation, as well as an independent explanatory writing to show their understanding of the main topic, subtopics, and key details.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is a close reading lesson using the book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. In three readings of the book, students will ask and answer questions about the text, make text-to-self connections, and record new learning. For the summative assessment, students will gather additional information about their selected animal and write an informative paper.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this close reading lesson, students will complete activities over a period of three days to gain deeper understanding of the text "What Plants Need," asking and answering questions and identifying key details that support the main topic of the text. Students will write an informative paragraph about what they've learned from the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will participate in close reading a text about trees. They will ask and answer text-dependent questions and identify the main topic and key details of the text. They will also write an informative paragraph about what they've learned, providing examples from the text they read. This lesson provides great background information and extension activities to support learning in science as well as reading!

Type: Lesson Plan

The teacher will read the story The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle (450L) and Chameleons, Chameleons (180L) by Joy Crowley. Students will discuss the habitats of chameleons and will be challenged to create a habitat for a class chameleon.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will generate questions about bears. They will answer questions about key details from the text, Bears, by Melvin and Gilda Berger and identify the main topic. They will write an informative 5 sentence paragraph on the topic of bears using key details from the text to support their writing.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson focuses on using text features to understand nonfiction text, specifically the Scholastic News Nonfiction Reader: Helping Out by Peggy Hock, 650L. The students will ask and answer questions about the text, examine the particular text features found within the text and will organize the information read in a concept map. They will then use the concept map to write an informative paragraph about ways they can protect Earth.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the role of five community helpers will be explored. The teacher will use A Day With Librarians, 550L, to model for students how to utilize text features to better understand text and how to take notes on key details found in the book. In groups of four to five, students will be assigned a book on a community helper (A Day With Police Officers, 510L, A Day With Mail Carriers, 470L, A Day With Firefighters, 390L, A Day With Doctors, 490L). They will ask and answer text-dependent questions, complete a text feature chart, and will utilize a note taking sheet to record key details on each section of their text. They will find the main idea of each section and then utilize that information to determine the main topic of their book. That information will then be utilized to write an informative book on the job of their community helper.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about the importance of the sequence of steps in a recipe. They will explore student-friendly recipes and follow a recipe created in class to make a popular food for kids. Students will then write their own recipe for one of their favorite foods.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will listen to informational text about an animal and critique a sample informative paragraph by giving suggestions about how to improve the sample writing. Students will then read and write about their favorite animal. They will present and take suggestions from classmates. Students will also revise their writing through use of suggestions given by their peers.

Type: Lesson Plan

This unit focuses on using text features to understand non-fiction text, specifically National Geographic Reader: Frogs!, (ATOS 2.6, 410L) by Elizabeth Carney. The students will participate in a whole group activity where a portion of text will be analyzed for its main topic and main idea, a graphic organizer will be modeled to show the relationship between key details and the main idea, and a shared writing activity will be conducted. They will then apply the skills learned as they create their own main idea table and write an informational paragraph. They will answer questions about the text and will participate in class discussions and work cooperatively to complete a variety of activities.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn laws of the classroom and community all while determining the main idea.

Type: Lesson Plan

This Model Eliciting Activity is written at a first grade level. In teams, students will make decisions about how to select the best baby toy on various toy characteristics.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson plan is an introductory lesson for first graders on the objects seen in the night sky and stars.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will use biographies to research individuals important to American history. The students will then create "Clue Bags" based on key details about the different individuals to present to the class with the question "Who Am I?" Additionally, the students will use the key details selected for the "Clue Bags" to write an expository paragraph about their selected individual.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students, will read three informational texts about fruit. Students will identify key ideas and details in each text and use illustrations to help them identify the key ideas. This lesson also incorporates a science standard that asks students to sort objects by color, shape, and size. After reading each text, students will participate in several hands-on activities to sort fruit.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches main idea and details through the use of a nonfiction text on bird beaks. This lesson could be used in conjunction with a lesson on animal adaptations.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches main idea and details incorporating a science lesson on gases.

Type: Lesson Plan

This main idea lesson is intended to expose students to the role and importance of scientists. Through informational text, students will learn what scientists do and why they are important. After learning about scientists, students will write a summary identifying the main idea and details from the text. Then, they will share their summaries with partners in the classroom. This lesson is intended to show students that they can also be scientists and make their own discoveries.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will identify the text features of non-fiction books and use several informational texts on meat-eating plants to answer text dependent questions. Students will become "text detectives" and learn how to use the text to find the evidence to prove that their answers to questions are right. The students will learn to use evidence from informational texts to write explanatory paragraphs.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches main idea and details incorporating a science lesson on liquids.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this resource, students will form an opinion based on facts in a text. The text used is A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler. Students will identify facts from the text and form and share opinions about each fact.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will work as a team to rank school lunch items from the most nutritious to the least nutritious.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with two texts, Starfish by Edith Thacher Hurd and Discovering Starfish by Lorijo Metz. They will ask and answer questions about key details. They will also identify and retell key details about starfish. They will be able to compare and contrast the texts. The students will also be able to distinguish between information from pictures and information from texts. The students will write an informative paragraph about starfish.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches main idea and details incorporating a science lesson on matter.Teachers will utilize a KWL chart to help assess students' background knowledge, as well as what they want to learn, and what they have learned at the end of the lesson. An informational text entitled What is the World Made of? All about Solids, Liquids, and Gases will be used throughout the lesson. As a summative assessment, students will write a summary which identifies the main idea and key details from this text.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson focuses on using text features to understand nonfiction text, specifically the National Geographic Reader: Polar Bears, by Laura Marsh, ATOS level 2.6. The students will participate in a lesson utilizing a PowerPoint presentation explaining text features. They will answer questions about the text, take notes to answer specific questions about the text, and will use the notes to write a paragraph about polar bears. They will participate in class discussions and work cooperatively to complete a variety of activities, including identifying the main topic of the informational text.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches the concept of main idea and details and writing informational/expository text using science content on solids.

Type: Lesson Plan

Identify key details as you answer questions about informational text in this interactive tutorial. Join Sam as he explores the seashore and answers who, what, where, and when questions about sea stars, sea urchins, hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs, and other sea-related topics.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Identify similarities and differences, use a Venn diagram, and describe connections in an informational text in this interactive tutorial. Join Luke as he compares and contrasts life long ago with life today using key details in informational text.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Identify paragraphs in a text, use key details to identify the topic of a paragraph, and identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph text using the topics and details from each paragraph in this Florida-themed interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this activity, students will generate and answer questions to comprehend text.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will monitor comprehension before, during, and after reading using a graphic organizer. 

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify cause and effect relationships in text and record them on a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the relationship between cause and effect. NOTE: This is an introductory level activity. It will need to be extended using grade-appropriate text to meet the complexity of the aligned standards.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the topic and key details in a text and record them on a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the topic and key details in informational text. As an extension, students may also compare and contrast the important details presented by two texts on the same topic.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the main topic and key details in a text.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the main idea and supporting details in text.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the topic and details in text using a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will monitor comprehension before, during, and after reading text using a K-W-L chart. 

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will make and check predictions about text. 

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the main idea and supporting details in text.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will answer questions while reading teacher-selected text.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will use multiple strategies (e.g., prior knowledge, ask and answer questions, make and confirm predictions, summarize) to comprehend narrative or expository text.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will summarize text using a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

In this activity, students will identify the main idea and supporting details in an expository text, then summarize the text.

Type: Student Center Activity