The topic is the general subject of a paragraph or essay. Topics are simple and are described with just a word or a phrase. The main idea is a complete sentence; it includes the topic and what the author wants to say about it. If the author states the main idea in his paragraph it is called a “topic sentence.”

SUPPORTING DETAILS • A paragraph contains facts, statements, examples-specifics which guide us to a full understanding of the main idea. They clarify, illuminate, explain, describe, expand and illustrate the main idea and are supporting details.

How to Write a Support Paragraph

1. A topic sentence (assertion , support point) that is clearly related to the main idea of the whole essay.
2. A clear relationship to the main idea of the essay through signal words and paragraph transitions.
3. A combination of general and specific detail.
4. A clear relationship between one sentence and the next.

Fun Ways to Teach Main Idea and Key Details

1. The Mini-Lesson. Using a puzzle, place one piece down at a time asking the students what they see.
2. Center Activity.
3. Independent Practice.
4. Writing Task.
5. Assessment.

The main idea is the most important part of the story. The main idea helps readers understand what the story is mainly about. Look at the title and pictures. The main idea may be stated in the first or last sentence.

Teaching Students That Details Should Support the Main Idea Before your main idea lesson, write a paragraph that has a very clear main idea. Then, add a sentence to the paragraph that is somewhat on topic, but doesn’t really support the main idea of the paragraph.

Before students can grasp implicit main idea, make sure they can find explicit topic sentences. Provide short passages (even single paragraphs) and ask students to identify which is the topic sentence and which sentences include supporting and specific details.

Finding the main idea

1. at the beginning of paragraphs. The first sentence often explains the subject being discussed in the passage.
2. in the concluding sentences of a paragraph. The main idea can be expressed as a summation of the information in the paragraph as well as a link to the information in the next paragraph.

How to Find the Message or Theme of a Poem

1. Examine the Title. Often, the title can point you in the right direction when you’re trying to understand the meaning of a text.
2. Read Slowly and Read Aloud.
3. Identify the Speaker.
4. Determine the Subjects.
5. Determine the Types of Imagery and Metaphor Used.
6. The Poem Isn’t Just About Meaning.

The central theme of a poem represents its controlling idea. This idea is crafted and developed throughout the poem and can be identified by assessing the poem’s rhythm, setting, tone, mood, diction and, occasionally, title.

Theme is the lesson about life or statement about human nature that the poem expresses. To determine theme, start by figuring out the main idea. Then keep looking around the poem for details such as the structure, sounds, word choice, and any poetic devices.

Answer: the poems central theme is contained in the subject matter of the poem.in other words,it is the astract idea of what the poem is saying about life . A poem may convey different levels of meaning,simultaneously.

In his poem “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” Sir Walter Raleigh draws upon and transforms the idealistic imagery in “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” to develop a more realistic view of the relationship between humans and nature.

The tone of “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” is ironic. The nymph is the poetic speaker, and she is resisting the “carpe diem,”…

Answer: The correct answer is C) pride in battle and death. Explanation: In Old Ironsides, Oliver Wendel Holmes is speaking about a battleship that has reached the end of its career.

The poem is about a ship, the USS Constitution, which was condemned to be scrapped. Holmes describes the glory of it and how it is a symbol of America’s freedom.