Interpreting Nonfiction and Informational Text
Lesson 1: Main Ideas and Details

The Main Idea

A writer has a message, or main idea, to get across. Sometimes the main idea is stated directly; often you have to figure it out yourself. You can find the main idea by asking, "What is the most important point the writer is making?" Most of the information in a passage will point to and explain the main idea.

As you read this passage, ask yourself what main point the writer is making. The answer will be the main idea.

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When I am reading a poem, I rarely feel alone in the room. The poet and I are together. It's as if the poet wrote a secret diary years ago. I am unlocking it as I sit alone and read.

At times I don't understand what a poem means. I just like the way it sounds or the strange images that it provokes. The world is so peculiar in a poem. At the same time, it is so enticing. Sometimes I understand exactly, as if the poet is whispering to me, as if we shared the same thoughts.