This Main Idea Worksheet helps 5th graders find two main ideas in any nonfiction text, back each one with key details, and write a clear summary of what they read.
Use this fishbone graphic organizer worksheet to help 5th grade readers map a text's main idea, four key points, and supporting details, then write a clear summary.
A Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 5th grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 24 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
This class critics summarizing activity gives 3rd to 5th grade students seven organizers to summarize books, videos, and articles. Answer key included for the model and practice.
This History Vertical Timeline of Events Graphic Organizer Worksheet has 5th graders read a short Wright brothers passage and order five dated events on a vertical timeline. Answer key included.
This organize your thinking informational text activity helps students take clear notes on nonfiction. Made for 3rd to 5th Grade, with a practice page and answer key included.
Catch the big ideas, skip the rest
In 5th grade, kids read longer nonfiction and have to keep track of a lot of information. Note taking teaches them to pull out the main idea and the most important details, in their own words. They learn to use short phrases instead of whole sentences, sort notes into categories, and use organizers like timelines and fishbone charts. A good note for a paragraph about volcanoes might be magma = melted rock underground. The click moment comes when kids write a report straight from their notes and realize they don't need to reread the whole book.
Good notes are short, organized and in kids' own words. These moves get them there.
Read a paragraph aloud and ask "What is this mostly about?" before anyone writes. Model writing the main idea in five words or less, then add two key details. Kids repeat it with the next paragraph.
Why it works: handing over the work step by step, from teacher to student, is one of the most widely used teaching frameworks (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withMain Idea WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Use a fishbone organizer for cause and effect texts. The big event goes in the head, and each bone holds one cause. Kids can see at a glance how the ideas connect.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withFishbone Graphic OrganizerGraphic OrganizersOpen it →Kids write each fact on its own sticky note, then group them into categories on a big sheet. Moving the notes around shows them how a report or summary will be organized.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withOrganize Your Thinking Informational Text ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Turn note taking into reviews, timelines and quick challenges.
ActivitiesKids take notes on a short text, then write a quick review like a movie critic using only their notes.
Open Class Critics Summarizing Activity →
WorksheetsRead about a historical event and put the key moments in order on a vertical timeline.
Open History Vertical Timeline of Events Graphic Organizer →
Test PrepCan you sum up a paragraph in five words? Partners compare and vote on the best one.
Open Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 5th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook →Teacher favorites right now: Main Idea Worksheet, Fishbone Graphic Organizer and Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 5th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook.
Start by finding the main idea of a short paragraph, then add two key details in short phrases. Model it out loud first, then practice together before kids try on their own.
Graphic organizers work great for fifth graders because they show how ideas connect. Timelines, webs and fishbone charts are easy to start with.
No. Notes should be short phrases in the student's own words. Putting ideas in their own words shows they understand and helps them avoid copying in reports.
After reading or watching something together, ask your child to tell you the three most important things. Then help them write each one in just a few words.
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