Stated Main Idea (the main idea is one of the sentences in the passage)

Alex scored 8 points for his baseball team. He struck out 5 players. He hit 2 home runs and drove in 6 more runs. Alex was declared Most Valuable Player of the game.

Main Idea: Alex was declared Most Valuable Player of the game.

Dogs help humans in many ways. Some dogs hunt or retrieve. Some dogs guide the blind. Others guard animals and property.

Main Idea: Dogs help humans in many ways.

Dolphins are marine mammals that are related to whales and porpoises. A marine mammal is one that lives in the water. Dolphins are found all over the world's oceans as well as in rivers and marshes. Dolphins are carnivores (meat-eaters) and feed on fish, squid and other marine life. They often swim together in groups called "pods." They are thought to have powerful eyesight and hearing, but do not have a sense of smell.

Main Idea: Dolphins are marine mammals that are related to whales and porpoises.

Many adults claim that they do not have time to work exercise into their daily schedules. However, exercise can be easily worked into your daily routine. For instance, you can do stretches while taking a shower. While standing in line at the grocery store, you can flex your abs. You can even do calf raises while talking on the phone. More ideas: try walking around the building during lunch breaks and always take the stairs.

Main Idea: Exercise can be easily worked into your daily routine.

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of America's most important civil rights leaders. He inspired many with his famous, "I have a dream" speech. He believed in using non-violent methods to achieve his dream of racial integration.

Main Idea: Martin Luther King Jr. was one of America's most important civil rights leaders.

Native people in early North America liked to play games. Their favorite games were played with a stick and a ball, like lacrosse. In lacrosse the rule is that you can't touch the ball with your hands and instead catch the ball in a net on the end of a stick and use the stick to throw the ball. The Native American's game had similar rules.

Main Idea: Native people in early North America liked to play games.

Owls are nocturnal birds that hunt at night and sleep during the day. Owls can see very well in the dark. They can also hear very well. Owls are smart hunters! At night they hunt prey such as snakes, mice and rats.

Main Idea: Owls are nocturnal birds that hunt at night and sleep during the day.

Plants have defenses against being eaten. Plants like milkweed have strong chemicals that can make animals sick. Poison Ivy has oils in its leaves that will give animals an itchy rash. Blackberries have sharp thorns all over the plant.

Main Idea: Plants have defenses against being eaten.

Teeth can tell you what kinds of food a mammal eats. Plant eaters (herbivores) like deer have large, flat molars for grinding plants. Animals that eat both plants and meat (omnivores) have strong canines and molars for tearing and grinding foods. Animals that are meat eaters (carnivores) have canine teeth for cutting and tearing.

Main Idea: Teeth can tell you what kinds of food a mammal eats.

On Monday, my daughter came down with a cold. On Tuesday, my son inadvertently dropped his glasses into the creek behind our house. On Wednesday, I did not turn the oven on while I was "baking" the roast. And Thursday, the driver behind me at the drive-thru decided to drive through me. This has certainly been a bad week for me!

Main Idea: This has certainly been a bad week for me!

Thomas Alva Edison is remembered because of the huge number of things he invented which are still used today. He invented the light bulb. The storage battery was invented by him. Motion pictures (movies) were another of his inventions.

Main Idea: Thomas Alva Edison is remembered because of the huge number of things he invented which are still used today.

Many parents tend to think of day-care centers as breeding grounds for colds. But new research suggests that children in day-care centers develop immunity (ability to resist infection) to viruses. Research shows that children ages 6 to 11 who had been enrolled in day-care centers as toddlers had about one-third as many colds as children who had stayed at home as toddlers. This means kids that went to daycare get sick a lot less than kids that did not go to daycare. When children have colds as toddlers, their immune systems are learning from these experiences, and this learning will come back to protect the child later in life.

Main Idea: new research suggests that children in day-care centers develop immunity (ability to resist infection) to viruses.

The blue whale is the largest living animal to have ever lived on the planet Earth. Blue Whales are way larger than even the largest dinosaur that ever lived. The largest Blue Whales can grow up to 100 feet long, which is longer than three school buses put together.

The blue whale is the largest living animal to have ever lived on the planet Earth.