Listening to identify main ideas

Topic: Listening to identify main ideas
What is the main idea?

The main idea of a paragraph is the author's message about
the topic.
It is often expressed directly or it can be implied.
To find the main idea we have to do the following

Why is identifying the main idea important?
Finding the main idea is a key to understanding what you read.
The main idea ties all of the sentences in the paragraph or
article together.
Once you identify the main idea, everything else in the
reading should click into place.
Here is an example of how to identify main ideas

The first paragraphs main ideas is that Boots
, the dog, is very smart.
The second paragraphs main idea is that Joey had
a great birthday.
The third paragraphs main idea is that Peter's parents made
new rules once they got the carpet so it would stay clean.
Now you try to find an article or story and identify the main idea.