Minds On

Sharing a poem

Frank is beside Frankie and smiling as they share their poem with Frankie.

Frank is sharing a poem with Frankie.

Sometimes I’m red

Sometimes I’m blue

Sometimes I’m yellow

And sometimes purple too

But of all the colors

That I may test,

Most times I like my

Frank color the best.

What do you think Frank was trying to share with this poem? How did you decide? Record your ideas in a method of your choice.

Action

Finding clues

Let’s read Frank’s poem again.

Colours

  • Sometimes I’m red
  • Sometimes I’m blue
  • Sometimes I’m yellow
  • And sometimes purple too
  • But of all the colors
  • That I may test,
  • Most times I like my
  • Frank color the best.

Frank gave us clues about the main idea of his poem. The title “Colours” helped us, and the words red, blue, yellow, and purple helped, too. Good readers use these clues to find the main idea of a text.

Digging deeper

What clues can you use to determine the main idea of this scene? Consider the title, words in the text, and the image. You can use all of these to help you decide.

Use the clues that we have discussed to determine the main idea of this paragraph. Record your answers to the questions by completing the document Finding the Main Idea Through Clues in your notebook, on the computer, or using the following and printable document below.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Finding the Main Idea Through Clues. 

Activity(Open PDF in a new window)

Consolidation

Solve the mystery!

Test Your Skills!

It's your turn!

Check the sentences below. Choose the main idea that matches each sentence from the dropdown menu. Show what you know by using the clues we’ve discussed to connect each sentence to the main idea it best matches.

Think about your learning

Use these questions to reflect on your learning.

  • Which clue helped you the most?
  • Where else could we use this strategy other than a poem and a paragraph?

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel...

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.