--- title: "Main Topic of Informational Texts" description: "Identify the main topic and retell key details of informational texts; describe connections between individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/main-topic-of-informational-texts-mt_aFvsj35QzC source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/main-topic-of-informational-texts-mt_aFvsj35QzC.md retrieved: 2026-11-12 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Main Topic of Informational Texts Identify the main topic and retell key details of informational texts; describe connections between individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information Subject: English · Area: Reading Comprehension · Ages 5 to 7 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/main-topic-of-informational-texts-mt_aFvsj35QzC ## Ready when they can - State what a non-fiction text is mostly about in one sentence - List two or three important facts learned from an informational text - Explain how two events or ideas in a text are connected ## Lesson: What Is This Text Mostly About? You have listened to books read aloud. Now read or listen to a short fact text. It tells about real things. Its main topic is who or what it is mostly about. A book can cover different topics in different parts. Ask what the facts explain together. You can say, "This text is about..." **Example.** A page says many frogs jump. Adult frogs can eat insects. Frogs start life as eggs. Its main topic is frogs. The facts are details about frogs. To retell two facts, say, "Many frogs jump, and frogs start life as eggs." Check the page as you retell it. A fact you know from somewhere else may not be on this page. *(drawing: These details tell about the same topic: frogs.)* To choose a sentence for a text, check whether it tells about the topic. For a page about apples, a fact about apple trees fits. A sentence about a school bus does not help explain apples. When you retell a text, keep facts that explain its topic. Use the named topic to check each sentence. An exciting detail may tell only one part of a text. Choose a topic that fits the facts together. One animal's food may be too small. All animals may be too big for a text about ants. Sometimes the topic word is not written. Rain, snow and wind are all weather, so weather can be their shared topic. Facts can tell the order in which things happen. For many frogs, eggs hatch into tadpoles. Tadpoles then grow into frogs. Facts can also give a reason. "The plant wilted because it had no water" tells why. Look for words like "because" or "made" to find the reason. One event coming first does not always cause the next one. A title often names the topic. Choose one that fits the facts together. "How Boats Move" fits facts about rowing and sailing better than "One Sail". A text may use "it" instead of naming the same thing again. In "A boat floats. It carries people," the word "it" means the boat. Read back to check what each sentence tells about. **Recap.** Name what the text is mostly about. Retell facts from the text, and use its words to explain how facts connect. *Original lesson and practice material written for this dataset. Khan Academy records were studied for teaching structure.* ## Practice 21 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Listening to Texts Read Aloud](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/listening-to-texts-read-aloud-mt_mLPEMpYb_R) ## Opens up - [Spotting Facts and Opinions](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/spotting-facts-and-opinions-mt_jJBprWe2pe) - [Main Topic & Key Details](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/main-topic-and-key-details-mt_QCWWmDMYZR) - [Story sequence and central message](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/story-sequence-and-central-message-mt_VEwM7ClYYE) - [Non-Fiction Text Features](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/non-fiction-text-features-mt_ZhUuT__i2H)