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The Main Topic of Each Paragraph

A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on identifying the main topic of a multi-paragraph text and of each paragraph within it.

The Main Topic of Each Paragraph is a free 40-minute Grade 2 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.2.2 — say what the whole text is about and what each paragraph is about. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 2
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RI.2.2

Grade 2 · Reading: Informational Text

RI.2.2

Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.

Objective

Students will be able to name the main topic of a three-paragraph information text and of each paragraph in a few words.

Students are successful when they can

  • Names the whole text's topic in two to four words: "polar bears."
  • Names each paragraph's focus: "where they live," "how they stay warm," "what they eat."
  • Explains the difference between the main topic and a single detail.

What you need

  • Three-paragraph text "Polar Bears" on chart paper (in the Teach section)
  • Sticky notes for paragraph labels
  • An umbrella drawing: the topic on top, the paragraph topics as spokes underneath
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — what's in the box?

5 min
  1. Say a list: "apples, bananas, grapes, pears." Ask: "What are they all?" (Fruit.)
  2. Say: "a hose, a ladder, a helmet, a fire engine." Ask: "What are these all about?" (Firefighters.)
  3. Say that the one word that covers everything is the topic. Each thing in the list is a detail.
“The topic is the umbrella. Every detail fits underneath it.”

Teach — one paragraph, one job

13 min
  1. Read paragraph 1: "Polar bears live in the Arctic, near the North Pole. It is covered in ice and snow for most of the year. The bears walk and swim across the sea ice."
  2. Ask: "What is this paragraph mostly about?" Fish for "where polar bears live." Write it on a sticky note beside the paragraph.
  3. Read paragraph 2: "Polar bears have two layers of fur. Under their skin is a thick layer of fat called blubber. Their skin is black to soak up the sun." Ask what the details have in common: fur, blubber, black skin — "how they stay warm."
  4. Read paragraph 3: "Polar bears mostly eat seals. They wait by holes in the ice for a seal to come up for air. A polar bear can smell a seal from far away." Label: "what they eat."
  5. Draw the umbrella. Top: "Polar bears." Spokes: where they live, how they stay warm, what they eat. Ask: "What is the WHOLE text about?" (Polar bears.)
  6. Test a wrong answer: "Is the text about seals?" Seals are only in one paragraph — a detail, not the topic.
“Ask: what do all the sentences in this paragraph have in common? That is its topic.”

Guided practice — label the paragraphs

12 min
  1. Give pairs a three-paragraph text on recycling glass: P1 "Glass bottles are collected from homes and sorted by color." P2 "The glass is crushed into small pieces and melted in a hot furnace." P3 "The melted glass is shaped into new bottles and jars. Glass can be recycled again and again."
  2. Pairs write a two- to four-word sticky label for each paragraph: "collecting and sorting," "crushing and melting," "making new bottles."
  3. Then they write the whole topic on top of an umbrella: "Recycling glass."
  4. Share labels. Ask: "Did anyone write 'furnace'? Is that the topic of paragraph 2, or a detail?"
“If your label only fits one sentence, it is a detail. Make it fit them all.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the printable. One sheet asks what a whole multi-paragraph text is mostly about and for a summary; the other asks what each paragraph is about.
  2. Remind them to read every sentence of a paragraph before naming its topic.

Close

2 min
  1. Point to paragraph 2 of "Polar Bears." Ask: "Blubber, or how they stay warm — which is the topic?" Take the reason why.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Names the most interesting detail as the topic: "This paragraph is about blubber."

Why: The vivid or new word sticks in memory and feels like what the paragraph was about.

Fix: List every sentence's detail on the board and ask what they have in common. If the label only fits one sentence, it is a detail.

Gives the same label to every paragraph: "polar bears," "polar bears," "polar bears."

Why: They have found the whole-text topic and do not see that each paragraph narrows it.

Fix: Ask "What about polar bears?" for each paragraph. The answer after "about" is the paragraph topic.

Writes a whole sentence copied from the paragraph as its topic: "Polar bears mostly eat seals."

Why: The first sentence often is the topic sentence, so copying it has been rewarded before.

Fix: Accept that it is close, then limit labels to four words: "what they eat." Show a paragraph where the first sentence is a detail.

If they are not there yet

  • Give three paragraph labels on cards to match to paragraphs, rather than writing them.
  • Use two-paragraph texts with very different topics.
  • Read each paragraph aloud and ask the topic question orally before writing.

If they finish early

  • Write a subheading for each paragraph that would help a reader find it quickly.
  • Write a fourth paragraph for the polar bear text on a new topic, such as "their cubs," and label it.
  • Find a paragraph in a library book whose topic sentence is not first, and explain where it is.

Exit ticket

Read: "Fire engines carry ladders. They carry long hoses. They also carry tools for cutting." What is this paragraph mostly about?

What to look for: "What fire engines carry." "Ladders" or "hoses": naming a detail, not the topic. "Fire engines": whole-text topic, not narrowed to the paragraph. A copied sentence: needs the four-word label rule.

Printable practice for RI.2.2

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about The Main Topic of Each Paragraph

How long does the The Main Topic of Each Paragraph lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does The Main Topic of Each Paragraph teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.2 — RI.2.2, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 2: “Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.” In plain terms, say what the whole text is about and what each paragraph is about.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Three-paragraph text "Polar Bears" on chart paper (in the Teach section), sticky notes for paragraph labels, an umbrella drawing: the topic on top, the paragraph topics as spokes underneath and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: names the most interesting detail as the topic: "This paragraph is about blubber."; gives the same label to every paragraph: "polar bears," "polar bears," "polar bears." and writes a whole sentence copied from the paragraph as its topic: "Polar bears mostly eat seals.". The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Read: "Fire engines carry ladders. They carry long hoses. They also carry tools for cutting." What is this paragraph mostly about?.” "What fire engines carry." "Ladders" or "hoses": naming a detail, not the topic. "Fire engines": whole-text topic, not narrowed to the paragraph. A copied sentence: needs the four-word label rule. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with The Main Topic of Each Paragraph?

Yes — 1 printable RI.2.2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is The Main Topic of Each Paragraph free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RI.2.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.