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Main Ideas from What You Heard is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on pulling the main ideas out of something presented, aligned to Common Core standard SL.3.2. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Main Ideas from What You Heard

SL.3.2

NameDate

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

Morse Code

Morse code turns every letter into a pattern of short and long signals: dots and dashes. The commonest letters were given the shortest patterns. E is one dot. T is one dash. Q, which is rare, is dash-dash-dot-dash. Because of that choice, an average message is much shorter than it would be otherwise. A message can be sent as sound, as light, or as taps on a pipe. That is why it survived so long: it needs almost no equipment. Timing carries the meaning. A dash is three times as long as a dot. The gap between letters is three dots long, and between words, seven. SOS was chosen because it is easy to recognise: three dots, three dashes, three dots.

  1. 1. How long is a dash compared with a dot?
  2. 2. What is the main idea of this text, and which details support it?
  3. 3. Summarise this text in one sentence.
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

Why Swallows Leave

Swallows do not leave Britain because of the cold. They leave because of the insects. A swallow eats flying insects, and it catches them in the air. In October the insects disappear, and a bird that eats nothing else has to follow the food. So swallows fly to southern Africa: about six thousand miles, taking roughly six weeks. They travel by day and feed as they go. They lose about a third of their body weight on the way. Many do not arrive. The following spring they return, and a swallow will often nest in the very barn it hatched in.

  1. 1. How far do swallows fly?
  2. 2. How much weight do they lose?
  3. 3. Summarise this text in one sentence.

LessonPrint · SL.3.2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Main Ideas from What You Heard

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Three times as long. 2. Morse turns letters into timed dots and dashes — supported by the letter lengths, the timing rules and SOS. 3. Morse code gives common letters short dot-and-dash patterns and uses timing for the gaps, so messages are short and need almost no equipment.
  2. 2.1. About six thousand miles. 2. About a third of their body weight. 3. Swallows fly six thousand miles to southern Africa because the flying insects they eat disappear in October, and return the next spring.

Questions about Main Ideas from What You Heard

What does the Main Ideas from What You Heard worksheet cover?

It practises pulling the main ideas out of something presented — 2 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core SL.3.2: Pick out the main ideas and details from something you heard or saw. The instruction to pupils is “Read the text, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Main Ideas from What You Heard practise?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.2 — SL.3.2, in the Speaking & Listening domain for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Main Ideas from What You Heard is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on SL.3.2, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Main Ideas from What You Heard come with an answer key?

Yes. All 2 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Main Ideas from What You Heard can I print?

25 — one per pupil, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.

Is Main Ideas from What You Heard free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Main Ideas from What You Heard, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

Is there a lesson plan to teach SL.3.2?

Yes — “Getting the Main Ideas From Listening” is a 40-minute Grade 3 plan for SL.3.2, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Main Ideas from What You Heard is the practice that follows it.

More practice for SL.3.2

Pick out the main ideas and details from something you heard or saw.

Teaching this next? Getting the Main Ideas From Listening is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to SL.3.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.