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Main Ideas from What You Heard is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on naming the main idea of something a speaker said, aligned to Common Core standard SL.3.2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 13 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Main Ideas from What You Heard

SL.3.2

NameDate

Circle the main idea of what you heard.

1.A park ranger tells your class: "Owls hunt at night. Their soft feathers make no sound, and their big eyes see in the dark." What is the main idea?
  • A.Rangers work in parks
  • B.Owls have feathers
  • C.Owls are built for hunting at night
2.A baker says: "Bread needs time. If you rush the rising, the loaf comes out flat and heavy." What is the main idea?
  • A.Bakers get up early
  • B.Bread must be given time to rise
  • C.Some loaves are heavy
3.A zookeeper says: "Elephants keep growing new teeth. When one set wears down, another moves forward." What is the main idea?
  • A.Elephants are heavy
  • B.Elephants keep getting new teeth
  • C.Zookeepers feed elephants
4.You hear on a podcast: "The Moon has no air and no wind, so footprints left there long ago are still there." What is the main idea?
  • A.People like podcasts
  • B.The Moon is far away
  • C.Nothing on the Moon wipes the footprints away
5.A coach says: "Warming up before a game stretches your muscles, so you are less likely to get hurt." What is the main idea?
  • A.Muscles can stretch
  • B.Games are fun
  • C.Warming up helps prevent injury
6.A nurse says: "Washing your hands for twenty seconds gets rid of most germs. The soap does the work." What is the main idea?
  • A.Nurses wear uniforms
  • B.Twenty is a big number
  • C.Washing well with soap removes germs
7.A weather forecaster says: "Storms will reach the coast by evening. Bring in anything loose from your yard." What is the main idea?
  • A.Gardens have things in them
  • B.Get ready, because a storm is coming
  • C.Evening comes after afternoon
8.A gardener says: "Worms are a garden's best friends. They mix the soil and let air and water reach the roots." What is the main idea?
  • A.Worms help gardens grow
  • B.Worms live underground
  • C.Roots need water

LessonPrint · SL.3.2 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Main Ideas from What You Heard

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Owls are built for hunting at night
  2. 2.Bread must be given time to rise
  3. 3.Elephants keep getting new teeth
  4. 4.Nothing on the Moon wipes the footprints away
  5. 5.Warming up helps prevent injury
  6. 6.Washing well with soap removes germs
  7. 7.Get ready, because a storm is coming
  8. 8.Worms help gardens grow

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.