Skip to content
LessonPrint

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

Next setLesson plan

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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 zookeeper says: "Elephants keep growing new teeth. When one set wears down, another moves forward." What is the main idea?
  • A.Zookeepers feed elephants
  • B.Elephants are heavy
  • C.Elephants keep getting new teeth
2.A dentist says: "Brush for two minutes, twice a day, and the sugar that harms your teeth is cleared away." What is the main idea?
  • A.Dentists have chairs
  • B.Two minutes is short
  • C.Brushing properly protects your teeth
3.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.Washing well with soap removes germs
  • C.Twenty is a big number
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.Nothing on the Moon wipes the footprints away
  • B.The Moon is far away
  • C.People like podcasts
5.A recycling worker says: "Rinse your cans and bottles. Food left inside can spoil a whole truckload." What is the main idea?
  • A.Bottles are made of glass
  • B.Rinse recycling so it is not spoiled
  • C.Trucks are big
6.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.Games are fun
  • B.Muscles can stretch
  • C.Warming up helps prevent injury
7.A baker says: "Bread needs time. If you rush the rising, the loaf comes out flat and heavy." What is the main idea?
  • A.Some loaves are heavy
  • B.Bread must be given time to rise
  • C.Bakers get up early
8.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

LessonPrint · SL.3.2 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Main Ideas from What You Heard

Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Elephants keep getting new teeth
  2. 2.Brushing properly protects your teeth
  3. 3.Washing well with soap removes germs
  4. 4.Nothing on the Moon wipes the footprints away
  5. 5.Rinse recycling so it is not spoiled
  6. 6.Warming up helps prevent injury
  7. 7.Bread must be given time to rise
  8. 8.Owls are built for hunting at night

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.