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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 25 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 coach says: "Warming up before a game stretches your muscles, so you are less likely to get hurt." What is the main idea?
  • A.Warming up helps prevent injury
  • B.Muscles can stretch
  • C.Games are fun
2.A librarian says: "The library is free. You can borrow ten books at a time and keep them for three weeks." What is the main idea?
  • A.Librarians like books
  • B.Anyone can borrow library books for free
  • C.Three weeks is a long time
3.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.Two minutes is short
  • B.Dentists have chairs
  • C.Brushing properly protects your teeth
4.A firefighter says: "Check your smoke alarm every month. Press the button, and if it does not beep, change the battery." What is the main idea?
  • A.Alarms have buttons
  • B.Smoke alarms need checking regularly
  • C.Batteries are expensive
5.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 live underground
  • B.Worms help gardens grow
  • C.Roots need water
6.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.The Moon is far away
  • B.People like podcasts
  • C.Nothing on the Moon wipes the footprints away
7.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
8.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

LessonPrint · SL.3.2 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Main Ideas from What You Heard

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Warming up helps prevent injury
  2. 2.Anyone can borrow library books for free
  3. 3.Brushing properly protects your teeth
  4. 4.Smoke alarms need checking regularly
  5. 5.Worms help gardens grow
  6. 6.Nothing on the Moon wipes the footprints away
  7. 7.Owls are built for hunting at night
  8. 8.Washing well with soap removes germs

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.