Having the ability to easily find the main idea in a paragraph or piece of writing is an excellent skill for an elementary school student to possess. Generally, students will read the section first, and then re-read it, looking for the important words to determine the main theme or idea. Once students have practiced this, they will usually be able to find the main idea on the first read through.
Students should have a good understanding of the different aspects of literature, including characters, setting, conflict, and plot. As they read through the story, they should begin to evaluate the characters, thinking about their motives and predicting what might happen next. This gets them involved in what they are reading, and also allows them to think about why the story was written as it was.
Notes can be an invaluable source when working on an assignment after reading and to help students remember their thoughts. Students should record the main idea of each paragraph, if possible, as well as information about characters, conflict, setting, and theme when reading a story or novel. Recording page numbers along with these notes is a great habit to get into.
Elementary school students should learn to ask questions as they read, recording these in their notebook if applicable. For example, when they come across a word they don't know, they can look it up in the dictionary and record this word along with its definition. Students may also have questions during reading, such as why a character might have said something. These are great to record and, usually, students will discover the answers to their questions as they continue to read.