Main idea is what the story or passage is mostly talking about. Details are facts that support the main idea.
Essays are organized based on Introduction, Body and Conclusion. First, the essay has an introduction paragraph that gets the reader’s attention and tells the main idea of the whole essay.
Second, the essay has several body paragraphs which give details that support the main idea.
Finally, the essay has a conclusion paragraph that often summarizes the main supporting points and closes out the essay with a final thought.
It is helpful to know this organization when you are trying to find the main idea and supporting details in the essay.
The main idea is usually one sentence at the end of the introduction paragraph that tells what the whole essay is about.
The supporting details are facts, examples, explanations, or descriptions in the body paragraphs, and they support the main idea sentence.