This reading informational text lesson teaches students how to determine the main idea and key details of a text. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students are given examples where the main idea is located near the beginning of the text and near the end of the text. Students are also asked to look at other possible details and determine which would best fit the main idea of the text. This lesson provides students with a great foundation for writing informational text. This lesson includes a whiteboard insert that students can use to record their answers during the initial lesson or plan their own writing in the future.