Main idea, cause and effect, point of view worksheets
Aligned with Common Core RI.3.2
Printable third-grade reading comprehension worksheets: find the main idea and details, match causes and effects, underline causes and effects in sentences, tell first person from third person, and compare a character's view with your own.
The worksheets
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Main Idea, Cause and Effect Chart
Main idea and details, cause and effect with signal words, and first and third person point of view.
Pick the Main Idea
Short nonfiction paragraphs, each with three sentences to choose from.
Main Idea and Details
Read a paragraph, then write the main idea and two details on handwriting lines.
Cause and Effect Match
Causes like "The power went out" to match with effects like "We used flashlights."
Find the Cause and Effect
Sentences with because, so and since. Underline the cause once and the effect twice.
Who Is Telling the Story?
Short passages told in first person or third person, with a clue word to write.
The Character and Me
Short scenes where a character has an opinion. Write the character's view, then your own.
Print the whole packet
One copy of every sheet above, in order. Tap + for more copies (up to 10).
For the parent or teacher
What it is
The main idea is what a paragraph is mostly about, and details tell more about it. Cause and effect explains why something happened and what happened because of it. Point of view is who is telling the story. Third graders find each of these in what they read and separate their own point of view from a character's.
What comes next
Context clues.
How to teach it
- Ask "What is this mostly about?" after reading a paragraph together.
- Look for signal words like because, so and since to find causes and effects.
- Ask "Who is telling this story?" and look for clue words like I or she.
- Talk about a character's opinion, then share your own and why.
- Use everyday events, like "It rained, so we stayed inside."
Common mistakes
- Picking one interesting detail as the main idea.
- Mixing up the cause and the effect, especially when the effect comes first in the sentence.
- Thinking a story is first person just because a character talks in quotes.