Mystery Message Finder

This worksheet presents five short mystery-style paragraphs where students must identify the best main idea from three options. Each mini-story includes contextual clues, humorous details, and small plot twists to keep students engaged while they analyze meaning. Learners must mark the sentence in the text that helped them make their choice, reinforcing the connection between the main idea and supporting evidence. The scenarios-missing socks, backyard noises, vanishing sandwiches, and more-encourage close reading without overwhelming students. This worksheet builds confidence by helping learners distinguish key ideas from interesting but less important details. It’s ideal for guided practice, small groups, or independent reading skill review.

Curriculum-Matched Skills

Reading Comprehension – Identifying Main Ideas

Critical Thinking – Separating Key Points from Minor Details

Textual Evidence – Citing Supporting Sentences

Analytical Reading – Interpreting Short Narrative Passages

This worksheet is part of our Main Idea and Supporting Details Worksheets collection.