We have all sat next to students in a conference and asked them what they think the main idea is in the nonfiction text they are reading only to be met by blank stares, wild guesses, or rereading of a fact directly from the page. So many students struggle to figure out main ideas even though we teachers have been teaching it year after year since at least the first grade. After many frustrating moments I finally figured out why many students are so confused about main ideas a