Elementary School Main Idea and Theme IEP Goals for Fiction Texts

Browse CCS-aligned, fiction and non-fiction reading comprehension IEP goals for finding the main idea or theme of a text.

Main Idea Goals

Inference Goals

Phonics Goals

Sight Words Goals

Theme & Summary Goals

Reading Level Goals

Vocabulary Goals

Fluency Goals

Letters Goals

Retell Goals

Fiction Main Idea and Theme IEP Goals for Upper Elementary

These goals are for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and focus on building their higher-level comprehension of texts. 

Looking for middle school or high school theme, summary, and central idea goals? Check out the middle school and high school goal banks!

Looking for fiction text summary goals? Check out the K-5 retell and summary goal bank for fiction texts!

Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2

  • Have the student read a story to you and answer questions about the story. DRA questions work well for assessing central message. So too do many commercial reading passages. 
  • If the student has low fluency in their decoding, try reading them a story (or having them listen to one on the computer) and check to see if their comprehension improves.

Need more ideas? Check out the 2nd-5th Grade Reading Present Levels and Assessments Resource page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

After reading a mid-second grade story, Kassandra was strong at retelling events from the story, but she needed support with higher level comprehension like identifying a central theme.

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  •  After reading a story at his level,  ___________________ will determine the central message, lesson, or moral of the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2

Note that this is the same standard we used for the 3rd grade retell goal. I tend to split the standard so that if a student is working on literal comprehension of a text, I will focus on the retell part of the standard and if their literal comprehension is strong, I will focus on the central message part of the standard. You can do both if you think that a student could meet the goal– but I tend to target my goals. I like to do targeted interventions which are easier with focused goals. You will inevitably work on other things than the student’s IEP goals during the year– and so I save the goals for where the student has the greatest areas of need.

  • Add supports for the student 
    • After listening to a story,  _____ will determine the central message, lesson, or moral of the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2
    • After reading a story at his level and given a graphic organizer,  _____ will determine the central message, lesson, or moral of the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2
  • Adjust the accuracy or number of trials
    • Has to do it on the first trial: After reading a story at his level,  _____ will determine the central message, lesson, or moral of the story as measured by teacher records and observations.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2
  • Specify the type or level of book
    • After reading a story with pictures at his level,  _____ will determine the central message, lesson, or moral of the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2

  • Have the student read a story to you and answer questions about the story. DRA questions work well for assessing central message. So too do many commercial reading passages. 
  • If the student has low fluency in their decoding, try reading them a story (or having them listen to one on the computer) and check to see if their comprehension improves.

Need more ideas? Check out the 2nd-5th Grade Reading Present Levels and Assessments Resource page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

After listening to a fourth grade story, Kassandra was strong at retelling events from the story, describing the characters, and identifying a problem the characters faced, but she needed support with identifying a theme in the story.

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • After reading a story at his level, ________________ will determine a theme from the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2

Note that this is the same standard we used for the 4th grade summary goal. I tend to split the standard so that if a student is working on literal comprehension of a text, I will focus on the summary part of the standard and if their literal comprehension is strong, I will focus on the theme of the standard. You can do both if you think that a student could meet the goal– but I tend to target my goals. You will inevitably work on other things than the student’s IEP goals during the year– and so I save the goals for where the student has the greatest areas of need.

  • Add supports for the student 
    • After listening to a story, _______ will determine a theme from the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2
    • After reading a story at his level and given a graphic organizer with prompts, _______will determine a theme from the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2
  • Adjust the accuracy or number of trials
    • Has to do it on the first trial: After reading a story at his level, _______will determine a theme from the story as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2
  • Specify the type or level of book
    • After listening to an early fourth grade short story, _______will determine a theme from the story on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2
    •  

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2

  • Have the student read a story to you and answer questions about the story. DRA questions work well for assessing central message. So too do many commercial reading passages. 
  • If the student has low fluency in their decoding, try reading them a story (or having them listen to one on the computer) and check to see if their comprehension improves.

Need more ideas? Check out the 2nd-5th Grade Reading Present Levels and Assessments Resource page.

Looking for assessment resources or support with turning assessments into goals and present levels? Check out the IEP Success Kit in the store!

After listening to a fifth grade story, Kassandra was strong at retelling events from the story, describing the characters, and identifying a problem the characters faced, but she needed support with identifying a theme.

For more baseline ideas, check out the IEP Success Kit!

  • After reading a story at her level, _______________ will determine a  theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2

Note that this is the same standard we used for the 5th grade summary goal. I tend to split the standard so that if a student is working on literal comprehension of a text, I will focus on the summary part of the standard and if their literal comprehension is strong, I will focus on the theme of the standard. You can do both if you think that a student could meet the goal– but I tend to target my goals. You will inevitably work on other things than the student’s IEP goals during the year– and so I save the goals for where the student has the greatest areas of need.

  • Add supports for the student 
    • After listening to a story, _______ will determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text  on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2
    • After reading a story at his level and given a graphic organizer with prompts, _______will determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2
  • Adjust the accuracy or number of trials
    • Has to do it on the first trial: After reading a story at his level, _______will determine a  theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text  as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2
  • Specify the type or level of book
    • After listening to an early fourth grade short story, _______will determine a  theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text on three of four opportunities as measured by teacher records and observations. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2
    •  

Need teaching resources or downloadable Present Levels templates and assessments? Check out the store!