Definition :
Definition A topic sentence is an overview of what readers should see in a single paragraph
A topic sentence appears as the first sentence in a paragraph
Think of a topic sentence as
the umbrella for the paragraph:
it the information contained in the paragraph covers
Topic Sentences Do Two Main Things: :
Topic Sentences Do Two Main Things: State the topic of the paragraph in
terms State why the topic is important also in
terms general general
What would this look like? :
What would this look like? Courage is an important characteristic to have in times of difficulty.
“ ” is the topic to be covered in the paragraph
“… an important characteristic to have in times of difficulty,” is why the topic is important Courage
Why do we use topic sentences? :
Why do we use topic sentences? To help readers
by allowing a reader to know exactly what they are going to find in a paragraph
Why do we use topic sentences? :
Why do we use topic sentences? To help writers
by providing writers with a way to organize their thoughts and ideas
How can topic sentences help you? :
How can topic sentences help you? Topic sentences can help you as a reader by
making it easier to skim and find information in any number of text types (short stories, non-fiction articles, essays, etc.)
Topic sentences can help you as a writer by
allowing writers to write more concisely (streamlined)…if it’s listed in the topic
sentence, it should be in your paragraph! not not
Let’s Review! :
Let’s Review! A topic sentence should be the 1st sentence in a paragraph
A topic sentence presents an overview of what will be presented in the paragraph; think of an umbrella
A topic sentence should state the topic and why the topic is important
A topic sentence helps readers know what to expect in a paragraph and helps writers organize their thoughts and ideas