What is a topic sentence? Turn to page 40 in your NeSA workbooks

Why are topic sentences necessary? O Think O Pair O Share

The topic sentence contains the central idea around which a paragraph is developed. A good topic sentence has the following characteristics:

O It introduces the topic of a paragraph without announcing it. O Example: At the moment you enter the store you are blasted with a mixture of aromas. O Non-Example: The store has many smells.

O It hooks the reader. O Example: The sweet shop in the year of 1923 was the very center of our lives. (from Boy by Roald Dahl) O Non-example: The sweet shop is my favorite place.

O It uses thought provoking words. O Example: But by far the most loathsome thing about Mrs. Pratchett was the filth that clung around her. O Non-Example: The bad thing about Mrs. Prachett was that she was dirty.

O It is usually the first sentence, however it can be anywhere in the paragraph or it can be implied O Example: A young man helps an old grandma reach something from the top shelf. A group of teenage girls giggle in the makeup aisle. Little kids cry when they don’t get a special toy. Couples argue over what kind of furniture to buy for their new homes. The whole store is as if I were living in a movie. It is an interesting place to observe people. O Non example: I see many sights at Wal-Mart.

O It provides a transition from the previous paragraph. O Example: The other thing we hated Mrs. Pratchett for was her meanness. ( from Boy by Roald Dahl) O Non-example: Mrs. Prachett was mean.

Directions: O Read your “favorite time of year” essay. O Highlight each topic sentence. (If you don’t have topic sentences, ADD THEM!)

Directions O Using your notes, identify which characteristics each sentence contains. O Revise your topic sentences on a separate sheet of paper. Example: Original Sentence: Summer has many sounds. Revised Sentence: Children splashing at the pool, the ding, ding, ding of the ice-cream truck, fireworks booming at night are some of my favorite sounds of summer.