Finding the Topic Sentence!

Have you ever read a paragraph and known exactly what it’s about just by reading the very first sentence? That first sentence is a very important topic sentence!

A topic sentence is like the “boss” of the paragraph. It tells you the main idea, so you know what you are going to read about. All of the other sentences in the paragraph give more details about that one main idea. Usually, it’s the first sentence in a paragraph.

What is a topic? It tells you WHO or WHAT the paragraph will talk about. So, it must be a person or object.

What is the main idea? The main idea tells you information ABOUT THE TOPIC.

The topic is like the main dish at a restaurant, and the main idea is the side dishes that come with it.

So, here’s the formula for a topic sentence:

🧠 Topic + Main Idea = Topic Sentence

Let’s look at an example!

📖 Read the paragraph:

My dog, Buster, is the best pet because he loves to play all the time. He will chase the red ball in the backyard. Then, he digs a big hole near the fence. After that, he loves to chew on his squeaky bone. Sometimes he runs very fast in circles. He is a very happy dog. He always has so much fun when we play together.

💡Let’s find the topic sentence and the main ideas!

1. What is the topic of this paragraph? (Who/what is being talked about?)
   1. Answer: My dog, Buster
2. What is the topic sentence (the “boss” sentence)?
   1. Answer: My dog, Buster, is the best pet because he loves to play all the time.
3. What are three main ideas (details) about Buster?
   1. Answers (any 3 of these is correct):
      1. He chases a ball in the backyard
      2. He digs a hole near the fence
      3. He chews on his squeaky bone
      4. He runs very fast in circles
      5. He is very happy
   2. Note: when you write the main ideas, DO NOT just copy all of the sentences. That means you aren’t thinking about it- you’re just copying what you see.

🤔 Now, if you try to write your own new topic sentence for this paragraph, how would you do it?

First, add the topic: my dog, Buster (this won’t change, because the topic is the same)

Second, add the main idea. (This can change depending on how you want to say it):

Here’s some examples that I thought of: Buster never rests, Buster has a lot of energy, Buster is an excited dog

💡 Finally, put them together into one sentence:

My dog, Buster, has a lot of energy.

(Now we know that you will tell us about why he has a lot of energy!)

❗Important note: Some topic sentences will be a list (apples, oranges, lemons…), and some will be a statement/piece of information that tells us a fact (like Buster!). Both are great ways to write a topic sentence, and I suggest trying to use one of the 2 styles in your writing.

👍 These are the parts of a topic sentence, and how to make one. Now, try this worksheet, where you need to identify the topic, main ideas, and topic sentence by yourself, as well as create a new topic sentence for the paragraph. The writing for the 3 main ideas and new topic sentence creation can vary, and the sheet can be brought to me to be checked if so desired. The topic/topic sentence should not be different.