Crafting Compelling Paragraphs: The Essence of Topic Sentences

1. Writing to communicate 3 Chapter 1

2. The topic sentence (t.s.) a topic • Topic sentences express • Topic sentences usually come at the of a paragraph. • They may follow an . In this case you may need a word or phrase between the two sentences. and controlling ideas. beginning introductory sentence connecting

3. Practices • Museums are everywhere, but a really good museum is hard to find. In order to be considered exceptional, museums must have three qualities. • People have used drums throughout history. For example, people have communicated with drums, fought with drums, and entertained themselves with drums.

4. The body • The body of a paragraph contains support for the topic sentences. 1. explanations 2. examples 3. reasons

5. The body • 2 types of supporting sentences 1. Major support s. – directly support the t.s. 2. Minor support s. – support major s.s.

6. The concluding sentence • The concluding sentence ends the paragraph. • It restates the t.s. or summarizes the s.s. • A single paragraph writing should have a concluding s. but it is not necessary in an essay.

7. Outline of a paragraph • 3 types of music I love A. The first type: jazz 1. When did jazz start? 2. Jazz in the U.S. B. The second type: country 1. Garth Brooks, my fave C. The third type: folk 1. My grandfather’s influence II. Concluding sentence

8. The topic • “The role that music plays in your life” • Change the topic to a question. “What role does music play in my life?” 1. Brainstorm. 2. Organize. 3. Write an outline. 4. Write a paragraph based on the outline.

9. Good paragraph format • 12 points, Times New Roman • 1-inch margin all around • An interesting title • Name, date, indentation • Double spacing • Run the spell check. • Read before you turn it in and correct mistakes.

10. Helpful hints • Each sentence should NOT be too long. Keep it under 15 words. • Use “and” once in a sentence. • Avoid ; (semi colon) and : (colon) for now. • Use a dictionary if necessary.