You can download this as a printable .pdf document in its entirety here and the accompanying PPT here.
Topic Sentences
I.
PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
A paragraph is a group of sentences that discuss one main
idea.
In formal academic English, paragraphs have three main
parts.
Every
good paragraph has ONE topic sentence, which gives the general topic of whole
paragraph. Remember to use a topic sentence, most preferably as the first
sentence of the paragraph.
Example
1:
Forest
Gump is a very touching movie. It shows that it is
possible to enjoy life without being stingy, materialistic or ruthless. It
helps us to realize that there are many people among us that were born with
various defects. That fact makes me think how fortunate I am to be totally
healthy. The movie also contains a love story between Forrest Gump and a girl
who does not think of him as a serious partner because of his defect; however,
they eventually get married. Moreover, we see love between mother and son where
Forest's mom even slept with the school principal in order to give the son a
chance of going to a normal school. All those things make me think of this
movie as a very moving story.
ACTIVITY 1
·
Work
in your groups for 10 minutes.
·
Read
the following paragraphs.
·
Write
the best topic sentences for the paragraphs.
·
Post
your topic sentences here: https://padlet.com/mkozma/writing_workshop
|
Paragraph
1: Beautiful Snow?
____________________________________________________________________________________
I agree that snow is beautiful when it
falls. However, after a few days, the snow is not beautiful anymore. It
starts to melt, and the clean streets become messy. It is difficult to walk
anywhere because the sidewalks are too slippery. Snow also causes traffic
problems: some roads are closed; other roads are hard to drive on safely.
Drivers have more accidents on snowy roads. I understand why some people like
snow, but I do not like it very much.
|
Paragraph
2: Good teachers
____________________________________________________________________________________
First of all, good teachers are patient.
They never rush their students. Good teachers explain things without getting
bored. In addition, they are organized. They plan what happens in every
class. Good teachers are also encouraging. They help students understand the
subject. Finally, good teachers a fair. They treat all students the same.
These are some of the most important qualities of a good teacher.
|
Paragraph
3: European and American universities
____________________________________________________________________________________
In European universities, students are not
required to attend classes. In fact, professors in Germany generally do not
know the names of the students enrolled in their courses. In the United
States, however, students are required to attend all classes and may be
penalized, if they don’t. Furthermore, in the European system, there is
usually just one comprehensive examination at the end of the students’ entire
four or five years of study. In the American system, on the other hand, there
are usually numerous quizzes, tests and homework assignments and there is
almost always a final examination in each course at the end of the semester.
|
Thesis
Statements
A thesis is just a fancy way of making a statement of
what you believe and why you believe it. When you write an essay, you MUST
clearly state your thesis at the end of the introduction paragraph. It needs to be there. If you don’t have a thesis, you don’t have a
quality essay. The reason you write an
entire essay is to prove your thesis statement.
You NEED to remember this. It
will be on your test.
Thesis
Statement – A thesis is a direct statement that explains the topic of
your essay, what you believe about that topic, and why you
believe it.
A thesis statement is made up of three different parts. Every thesis needs these three things:
1) Identification
(What is the topic you are talking about?)
2) Claim (What do you believe about the topic?)
3)
Direction (What are the 3 main reasons you can
support your claim? This will basically
outline the body
paragraphs of your essay.)
You will need to form these three
parts into a complete argumentative
sentence:
Identification of Topic + Claim
(belief about topic) + Direction
(reason 1, reason 2, and reason 3.)
** Before you write your thesis, decide what you
plan to argue and determine 3 DIFFERENT & GENERAL ways in which you
can prove your opinion. It helps if
you make a t-chart first. Sometimes
it is easier to argue a certain side of an issue, and it might be smart to take
the side that is easier to prove.
EXAMPLE:
Writing Prompt: Educators
often discuss whether high school sports have a positive influence on
students. Some educators think high
school sports do have a positive influence because the lessons learned from
athletic competition add to the lessons learned in the classroom. Other
educators think high school sports do not have a positive influence because the
emphasis on sports often overshadows student achievement in other areas. In your opinion, do high school sports have a
positive influence on students?
ID-Identify topic
Sports offered in high
school
|
Claim-What you believe
They have a positive
influence
|
Direction-3 general reasons you believe
your claim is true
-
Teach social skills
-
Teach time-management
-
Provide exercise and teach benefits of hard work
|
Thesis:
High school sports
unquestionably have a positive influence on high school students because they
teach social skills, reinforce time-management skills, provide exercise and
show the benefits of hard work.
|
||
Guided Practice
Writing Prompt: In
several cities and countries throughout the world, curfews (만종) of 10 pm have been legislated (법률을 제정하다). Politicians
say these laws are needed to protect teenagers from getting in trouble, promote
better sleeping habits, and to encourage them to study more for school. Should
teenagers under the age of 16 have a 10 pm curfew?
ID-Identify
topic
|
Claim-What
you believe
|
Direction-The
general reason you believe your claim is true
1.
2.
3.
|
Thesis:
|
||
Name:______________________________ Class # _______
Student #__________
HW Individual Practice: Write a thesis statement for the
writing prompt that will be your debate topic. You should write this in your
journal.
Unit
7 Writing Prompt: What is more important when mastering a skill,
nature or nurture?
Unit 11 Writing Prompt: Should people be prepared to
give up some personal privacy for the sake of convenience in regards data
collected by mobile devices?
Thesis Statement
ID-Identify
topic
|
Claim-What
you believe
|
Direction-The
general reason you believe your claim is true
1.
2.
3.
|
Thesis:
|
||
Topic Sentences: Based on your Thesis Statement above,
from the Direction box, write three topic sentences.
Topic Sentence 1:
Topic Sentence 2:
Topic Sentence 3:
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