The document provides guidance on developing supporting details for a topic sentence. It discusses including primary and secondary support points that show, explain, or prove the main point. Examples of primary support could include attendance, experience, and being hardworking. Secondary details further explain the primary supports, such as never being late or having longevity at a job. The document encourages preparing a flowchart to organize ideas and developing a paragraph with complete sentences, specific details, and transitional phrases. Strategies are offered for generating supporting details, such as circling important words, freewriting, and selecting the clearest details that back up the topic sentence.

1. SUPPORTING DETAILS
Karen Y Silvestri, Instructor

2. Recall
 A topic sentence consists of:
Main Idea Specific Impression
Raise I deserve one.

3. I deserve a raise.
This is your MAIN POINT,
your TOPIC SENTENCE.

4. WHY do you deserve a raise?
Without supporting details,
you state the main point,
but you don’t make the
main point!

5. How do you add supporting details?
 Examples that show
 Facts that explain
 Evidence that proves

6. Good Support:
 SHOWS: it provides visual details using
sensory imagery
 EXPLAINS: it offers specific examples
 PROVES: it provides specific evidence
from outside sources

7. Primary support points: the
major ideas that back up your
main point.
Secondary support points:
details to back up your primary
support.
What are some supporting details you can think of for why you deserve a raise?

8. Main Idea I deserve a raise.
Primary Support Detail Attendance
Primary Support Detail Experience
Primary Support Detail Hard Working
Preparing a flowchart like this one can help you to organize your thoughts.

9. Adding Secondary Support
 Now that you have chosen your PRIMARY
supports, you need to add supporting details
for your supporting details! (no groaning!)
 You add secondary support by providing
additional examples and illustrations to back
up your primary support.
Let’s add some support to our PRIMARY details by adding examples…..

10. Topic Sentence: I deserve a raise.
Main Idea
Primary Support Detail Attendance
Can you think
of some Secondary Support Detail
specific
details, Secondary Support Detail
examples, or
Primary Support Detail Experience
illustrations
we can use as
Secondary Support Detail
secondary
supporting Secondary Support Detail
details?
Hardworking
Primary Support Detail
Secondary Support Detail
Secondary Support Detail

11. Main Idea
I deserve a raise.
(Topic Sentence)
Attendance
Never late
Rarely absent
Primary
Experience Supporting
Secondary
Supporting Details
Longevity at job
Details
Advancement
Hard Working
Follow procedures
Go that extra mile

12.  Now that you have a roadmap to guide you, writing
the PARAGRAPH is a
SNAP!!
 Turn all your points into complete sentences.
 Add some good specific details.
 Sprinkle in a few transitional phrases,
And you now have a ….
PARAGRAPH!

13. I believe that I deserve a raise. I deserve a raise.
First, my attendance has been
very good. I am never late, and I Attendance
have rarely been absent. In
addition, I have five years Never late
experience working here, and I
Rarely absent
have advanced from entry level to
middle management in a short Experience
period of time. Finally, I am a hard
worker. My evaluations show that Longevity at job
I follow policies and procedures to Advancement
the letter. My supervisors will tell
you that I am always willing to go Hard Working
the extra mile. For all of these
reasons, I hope you will consider Follow procedures
granting me a raise. Go that extra mile
Now it’s your turn! But first here are some tips on GENERATING your supporting details!

14. Strategies for Generating Support
 Circle an important word or phrase in your
topic sentence.
 Write about the word you circled for a minute
or two. Jot down everything that comes to
mind from that word.
 Reread your topic sentence and write down
your first thought, then the next thought, etc.
 Use a prewriting technique – freewrite, cluster,
list, brainstorm, etc.)

15. Narrowing it down
 Look over the list or cluster that you made.
 Select three to five points that have
something in common and get your point
across.
 Choose the supports that are the clearest
and most convincing.
 Choose the supports that offer the best
examples, facts, and observations.

16. Remember!
 Just because you find a point that is
interesting doesn’t necessarily mean
you should include it in your writing!
ALL SUPPORTING DETAILS HAVE
TO BACK UP YOUR TOPIC
SENTENCE!

17. Practice: choose one of the following sentences and use listing,
freewriting, or clustering to generate some supporting details.
 Today there is no such thing as a
“typical” college student.
 Learning happens not only in
school but throughout a person’s
life.

18. Today there is no such thing as a Today there is no such thing as a
“typical” college student. First, college “typical” college student.
students today are of all different ages.
Their ages range from kids just out of Different ages
high school to senior citizens. In
addition, college students today come Not just high school grads
from many different cultures. Many
students are immigrants or visitors from Senior Citizens
countries around the world. Today’s
colleges also provide opportunities for Different cultures
disabled students who previously were
unable to attend college. Finally, International
students attending college today come
from different backgrounds. They are Disabled
people with children and people who
are returning to or just starting college Different backgrounds
after being in the workforce. Today’s
colleges have a wide variety of People with children
students on and off campus. People returning after working

19. Resources
 McWhorter, Kathleen T. Reading Across the
Disciplines, 2nd edition
 Anker, Susan. Real Writing, 4th Edition
 Silvestri, Karen. Miscellaneous lesson plans.