The document provides examples of paragraphs and identifies the topic sentence in each. It then presents paragraphs and asks the reader to identify the best topic sentence for each from a set of options. The purpose is to demonstrate what makes an effective topic sentence and allow the reader to practice identifying topic sentences.

1. Ideas: Writing a Topic Sentence

2.  Each paragraph should have a topic sentence,
supporting details and a closing sentence.

3.  A topic sentence tells you what the paragraph is
about.

4. Jun practices math everyday. He loves to solve different
kinds of math problems including multiplication and
division. He finishes his homework quickly and asks for
more. Jun is very good at mathematics.
Where is the topic sentence?

5. Jun practices math everyday. He loves to solve different
kinds of math problems including multiplication and
division. He finishes his homework quickly and asks for
more. Jun is very good at mathematics.

6.  Sonya organized a picnic at a park. She invited a group
of her friends. Everyone brought one dish to share.
They played different games and went on boat rides.
 Where is the topic sentence?

7.  Sonya organized a picnic at a park. She invited a group
of her friends. Everyone brought one dish to share.
They played different games and went on boat rides.

8.  Eating salads is good for you. You can make salads
with any kind of vegetables. Usually people make
salads with lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, carrots,
and olives. They also add variety of dressings to make
the salads tasty.
 Where is the topic sentence?

9.  Eating salads is good for you. You can make salads
with any kind of vegetables. Usually people make
salads with lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, carrots,
and olives. They also add variety of dressings to make
the salads tasty.

10.  Max’s little brother can be quite annoying. Yesterday,
he drew all over his homework and the walls with
marking pens. While he was at school, he messed up
the puzzle he had been working on for days. Then at
dinner, he knocked his glass of milk and it landed on his
lap.
 Where is the topic sentence?

11.  Max’s little brother can be quite annoying. Yesterday,
he drew all over his homework and the walls with
marking pens. While he was at school, he messed up
the puzzle he had been working on for days. Then at
dinner, he knocked his glass of milk and it landed on his
lap.

12.  When a whale calf is hungry, it bumps its mother. She
squirts milk into the calf's mouth. It drinks many gallons
of milk in a short time. The milk is so rich a calf can gain
eight pounds in one hour. A baby whale needs its
mother's milk to grow.
 Where is the topic sentence? (tricky)

13.  When a whale calf is hungry, it bumps its mother. She
squirts milk into the calf's mouth. It drinks many gallons
of milk in a short time. The milk is so rich a calf can gain
eight pounds in one hour. A baby whale needs its
mother's milk to grow.

14. Which is the best topic sentence for this paragraph?
 ____________________________________________. There are so
many choices. There’s ice-cream, cake, pie and cookies. I think
brownies are my favorite. I wish I could just eat only desserts and
never spinach!
a) I usually eat dinner at 6:30.
b) My grandmother makes the best roast turkey!
c) I cannot live without desserts!
d) I never finish my lunch at school.
I usually eat dinner at 6:30.

15. Which is the best topic sentence for this paragraph?
 ____________________________________________. There are so
many choices. There’s ice-cream, cake, pie and cookies. I think
brownies are my favorite. I wish I could just eat only desserts and
never spinach!
a) I usually eat dinner at 6:30.
b) My grandmother makes the best roast turkey!
c) I cannot live without desserts!
d) I never finish my lunch at school.
I usually eat dinner at 6:30.

16. Which is the best topic sentence for this paragraph?
 _____________________________________________I can hear him snoring
at night. In the daytime he goes outside and eats my mom’s plants. He tracked
his muddy footprints into the house. I ask for extra macaroni and cheese to
feed my dinosaur.
a) I watch TV right before I go to bed.
b) I think a dinosaur lives under my bed!
c) Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
d) I saw a kangaroo for the first time in Australia last summer.
I usually eat dinner at 6:30.

17. Which is the best topic sentence for this paragraph?
 _____________________________________________I can hear him snoring
at night. In the daytime he goes outside and eats my mom’s plants. He tracked
his muddy footprints into the house. I ask for extra macaroni and cheese to
feed my dinosaur.
a) I watch TV right before I go to bed.
b) I think a dinosaur lives under my bed!
c) Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
d) I saw a kangaroo for the first time in Australia last summer.
I usually eat dinner at 6:30.

18. Which is the best topic sentence for this paragraph?
 _____________________________________________They pinch my feet. I
cannot wiggle my toes as much as I want to. My feet get sweaty inside. I can’t
wait until summer when my feet can come out to play!
a) I hate waiting for the school bus!
b) I hate PE class!
c) I hate wearing sweaters!
d) I hate wearing thick socks!
I usually eat dinner at 6:30.