Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Allen OGMS
1. Topic Sentence
What is the topic sentence?
The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.
What does it do?
It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
How do I write one?
Indicate to the reader what your paragraph will be about.
2. Supporting Details
What are supporting sentences?
They come after the topic sentence, making up the body of a paragraph.
What do they do?
They give details to develop and support the main idea of the paragraph.
How do I write them?
Give supporting facts, details, and examples.
Sample Paragraphs
Below are two simple paragraphs. Underline the topic sentence. Underline the
concluding sentence. Analyze the effectiveness of each topic and closing sentence.
1. People enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate. They will snuggle up
and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Few people can resist petting a purring cat. If
they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and
feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their
owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using
rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior
or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch! Cats bring lots of joy to people.
2. Abraham Lincoln’s achievements made him one of our greatest presidents. Lincoln’s
determination preserved our country during the Civil War. He led the fight against slavery, an
institution counter to the very core American values of freedom and liberty. He reminded
Americans that all people are created equal. Also, he reaffirmed America’s most basic principle
of government. In the United States, the government is “of the people, by the people and for the
people.” Lincoln will always be remembered for his great ideas and contributions.
Mr. Allen OGMS
Rubric Score 1.0: Little to no effort put into work. Main idea and details/examples are inappropriate, missing
or undeveloped. Does not follow the guidelines for paragraph writing/typing. 6-traits: 1 rubric
Do you know what else he did? He told us that all people are
created equal. Also, he reminded us of our most basic thing
about our government. In the United States, our govornment is
of the people, by the people and for the people. There is a statue
of Lincoln in Washington, D.C. I think Lincoln was our best
president. Now you know why Lincoln will always be remembered
and we will always wonder why he was assasinated by John
Wilkes Booth.