Paragraph Unit
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Lesson 4 Titles and Topic Sentences
Tennessee Standard - 6th Grade
Assessed - 6.spi.2.2 - Determine an appropriate title that creatively reflects the topic.
 

Topic sentences are like small thesis statements. They state the main idea of the paragraph. The rest of the paragraph must expand, describe, or prove what the topic sentence states in some way. Topic sentences make a point and give reasons or examples to support it.

Similar to a thesis statement a good topic sentences states the main idea (an interesting subject), and then adds what you want to say about the topic (your specific feeling about it).

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Read the paragraph below.

 

     Palindromes are words, numbers, and phrases that can be read the same backwards and forwards. Names such as Bob, Eve, and Anna are palindromes because they can be reversed to spell the same word. In the book Holes everyone in the Yelnats family named their first son Stanley because it was a palindrome for Yelnats.  "Madam, I'm Adam.", "Marge lets Norah see Sharon's telegram.", and "Lee had a heel." are examples of phrase palindromes.  One example of a number palindrome is at 8:02 on the 20th of February 2002 it was 20:02 02/20 2002. Can you come up with a palindrome of your own?

• What is the main idea of this paragraph?

• Can you find a sentence that tells you the main idea? This sentence is called the topic sentence. The topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph, however, some writers may place the topic sentence at the end.

• The portion of the topic sentence that says that can be read the same backwards and forwards specifies the writer's feelings by which of the items listed above?

Practice 1

Below you will see pairs of sentences. Each pair contains one sentence that would make a good topic sentence and another sentence that would make a good detail sentence. Write T before the sentence in each pair that would make a good topic sentence. Write D before each sentence that would make a good detail sentence.

	__________  Texas has 267,000 square miles. __________  Texas is so big that you can find many things to do.
	__________ A bully is a boy or girl who acts mean or hurtful to others. __________ Bullies sometimes hit, kick, or push to hurt people.
	__________ Heavy downpours on Earth's deserts can drastically change the landscape of these regions. __________ Desert plants are mainly ground-hugging shrubs and short woody trees.
	__________ Kayaking is one camp sport. __________ Basic push-ups and pull-ups will improve your upper body strength so that you will be better prepared to conquer camp activities.
	__________  There are several ways for accurately telling how old fossils are. __________  The animal dies and sinks to the sea floor.

Practice 2
Write a topic sentence for each set of words. Remember to state an interesting fact plus your take on the topic. Be sure to look at the specific feelings list to help you with ideas for topic sentences.

1. detention center   Camp Green Lake

2. Chihuahuan Desert      largest desert in North America   parts of New Mexico, Texas and sections of southeastern Arizona

3. yellow spotted lizard   harmful

4. inventor Herbert Lapidus   odor-eater insole  early 1970s

Practice 3

Read each paragraph below. Think of the main idea for each. Then write a topic sentence that tells the main idea.

1.

2.  Which of these titles best reflects the main topic?

a)  Animal Survival
b)  Ways Desert Animals Survive
c)  Arabian Camels
d)  A Harsh Environment

3.

_________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________   Some bullies act the way they do to try to make themselves feel more important or more popular. Other bullies are acting out or copying things they have seen. Most bullies do not realize or understand how they are hurting others.

4.  Which of these titles best reflects the main topic?

a)  Angry, Bully, Hate
b)  How to Be a Bully
c)  The Art of Playing Soccer
d)  Reasons for Bullying

5.

6.  Which of these titles best reflects the main topic?

a)  The Invention of Keds
b)  Sport Sandals
c)  Modern Athletic Shoes
d)  Melding Rubber to Cloth

Practice 4

Using the outline you created in Lesson 2, write a topic sentence for each of the three paragraphs. Next write one title that creatively reflects the topic of the report. Use the graphic organizer provided.

Graphic Organizer - Hamburger Model
Graphic Organizer

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Sources of Information:
Desert Animals http://www.enchantedlearning.com/painting/desert.shtml
The History of Shoes, Sandals, and Sneakers http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blshoe.htm
Topic Sentences http://eslbee.com/topic_sentences.htm

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Answer Key

Practice 1

Practice 2 - Answers will vary.

1. Camp Green Lake is a detention center for wayward teens.

2. The  largest desert in North America is the Chihuahuan Desert which lies in  parts of New Mexico, Texas and sections of southeastern Arizona.

3. The yellow spotted lizard is extremely harmful.

4. In the early 1970s Herbert Lapidus invented the odor-eater insole.

Practice 3 - Answers will vary for odd numbers.

1. Desert animals have adapted to their harsh environment.

2. b)  Ways Desert Animals Survive

3. People become bullies for a number of reasons.

4. d)  Reasons for Bullying

5. The development of rubber-soled shoes brought about the invention of Keds.

6. a)  The Invention of Keds

Practice 4 - Answers will vary.

1. Gypsies have unique physical features.

2. The gypsy way of life includes following distinctive customs.

3. This group of people are known for their wandering, nomadic lifestyle.
   
   
    

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