Topic Sentences

1) Envisioned Situation:
This mini-lesson would be used sometime at the beginning of the year in a third grade classroom.
It relates to SOL Standard 3.9 c) Write a clear topic sentence focusing on the main idea. This
lesson would be taught after the students had written a very first draft, so they could actively
work with it after learning about topic sentences.
2) Purpose:
The purpose of this mini-lesson is to help students recognize that a topic sentence should answer
the question What is this paragraph going to be about?. It provides students a look at what a
good topic sentence is and what a bad one is, so they see an example of what they should be
working towards.
3) Materials:

Two paragraphs (1 with a bad topic sentence; 1 missing a topic sentence)
Elmo or other way to project the paragraph

4) Content:
For this mini-lesson you will work with student to come up with topic sentences for the two
paragraphs in the materials. The main points that I would want my students to grasp from this
mini lesson are as follows:
Topic sentences should summarize what the following paragraph is going to be about.
Topic sentences should be able to be written into a question, which the paragraph it
belongs to answers.
Topic sentences should grasp the attention of readers.
So, in whatever way possible, project the first paragraph (the one with a bad topic sentence) for
students to see. Ask students:
1. What is the topic sentence?
2. Does it tell readers what the paragraph is about?
3. Can we write it into a question that the paragraph answers?
Then, guide the students to think of a better topic sentence for the paragraph. Next, project the
second paragraph. Tell students that this one is missing a topic sentence all together. Read the
paragraph aloud. Ask students?
1. What was this paragraph about?
Then, do a think, pair, share. Tell students to silently think of a topic sentence that would grasp
readers and summarize what the paragraph is going to be about. After a few minutes of thinking,
have students pair up with their neighbor and share their sentences with each other and pick the
one they think does the best job of answering what the paragraph is about. Allow pairs to share
their sentences with the class, and finally work together to pick one for the paragraph.
After the think, pair, share, move into workshop. Have students take out whatever writing
assignment they are currently working on and switch with their partner. Each pair would read
each others topic sentences and rewrite it as a question that is answered in the paragraph. If it
could not be done then partners would work together to come up with good topic sentences. The
teacher would walk around monitoring the progress of the partner work.
5) Techniques Used:
Whole class instruction
partner brainstorming/work
think, pair, share