1-1 Topic Sentences

Paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of sentences that share one main idea. One paragraph
may be complete on its own or it may be part of a longer assignment, like an
essay or a report. Every paragraph has the same three parts:

1. Topic Sentence

2. Supporting Sentences

3. Concluding Sentence

Topic sentences
A topic sentence introduces the main idea of a paragraph, so every paragraph
needs a topic sentence. It lets the reader know what the rest of the sentences in
the paragraph will be about. It is usually the first or second sentence within a
paragraph. Here are some examples of strong topic sentences:

 Flying with a First Officer is better than flying alone.

 Aerial view of the Rocky Mountains was the most beautiful thing I have ever
seen.

 Flight instructors should choose theory of flight as the initial subject when
teaching new students.

A good topic sentence will also tell the reader what kind of paragraph he or she
will be reading.

 Flying with a First Officer is better than flying alone. Comparison

 Aerial view of the Rocky Mountains was the most beautiful thing I have ever
seen. Description

 Flight instructors should choose theory of flight as the initial subject when
teaching new students. Opinion

Main Idea
The main idea can't be too general or specific. If it is too specific, the supporting
sentences will have nothing to describe; therefore, your topic sentence should
not be a fact. Also, if it is too general, the topic sentence will be too unclear or
there will be too much to write in just one paragraph. In addition, we do not
announce our topics in paragraphs. Here are some examples of weak topic
sentences:

 In my country, students start flight school in September.

o Too specific

 School is terrible.

o Too general

 I want to write about about my first day at school.

o Do not announce your topic

One Main Idea

A paragraph should only have one main idea. The paragraph includes details
and examples to explain the main idea. For example, in the paragraph below, the
main idea is in the first sentence. The rest of the paragraph explains this idea.
Therefore, that first sentence is the topic sentence.

People have the ability to choose a career in aviation. So many people around
the world focus on their immediate surroundings without exploring opportunities
outside their comfort zone. Individuals who have desire to pursue a career in
aviation must seek opportunities and knowledge by visiting airports, seeking out
people in the aviation field and searching the internet. Clearly these people will
have the best opportunity to fulfill a desire to have a career in aviation.

Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.

1-2 Supporting & Concluding Sentences

Supporting Sentences
Supporting sentences in a paragraph give information in order to explain,
describe, and develop the main idea in the topic sentence.

The examples below are meant to support the following topic sentence:

 I spent the best years of my life helping people build houses in Costa Rica.

Supporting sentences...

Define

 True happiness is finding meaning in life, and that is what I found.

Explain

 I felt so good about myself because all I did was help others all day. I helped
families get a new place to live and built schools or community centres where
people can learn and work together to make a better life. I felt really good
helping others.

Give an example

 For example, the Rodriguez family of 6 people, had their house destroyed by
a hurricane. They had lived in a tent for four years. I helped them finally have
a proper home again. It was the most amazing gift I have ever given
someone.

Unity
It is important that all your supporting sentences are connected to the main idea
and that you do not get off topic. For example, here are some supporting
sentences that should not be used to support the topic sentence above:

 After Costa Rica, I went to Ecuador for a vacation.

 Costa Rica is beautiful, but it can be dangerous to travel in some areas alone.

These sentences do not support the main idea in the topic sentence. Therefore,
they should not be included in the paragraph.

Conclusion
The final sentence of the paragraph often reminds the reader about the topic and
main idea of the paragraph. It describes the main idea one more time, but with
different words.
 Topic Sentence Concluding Sentence

My father taught me the As you can see, money is very important for my dreams so
importance of saving money. I am thankful my father showed me how to save.

The concluding sentence sometimes begins with:

 As you can see,

 In short,

 On the whole,

 That's why...

 In conclusion,

 In brief,

 In summary,

Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.

1-3 Paragraph
For your Unit 1 writing assignment, you are going to write a paragraph describing
the aviation career fields of people in your country. Be sure to follow the basic
paragraph structure that we have studied:
Paragraph Structure

Topic Sentence
 This sentence has the main idea of the paragraph. In a description, the main
idea should be a feeling you get from the subject. For example, are you
describing something beautiful, scary, exciting, etc.

Supporting Sentences
 Describe the topic to help the reader imagine what it looks like, sounds like,
feels like, etc.

 Use adjectives, specific nouns, and prepositional phrases.

Concluding Sentence
 A final sentence expressing how you feel about the subject.

Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.