English 12 Topic sentences

Topic sentence - one of the first sentences in your paragraph

Thesis statement - one of the first sentences in your paragraph

Necessary, very important to have one.

No topic sentence = no direction

Write and write and write - no focus

Have to begin with a TS 
- topic sentence, paragraph
- thesis statement, essay

Topic sentence - look at the writing prompt

What is is asking you to write about? What's the topic? What's the question?

Friday "What did Jonathan learn by the end of the chapter?"

on-topic - mirror the vocabulary in the writing prompt 
- key words that we can use

"What did Jonathan learn by the end of the chapter?"

TS By the end of the chapter, Jonathan learned how to achieve a goal.
By the end of the chapter, Jonathan learned that it was important to do your own thing than to follow the crowd.

-mirror that vocab. in the writing prompt

- use synonyms (words that have the same meaning)

learn - came to understand, discovered, adopted, figured out, agree, educated, determine, gain, master

chapter - text, story, reading, 

Jonathan - JLS, the main character, protagonist

TS At the end of the text, the protagonist, Jonathan, comes to understand some compelling truths about the nature of being an individual.

Say the TS simply, or you can say it fancily. But you have to say it.

No plot summary!


Highlight your TS. If you don't have a TS, please write one and highlight it.


Topic sentence - based on writing prompt
                         - topic and controlling idea

Topic is what J learned
Controlling idea is your take on it, your approach, your opinion, your angle

By the end of the chapter, Jonathan had learned how to fly the way he wanted to.

By the end of the chapter, Jonathan had learned how to be alone.

By the end of the chapter, Jonathan had learned that it is better to be true to himself than to try to fit in.

Topic sentence should be one sentence.


Topic sentence - 

- Support sentences
-evidence
-proof
- details
that support your TS

Concluding sentence -restate your TS, end with a general statement, "feel good"
MUNDANE "Our lives will be more colourful."