Main Idea Topic Sentence and Supporting Details

A paragraph is a group of sentences that are about the same ________.

• topic

• word

• detail

• book

The topic sentence is the ________ sentence of a paragraph.

• first

• second

• third

• last

What do supporting details do?

• What do supporting details do?

• Prove why the main idea is true

• Give a summary of the main idea

• Restate the main idea in different words

Which of these is most likely a topic sentence?

• Out of all the pizza toppings, pepperoni is the best.

• First, pepperoni is salty, crispy, and chewy.

• I usually order pepperoni on my pizza, but today I got olives.

• In conclusion, pepperoni is a perfect pizza topping.

Which question would be most helpful when writing a topic sentence?

• What is the most interesting detail about this topic?

• How do I want this paragraph to end?

• What is the main thing I want to say about the topic?

• How does this sentence give evidence to support the main idea?

The topic sentence of a paragraph is "Adaptations help animals and plants survive in their environments." Which of these details best supports the topic sentence?

• There are many different species of animals that live on Earth.

• Grasshoppers adapted to be bright green so they could blend in with grass.

• Harriet opened her book so she could read more about grasshoppers and other insects.

• My favorite insect is the grasshopper.

The supporting details of a paragraph include “Fossilized footprints help us understand an animal’s size and weight,” and “Fossilized teeth can give us hints about an animal’s diet.” Which of these is most likely the topic sentence of the paragraph?

• Fossils help us learn more about animals and plants that lived on Earth many years ago.

• You can find fossils at natural history museums, like the one in New York City.

• Paleontologists are scientists who study fossils.

• When a species is extinct, it no longer exists on Earth.

Which of these is in the correct order for writing a paragraph?

• Topic sentence, closing sentence, detail sentences

• Detail sentences, topic sentence, closing sentence

• Closing sentence, detail sentences, topic sentence

• Topic sentence, detail sentences, closing sentence

A paragraph is a group of sentences that are about the same __________.

• topic

• word

• detail

• book

Which of these is a supporting detail?

• Strawberry ice cream is the best ice cream flavor.

• It has yummy pieces of real strawberries in it.

• I actually prefer chocolate ice cream.

• To sum up, I would choose strawberry ice cream for dessert every day.