Sophia Learning
Sophia: Writing Effective Topic Sentences
This tutorial focuses on topic sentences using two slideshows. The first defines topic sentences, discusses purpose and placement, and provides a sample thesis statement followed by accompanying topic sentences samples. The second...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Supporting Details
This tutorial focuses on supporting details using a video of a paragraph from a book showing the topic sentence and two strong, reliable, supporting details. This is followed by a slideshow that stresses the need for variety in the types...
Tom Richey
Slide Share: Supporting Details
This slideshow focuses on adding details to a paragraph. It covers ways to add details, primary and secondary support points, a flow chart organizer, moving from the topic sentence to a final essay, and strategies for generating and...
Savvas Learning
Pearson Longman: Main Points, Support Points, and Specific Details
Part of the Pearson Longman series entitled "Sentence Resources for Writers", this site assesses the high school student's ability to identify main points and develop specific details and support points. Includes ten multiple choice and...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Revision Technique: Thesis and Support
This slideshow lesson focuses on assessing and revising the thesis, topic sentences, and supporting details in a paper. It uses the analogy of the body: the thesis and topic sentences are the bones and the supporting details are the...
Read Works
Read Works: Main Idea 4th Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] A two-lesson unit on main idea and details through which students use the topic sentence to identify the main idea of a paragraph and categorize details as main idea or supporting. With free login,...
University of Ottawa (Canada)
University of Ottawa: Writing Paragraphs
This site from the University of Ottawa provides a wonderfully designed website that not only gives you exhaustive information on paragraph writing. Students will engage in starting with outlines, writing topic sentences, dividing their...
Tom Richey
Slide Share: Distinguishing Main Ideas and Supporting Details
This downloadable slideshow focuses on main ideas and supporting details including definitions, identification, and practicing with paragraphs. RI.9-10.2 central idea/summary
E Reading Worksheets
E Reading Worksheets: Writing Persuasive Essays
Persuasive writing is the topic of this article. Students will learn the parts of the persuasive essay and how to write an effective persuasive essay.
Quizlet
Quizlet: 2nd Grade: Unit 2 Reading: Main Idea: Match
In this interactive learning game, students match terms relating to the main idea with their definitions. These terms include the following: topic, topic sentence, main idea, detail, supporting details, summary, summarize, retell, infer,...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Parts of a Paragraph
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart covers all of the areas of a paragraph including topic sentence, supporting sentences, and clincher sentence. Different kinds of supporting details are explained and students can practice...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Building Paragraphs
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart features topic sentences and supporting details with moveable sentences to build a paragraph.
Other
Mt. San Antonio College: Finding the Main Idea
This resource provides practice for students in locating where a main idea sentences is located in an informational paragraph. Guided questions are provided for each practice passage.
ACT360 Media
Writing Den: Paragraphs
How do you write a paragraph? Use this site to learn more about the different parts of a paragraph.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Wwii on the Home Front: Civic Responsibility
Smithsonian Education presents a lesson covering the WWII's propaganda program which enforced the ideals of Civic Responsibility. Provides eight pages of poster examples, detailed background over the time period, and the goals of the...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Revise and Revisit: Butterflies
Students will take a previously created paragraph and edit it to make it better by adding details, definitions, a topic sentence, or a closure to an informational paragraph. Resources include a PowerPoint presentation and pictures and...
Quizlet
Quizlet: 2nd Grade: Unit 2 Reading: Main Idea: Test
This interactive assessment features 6 matching and 5 multiple-choice questions over terms relating to the main idea and their definitions. These terms include the following: topic, topic sentence, main idea, detail, supporting details,...
Quizlet
Quizlet: 2nd Grade Unit 2 Reading: Main Idea: Flashcards
This interactive set of flashcards, helps students learn the terms and definitions associated with the main idea. These terms include the following: topic, topic sentence, main idea, supporting details, summary, summarize, retell,...
Joe Landsberger
Study Guides & Strategies: Writing Basics
This site by University of St. Thomas focuses on the basics for writing any paragraph. It is developed in outline fashion and is very easy to follow. This site provides a basic overview of the process of writing without going into a...
Leaf Group
E How: How to Write a Talking Points Paper
This article by Byron Walsh focuses on writing a talking points paper for a public speaker which consists of researched, accurate information provided in bulleted lists with follow up sentences on specific topics.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Some Animals Don't Do That!
In this lesson plan, Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers by Laura Numeroff, is used as a mentor text for to highlight the trait of idea development. The content focus of the instructional activity is to highlight what topics cannot do. Learners...
Other
Oakland Writes: Student Exemplars: Sixth Grade: Expository Essay [Pdf]
An expository essay written by a sixth-grader with notes calling attention to important writing concepts evident in the essay including a well-written title, opening sentence, thesis, main ideas, supporting details, and more.