Paragraph Writing

Example 1

A school administrator should begin by giving students a complete orientation to their new
school. She or he should take them on a tour of the school, showing them the classrooms,
gym, computer lab, band room, and cafeteria. She or he should tell them about the history
of the school, its academic achievements, its seven athletic and debating teams. The
administrator can talk to the students about what’s expected of them in the classroom and
what rules the school has.

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 Paragraph Writing

Topic sentence: A school administrator should begin by giving students a

complete orientation to their new school.
Supporting details: take students on tour of school
tell about history of school
talk to them about what’s expected

In the above paragraphs the topic sentence is about the school administrator’s job to
give an orientation to new students. The orientation includes a tour of the school, its
history, and a discussion of what is expected of students.

Example 2
Everyone, children as well as senior citizens, can have important relationship with pets.
Children who have dogs have the opportunity to learn responsibility while caring for
them. The elderly, who often feel lonely as they get order and have fewer living friends
and relatives, are able to maintain a positive outlook and to feel needed because they are
caring for a dog that needs them

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Topic sentence: Everyone, children as well as senior citizens, can have
important relationship with pets.
Supporting details: Teaches children responsibility
Elderly take care of dogs who, in turn, need them.

Example 3
One should spend time getting to know people before judging them. I know that I do not
always make the first impression, even when I truly like the person with whom I am
interacting. We all have bad days, and I wouldn’t what to lose a job or a potential
friendship simply because I picked out the wrong clothing or said something wrong.
Topic sentence: One should spend time getting to know people before
judging them.
Supporting details: I don’t always make the best first impression
We all have bad days.
We all pick out the wrong clothing or say something
wrong.

Read the following paragraphs. Write the topic sentence and the supporting details for
each paragraph. You may have more or fewer than three supporting details

Paragraph 1
Playing games also teaches us how to deal with other people. We learn about teamwork,
if the game involves being on team. We learn how to divide and assign tasks according to
each person’s skills. We learn how to get people to do what we want, and we learn that
sometimes we have to do what other people want.

Topic sentence: 1.1

Supporting details: 1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5

Paragraph 2
Cooking takes a lot of time. While the food might not actually be on the stove for long,
you also have to consider the time that is spent shopping for the food, cleaning and
chopping it, and cleaning up the kitchen after it is cooked.

Topic sentence: 2.1

Supporting details: 2.2
2.3
2.4

Paragraph 3
Watching movies and television can be good for us. One thing they do is giving us a
broader window on the world. For example, seeing movies can expose us to people of
different races and cultures that we don’t see often. We can then overcome some
prejudices more easily.
 Topic sentence: 3.1
Supporting details: 3.2
3.3
3.4

Paragraph 4
Our planet gives us everything we need, but natural resources are not endless. Strip
mining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. Deforestation removes
old trees that can’t be replaced. Too much fishing may harm fish populations to the point
where they can’t recover.

Topic sentence: 4.1

Supporting details: 4.2
4.3
4.4

Paragraph 5
The most important lesson can’t be taught; they have to be experienced. No one can teach
us how to get along with others or how to have self-respect. As we pass from childhood
into adolescences, no one can teach us the judgement we need to decide on how to deal
with peer pressure. As we leave adolescence behind and enter adult life, no one can teach
us how to fall in love and get married, or how to raise our children.

Topic sentence: 5.1

Supporting details: 5.2
5.3
5.4