Friends

and family
Unit 1
Teacher:
Andrea Faría
 WRITING:
Topic
sentences
I’ll show you a paragraph.
Please, read it slowly and
carefully. If you don’t
understand any expression,
leave me a question in the chat.
1. It’s important to consume healthy food with a lot
of nutrients. For example, I drink a green smoothie
for breakfast and eat a kale salad with brown rice
and chicken for lunch. You should also wake up
early and do cardio exercise in the morning. For
example, I wake up at 5 AM and run for 30
minutes and then ride my bike for 2 hours.
Although exercise is important, you can’t forget
your mind. You have to believe in yourself if you
want to achieve this goal. Tell yourself that you
can do it, and you will.
What was the paragraph about?
In the chat, please describe what
you believe the paragraph was
about in a concise idea.
(send to All Participants)
Now, please read the
paragraph with a seemingly
small change.
2. If you want to come in first in a Spartan Race,
there are several things you need to do to practice.
It’s important to consume healthy food with a lot of
nutrients. For example, I drink a green smoothie for
breakfast and eat a kale salad with brown rice and
chicken for lunch. You should also wake up early and
do cardio exercise in the morning. For example, I
wake up at 5 AM and run for 30 minutes and then
ride my bike for 2 hours. Although exercise is
important, you can’t forget your mind. You have to
believe in yourself if you want to achieve this goal.
Tell yourself that you can do it, and you will.
Now, what was that paragraph about?
Once again, in the chat, please
describe what you believe the
paragraph was about.
(send to All Participants)
Finally, which
paragraph sounds
better? 1 or 2?
 What I just added is called a TOPIC
SENTENCE, and they’re essential for
writing in English.
Topic sentences are usually found in the first
sentence of a paragraph (or among the first ones).
Topic sentences not only introduce the paragraph,
but also set the overall direction of it.
By reading the topic sentence of a paragraph, you
should be able to tell where it’s going.
 Remember that writing in English is
SIGNIFICANTLY different from writing
in Spanish.
Your goal when writing in English will always be to
explain everything in a very clear, precise, and
straightforward manner.
If your reader speaks English, and is confused by your
paragraph, you’re probably doing something wrong.
Writing a proper topic sentence:
•Make sure your topic sentence summarizes
the main point of the paragraph.
It cannot be too general or too specific.
•

•Remember that the rest of the paragraph

will revolve and develop the idea you state
in the topic sentence.
 Choose the best topic sentence for the paragraph
a) Miami has many beautiful beaches.
b) Miami is the perfect place to take a vacation.
c) Miami is a cheap place to visit when on vacation.

________________________. It is always sunny and

warm. The beaches are gorgeous, with soft white sand
and beautiful water. There are many fine restaurants
in the Miami area, and most of the hotels offer terrific
entertainment nightly. It’s no wonder that Miami is my
first choice for a vacation destination.
Workbook, page 3
 Let’s practice
more choosing
topic sentences
That’s all for today, folks!