ACTIVITY: “TOPICTATION”

Instruction: In a group of five, identify the topic sentence in the following short paragraphs.

1. Student life today is not what it was then. Students log on to websites instead of going to
libraries. Computers look for grammatical and typographical errors in their papers unlike
before when students reviewed, reread, and reedited their work for hours.

2. The bird next to me was immature. He still had brown and tawny plumage instead of the
predominantly black color of the adult. For one thing, he may never have seen another
human being. But there is a better explanation; in remote Galapagos Islands, there are
hardly land mammals and the hawk is very nearly the sole predator. With no enemies and
almost no competitors, it has nothing to fear and plenty to eat.

3. The mountain air around a lake invigorates and pleases me. I like a lake’s underwater
life, such as minnows and trout, and I enjoy observing the plant life around me. Most
importantly, a lake usually has no decimals because lake water is clean, natural, and more
refreshing for swimming. I prefer swimming in a mountain lake.

GROUP ACTIVITY: “TOPIC SENTENCE EXPEDITION”

Instruction: With the same five groups, identify the topic sentence in the given paragraphs.
1. My brothers all have jobs. My oldest brother, Edward, is a doctor at the hospital in the
center of the city, and the second oldest. Daniel is an accountant in an office near our
home. My youngest brother is a policeman. I am the only brother who is still at school.

2. Miniature golf is both fun and relaxing. Because of the wide variety of course themes,
playing each course is like taking a mini–vacation. You can play in different places in
history. Or you can leap the imagination and play under the sea, in space, or in alien
worlds. For very low price, you can take a different vacation every time you play!

3. First of all, celebrities have to look almost perfect all the time. There’s always a
photographer ready to take an unflattering picture of the famous person looking dumpy in
old clothes. Celebrities also sacrifice their private lives. Their struggles, divorces, or
family tragedies all end up as front–page news. Last, and most frightening of all,
celebrities are in constant danger of the wrong kind of attention. Threatening letters and
even physical attacks from crazy fans are things a celebrity must be content with. Thus,
being a celebrity is often difficult.

4. A brownout for students would be a horrendous disaster. The students will not be able to
check their mail. They cannot receive emails either. They cannot use the fax machine too.

5. I cannot cut and past excerpts without my computer. I need my CD-ROM to check the
spelling and change fonts of my paper. I do all these on my computer at my own leisure. I
really don’t know how to write paper without doing it directly on the computer.