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Year 6 English — Topic sentences

Find the topic sentence of a paragraph, judge whether one is too narrow or too broad, and keep every other sentence under it.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.These three sentences are the details of one paragraph. "Its roots reach deeper than the tree is tall." "Its bark can survive a fire." "It goes on growing for hundreds of years." Which is the best topic sentence for them?

    • a) This tree has thick bark.
    • b) Trees are important to us all.
    • c) This tree is built to survive almost anything.
    • d) Some trees lose their leaves in winter.

  2. 2.In this paragraph the topic sentence comes last. Which one is it? "The bell had gone twenty minutes earlier. The corridors were empty and the lights were off. Not one bag was left on a hook. The school had emptied faster than on any day that year."

    • a) The school had emptied faster than on any day that year.
    • b) The corridors were empty and the lights were off.
    • c) Not one bag was left on a hook.
    • d) The bell had gone twenty minutes earlier.

  3. 3.Put these sentences in order to make one good paragraph.

    • Getting a kite into the air is easier than it looks — it takes three short steps.
    • Then hold the kite up and let the wind take it from your hand.
    • The first of those steps is to wait for a steady wind rather than a gusty one.
    • Done in that order, it will be flying before you have run a step.
    • Finally, let the string out slowly as the kite climbs.

  4. 4.A paragraph is being written about how bees make honey. Sort each sentence by the job it would do.

    Groups: Topic sentence · Supporting detail

    • The nectar is carried back to the hive in its body.
    • Inside the hive, the nectar is passed from bee to bee.
    • Other bees fan the nectar with their wings until it thickens.
    • First it drinks nectar from a flower.
    • Making honey takes a bee three careful stages.
    • The finished honey is sealed into a cell with wax.

  5. 5.Which sentence would best follow this topic sentence? "A bicycle needs looking after in three simple ways."

    • a) Bicycles cost far less to run than cars.
    • b) I was given it on my last birthday.
    • c) My bicycle is blue with a silver bell.
    • d) First, the tyres should be checked before every long ride.

  6. 6.Match each paragraph subject to the topic sentence that would open it best.

    • how a spider builds its web
    • why the library is always full
    • what happens on the first day of term
    • how to plant a seed
    • The first day of term follows the same pattern every year.
    • There are three reasons the library is never empty at lunchtime.
    • A spider builds its web in a fixed order, thread by thread.
    • Planting a seed properly takes four short steps.

  7. 7.Which sentence is the topic sentence of this paragraph? "A market at dawn is a busy place. Vans arrive with crates of vegetables. Traders shout across the aisles to one another. By seven o'clock every stall is stacked and ready."

    • a) A market at dawn is a busy place.
    • b) By seven o'clock every stall is stacked and ready.
    • c) Traders shout across the aisles to one another.
    • d) Vans arrive with crates of vegetables.

  8. 8.Why is "My bicycle has a bell" a poor topic sentence for a paragraph about looking after a bicycle?

    • a) It is too narrow — it covers one small detail and leaves the rest homeless
    • b) It is not a sentence at all
    • c) It is too broad — almost anything would fit under it
    • d) It is in the wrong tense

Answer key — Year 6 English — Topic sentences

  1. 1. c) This tree is built to survive almost anything.
  2. 2. a) The school had emptied faster than on any day that year.
  3. 3. 1. Getting a kite into the air is easier than it looks — it takes three short steps. 2. The first of those steps is to wait for a steady wind rather than a gusty one. 3. Then hold the kite up and let the wind take it from your hand. 4. Finally, let the string out slowly as the kite climbs. 5. Done in that order, it will be flying before you have run a step.
  4. 4. Making honey takes a bee three careful stages. → Topic sentence; First it drinks nectar from a flower. → Supporting detail; The nectar is carried back to the hive in its body. → Supporting detail; Inside the hive, the nectar is passed from bee to bee. → Supporting detail; Other bees fan the nectar with their wings until it thickens. → Supporting detail; The finished honey is sealed into a cell with wax. → Supporting detail
  5. 5. d) First, the tyres should be checked before every long ride.
  6. 6. how a spider builds its web → A spider builds its web in a fixed order, thread by thread.; why the library is always full → There are three reasons the library is never empty at lunchtime.; what happens on the first day of term → The first day of term follows the same pattern every year.; how to plant a seed → Planting a seed properly takes four short steps.
  7. 7. a) A market at dawn is a busy place.
  8. 8. a) It is too narrow — it covers one small detail and leaves the rest homeless