Ministry of public education of the republic of uzbekistan

Activity 2
Objectives:
Participants will identify topic sentences in paragraphs
Time: 30 min
Materials: Handout 1 to each participant and Handout 2 and 3 to each group of 3-4
Distribute each participant Handout 1. Ask participants to read the paragraphs and underline the topic sentences in each paragraph. Prompt that the topic sentences in each paragraph is the first ones. Say them that they should pay attention how each topic sentence is the most general sentence; it is a main idea of each paragraph. The other sentences explain, describe, extend, or support the topic sentence.
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Handout 1
Read the each paragraph and pay special attention how topic sentence which is first expresses the main idea of a paragraph and other sentences explain, describe, extend, or support the topic sentence.
Paragraph 1
I went through the difficult period after my father died. I was moody and sullen at home. I spent most of the time in my bedroom listening to music on the radio, which made me feel even worse. I stopped playing soccer after school with my friends. My grades at school went down. I lost my appetite and seemed to get into arguments with everybody. My mom began to look worried, but I couldn’t bring myself to participate in an activity with my spirit. It seemed life had lost its joy for me.
Paragraph 2
Fortunately, something happened that spring that brought me out of my depression. My uncle who had been crippled in the Vietnam War, came to live with us. I learnt many years later that my mother had asked him to come and live with us in the hope that he could bring me he could bring me out of myself. I, on the other hand was told that it was my responsibility to help my uncle feel at home. My mother’s plan worked. My uncle and I were both were lonely people. A friendship began that was to change both our lives for the better.
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Discuss with the whole group about their findings.
Divide participants into groups of three-four. Distribute handout 2 to each group. Ask groups to find topic sentences in each paragraph and say that in this case not always the topic sentence is the first sentence.
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