Topic Sentences

In fifth grade, we are targeting level 3 topic sentences. Many students focused on level 2 topic
sentences in 4th grade. Hopefully level 1 topic sentences havent been used in a long time!
Level 1 Topic Sentence
Im going to write about _______.
Hello, my name is ______ and I am going to tell you about ______ .
Level 2 Topic Sentence
A. Declarative Statement
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Dogs make the best pets.
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Emperor penguins are the worlds most fascinating birds.
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Thanksgiving is an important holiday in our country.
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Learning to ride a bike is fun for most children. Number Statements
B. Number Statements
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Dogs make the best pets for several reasons.
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Emperor penguins fascinate humans because of three unique characteristics.
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Our family enjoys many activities on Thanksgiving day.
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Children learn to ride a bike by going through four specific steps.
Level 3 Topic Sentence: Situation/Stance Topic Sentence
Part 1: Broadly introduces the topic (SITUATION)
Gives a general hint of what is to come
Opens the topic door a little bit
Cannot stand alone (dependent clause)
Part 2: Clearly states viewpoint on the topic (STANCE)
Narrows the topic considerably
Flings the topic door wide open
Can stand alone (independent clause)
Examples:
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Even though I like all the holidays, the Fourth of July is my favorite.
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Although gymnastics is a challenging sport, it is still very rewarding.
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Because most people carry cell phones, it is important that they learn basic cell
phone etiquette.
Starter Words
After Even if Unless
Although Even though Until
As If When
As long as In order that Whenever
As soon as In order to Where
Because Since Wherever
Before So that Whether
Even Though While