Connect Main Idea and Details

Use each topic sentence to build a paragraph. Choose details that go with
the main idea in the topic sentence. Add them to your paragraph. Rewrite the
detail sentences in your own words if you need to.

Topic Sentence:  Chicago has a large Polish population.

Details

• The population of the United States is
about 300 million.
• The Polish community on the northwest
side of Chicago is called “Polonia.”
• Large groups of Poles started immigrating
to Chicago in 1850.
• There are more Poles in Chicago than
any other city in the world outside
Warsaw, Poland.
• Many immigrants moved to Chicago to
escape the political problems in Poland.
• A pierogi is a traditional Polish food.

Topic Sentence:  New Orleans still shows its French roots.

© National Geographic Learning, a part of Cengage Learning, Inc.

Details

• New Orleans has a large German
community.
• The French founded the city in 1717 and
controlled it for many years.
• Many people in New Orleans still speak
French and are sometimes called Cajuns.
• The architecture in the French Quarter
section of New Orleans is colonial
French style.

Level A
Project 3: Paragraph Structure: Main Idea and Details 14 Writing Strategy: Connect Main Idea and Details