New York State Elementary Test Prep- ELA 4- Grade 3 -Supporting Sentences

The Basic Parts of a Paragraph

Most paragraphs have three parts.

1. The first part is the topic sentence which states the main idea of the paragraph.

2. The second part is the body of the paragraph which supports the topic sentence with details.

3. The last part is the concluding sentence which restates the topic of the paragraph.

Let's look at how the three parts make a paragraph.

1. Topic sentence ------------------
(main idea)

2. Body
(Supporting Details)

3. Concluding sentence------------
(Restates topic)

Snow Day!

Thanks to the snowstorm, we had a free day off from school! The snow started at 8:00 P.M. the night before. At first, the snow began slowly with a few big flakes floating to the ground. Around 9:00 P.M. the snow started coming down harder and harder. The next morning they announced that schools were closed! The snow never stopped until 11:00 A.M. Thanks to the snowstorm, we had a free day off from school!

Let's take a closer look at the three parts of a paragraph.

1. The Topic Sentence - A good topic sentence does two things: (1) It names the subject. (2) It tells the part of the subject you will focus on (the main idea).

Thanks to the snowstorm (subject), we had a free day off from school (focus)!

2. The Body - The sentences in the body of a paragraph support the topic sentence. They add details in an order that makes sense. Before you write a paragraph, you should list the supporting details.

The snow started at 8:00 P.M. the night before.
    - Big flakes fell at first.
    - 9:00 it started snowing harder.
    - Next morning school closed.
    - Snow never stopped until 11:00.

3. The Closing Sentence - The last sentence restates the topic sentence and gives the reader one last thing to think about.

Thanks to the snowstorm, we had a free day off from school! (Restates the topic)

Remember, most paragraphs have three parts.

1. Topic sentence or main idea.

2. Body of the paragraph, which supports the main idea.

3. Concluding sentence that reminds the reader what the paragraph is about.

Click on the image above to practice what you know.