Hand Out 1 | Advance Writing Class

Work with a partner or in a small group. Read the following paragraphs. Then choose the best topic sentence, find the topic and the controlling idea for each one from the list. Write that sentence on the line.

1.  For example, Kansa City, in the very center of the United States, is known for its beef, and Kansas City barbecue is everyone’s favorite way to enjoy it. In Boston, people love baked beans. In the Southwest, chili, a stew made of meat, beans, tomatoes, and hot peppers, is the regional dish. Wisconsin, a state with many dairy farms, is famous for its cheese. Go to Maryland and Virginia for crab cakes and to the Northeast for clam chowder and maple syrup. Indeed, many U.S. cities and regions have a special food for everyone to enjoy.

a.    There is a variety of food in the United States

b.    Food in the United States varies from sweet desserts to spicy stews

c.    Different regions of the United States have their own traditional foods

d.    Food in the United States is quite delicious

Topic: Special Food in US

Controlling idea: food varieties

2. Trail climbing is the easiest. Climbers just walk along trails to the top of a  mountain. The trails are not very steep, and the mountains are small. The second type, rock climbing, takes place on steeper slopes and bigger mountains. Climbers generally have to use special equipment such as climbing shoes, ropes, and metal nails called pitons. The third type is ice climbing. Ice climbing takes place only on very high mountains and requires a lot of special equipment. Equipment used in ice climbing includes ice axes and crampons, which are spikes attached to a climber’s boots for walking on ice and hard snow. Indeed, the sport of mountain climbing can range from an easy uphill walk to a difficult climb up a frozen waterfall.

a.    Mountain climbing requires special skills and equipment

b.    The sport of mountain climbing is practiced worldwide

c.    There are three main types of mountain climbing

Topic: Type of climbing

Controlling idea: different skill and equipment

3. Before the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, water buffalo stampeded in Thailand, and dogs in Sri Lanka refused to go out for their regular walks. An unusual number of pets ran away from their homes in the days before the 1989 San Fransisco earthquake. Japanese researchers have analyzed fishermen’s stories about the abnormal behavior of fish in the days or hours before earthquake in that country. These are just a few examples of strange animal behavior just before earthquakes occur.

a.    Dogs, elephants, water, buffalo, and fish can predict earthquakes

b.    Earthquake prediction is an important science

c.    Animals may be able to sense earthquake before they happen.

Topic: Animal behavior before disaster come 

Controlling idea: animal sense

4. First of all, teachers must know their subjects very well. At a minimum, they should take several college courses and pass a written test in every subject that they teach. Also, they should take refresher classes every few years to keep their knowledge up-to-date. Third, teachers should take education classes in college to learn how to teach. Fourth, they should have spent at least one year practice-teaching is teaching real children in a real classroom under the supervision of an experienced teacher. Only after a person has met the requirements should he or she receive a teaching license.

Topic Sentence: Teacher requirement that must be applied to get teaching license

Topic: Teaching lecense

Controlling idea: the requirement 

5.Even small towns in the United States have at least one pizzeria and one Chinese restaurant. Every midsize town has at least one taqueria, where you can get a delicious Mexican hamburgers, German in origin, are  found everywhere. More recently, Middle Eastern shish kebab, Japanese sushi, and English fish and chips are increasingly available in the United States.

Topic Sentence: United State has a lot of special food from another country that you can find easily

Topic: Special food from another country in US

Controlling idea: Easy to find 

6. Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. Another reason people give is that they simply don’t like breakfast. For others, the reason is cultural. People in some cultures consume only two meals each day instead of three, and breakfast isn’t traditionally one of them. The most common reason people give is lack of time. They like to stay in bed until the last minute, and there they have to rush to get to work or to school on time.

Topic Sentence: Skipping breakfast can help to lost weight

Topic: Breakfast

Controlling idea: The reason