main idea/topic sentence

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Home : 2003 : February : 21

main idea/topic sentence
By teach6

No stupid question...remember what we tell the kids.
I am not sure if you mean main idea vs topic sentence vs the main things that happen in a story or paragraph.
This is my interpretation and I could be way off so
someone out there....let me know.
Main idea: the general overall subject matter of what a paragraph is about....a few words.
Main events: the sequence of what is going in a paragraph. 1st this, 2nd that, etc.
Topic sentence: The sentence in the story that expresses what the paragraph is about.
There are some resources that switch the main idea and topic sentence; they call

it the topic and the main idea sentence. But as the students get into the older grades, topic sentences are taught the way I mentioned so it is easier to learn it this way first.