✏️ WritingGrade 3Lesson 1
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Review Paragraph Parts — Topic, Detail, Closing

How to use: Download the PDF to print the worksheet. Then use this page to repeat activities and check answers.

Learning Objectives

  • 1Identify the three parts of a paragraph — topic sentence, detail sentences, and closing sentence
  • 2Arrange mixed-up sentence strips into a correctly ordered paragraph
  • 3Keep every sentence in a paragraph connected to the same main idea
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Mini Lesson

Every time you write more than one sentence about the same idea, you are writing a paragraph. Every good paragraph has three parts that work together like a team.

The Topic Sentence

  • Always comes first in the paragraph.
  • Tells the reader the main idea — what the whole paragraph is about.
  • Example: Dogs make wonderful pets.

Detail Sentences

  • Come in the middle, right after the topic sentence.
  • Support the topic with facts, examples, or reasons.
  • A strong paragraph has at least two detail sentences.
  • They answer the question: How do you know?

The Closing Sentence

  • Always comes last in the paragraph.
  • Wraps up the paragraph and reminds the reader of the main idea — often in a fresh way.
  • Example: That is why dogs are such great companions.

The One-Idea Rule

  • Every sentence in a paragraph must connect to the same main idea.
  • If a sentence wanders off-topic, it does not belong.
Vocabulary
Paragraph
A group of sentences that are all about the same main ideae.g. A paragraph about butterflies has a topic sentence, detail sentences, and a closing sentence.
Topic sentence
The first sentence of a paragraph — it states the main ideae.g. Butterflies are truly amazing insects.
Detail sentence
A sentence in the middle of a paragraph that supports the topic with a fact, example, or reasone.g. They start life as tiny caterpillars hatched from eggs.
Closing sentence
The last sentence of a paragraph — it wraps up the main idea, often in a fresh waye.g. That is why watching butterflies is one of nature's greatest wonders.
Paragraph structure diagramA stacked diagram showing topic sentence on top, two detail sentences in the middle, and closing sentence at the bottom, connected by downward arrows.A Paragraph Has 3 Parts1. Topic SentenceStates the main idea — comes FIRST2. Detail Sentence 1Supports the topic with a fact3. Detail Sentence 2Adds another supporting fact4. Closing Sentence — wraps it up
Paragraph structure — topic sentence first (blue), two detail sentences (green), closing sentence last (orange).
Example paragraph with labeled partsA sample paragraph about dogs with the topic sentence highlighted in blue, detail sentences in green, and closing sentence in orange, each with a numbered label.Example Paragraph1. TOPICDogs make wonderful pets.2. DETAILThey are loyal and love to play.3. DETAILDogs can be trained to help people.4. CLOSINGThat is why dogs are such greatcompanions for families.
A sample paragraph about dogs — topic (blue), details (green), closing (orange) — each labeled with its part number.
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Ask yourself: Can I name the three parts of a paragraph in order and explain what each one does?

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Guided Practice

Choose 3 sentences from the Trace menu and copy them neatly on paper. Then use the Tracing Pad to practice words, sentences, and marks.

Tracing Pad

Tip: After tracing each word, cover it and try writing it from memory. Can you spell "paragraph" without looking?

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Exercises

Tap the word chips to build each sentence in order. Each group of four sentences forms a complete paragraph — a topic sentence, two detail sentences, and a closing sentence.

Sentence 1

Sentence 2

Sentence 3

Sentence 4

Sentence 5

Sentence 6

Sentence 7

Sentence 8

Sentence 9

Sentence 10

Sentence 11

Sentence 12

1. What is the purpose of a topic sentence?

2. Where does the topic sentence appear in a paragraph?

3. What do detail sentences do in a paragraph?

4. Where do detail sentences appear in a paragraph?

5. What does a closing sentence do?

6. Which sentence would make the best topic sentence for a paragraph about summer?

7. Which sentence works best as a detail sentence in a paragraph about healthy eating?

8. Which sentence would make the best closing sentence for a paragraph about books?

9. How many main ideas should one paragraph have?

10. What is the correct order of the parts in a paragraph?

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Assessment

Parent / Teacher Checklist

Lesson 2 →