16 Writing a Topic Sentence for a Response
Learning Outcomes
- Draft a topic sentence for a response paragraph.
- Revise the topic sentence to make it clear, specific, and meaningful.
A written response should begin with a clear, specific statement that accomplishes one of the following:
- It states your position or opinion about the article, the writing, or an issue or topic within the article; or
- It states your connection to some idea(s) from the text.
This statement is the topic sentence; it will express the main idea of your response.
Writing this sentence is more challenging that you might initially think. The idea may be clear in your mind, but sometimes it is a struggle to clearly express that idea to others. See the exercise below to help you draft your topic sentence.
Practice 1: Express Your Main Point
In Practice 2 of the previous chapter, you chose an idea from your brainstorming to write about in your response. Now, write that idea in a topic sentence. Keep rewriting, rewording, and rephrasing until you are happy with the statement of your idea. It may take five or ten minutes to write this sentence. That doesn’t mean you are slow or can’t do it; it means you are working hard to clarify your idea. Stick with it. The end product will be worth your time.
Share your sentence with a peer. Ask your peer if your sentence is clear or needs further revision.
NOTE ~ Make sure the topic sentence does not simply restate an idea from the article; it should convey an opinion and/or personal connection.
Revise the Topic Sentence
You and your peer may have decided that your topic sentence is clear, but does it sound the way it should when it is written in academic work? It may (or may not) need further revision to make it sound less conversational and more formal and academic.
Consider the topic sentences in the next two charts. Each was revised multiple times to make it clear, specific, assertive, and academic. The left column includes the different versions of the topic sentence, starting with the earliest and progressing to a final, revised version. In the right column is the student’s thought process when evaluating each version of the topic sentence. (The examples are topic sentences developed from the response questions in the previous chapter for the article “Students Perceive Themselves As a ‘Math Person’ or a ‘Reading Person’ Early on – and This Can Impact the Choices They Make throughout Their Lives.”)
Topic Sentence Stating a Personal Connection
Topic Sentence |
Student’s Thought Process during Revision |
| Version 1:
My experience is different from the article. |
This sentence seems too vague. My experience with what? And how is it different? Why does that matter? I need to be more specific. |
| Version 2:
Unlike what the author describes in the article, I viewed myself as skilled in both math and language. |
I have stated how my experience is different but I didn’t say “what the author describes” or who the author is. I need to add t