How to Read Expository ParagraphsMaintaining sanity while dissecting informational readings!!!

Objectives/Standards• 1. Define the term topic sentence and locate it within expository

paragraphs so that students can effectively write a topic sentence• 2. Differentiate between statements of facts, opinions and expert

opinions in expository paragraphs so that students can pick different types of evidence to use while writing.

• 3. Explain the differences between a writer's style and a writer's tone so that students can apply the concepts as writers, and so that students can analyze style and tone in texts.

• Core Standards Addressed:• RI.9-10.5: Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular

sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text• RI.9-10.2: Determine a central idea of the text and analyze its specific development over the course of the

text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details• RI.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,

connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone

• RI.9-10.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose

Identifying Main Ideas and Topic Sentences

• What is the topic sentence?

A topic sentence is a broad, general statement, that summarizes the key points in the paragraph. Some topic sentences are clearly stated; others may be implied.

A thesis is a focus statement or main idea that is supported by facts or argument. It usually applies to an entire document, essay, or chapter, whereas a topic sentence applies to paragraphs. A thesis can be supported by paragraphs containing different topic sentences.

Can you find it???

Topic Sentence: Example 1

“There are 1,500 species of bacteria and approximately 8,500 species of birds. The carrot family alone has about 3,500 species, and there are 15,000 species of wild orchids. Clearly, the task of separating various living things into their proper groups is not an easy task. Within the insect family, the problem becomes even more complex. For example, there are about 300,000 species of beetles. In fact, certain species are disappearing from the earth before we can even identify and classify them.”

-Wallace, Biology: The World of Life, p. 283

Topic Sentence: Example 2

“Many elderly people have trouble getting the care and treatment they need for ailments. Most hospitals, designed to handle injuries

and acute illness that are common to the young, do not have the facilities or personnel to treat the chronic degenerative diseases of the elderly. Many doctors are also ill-prepared to deal with such problems. As Fred Cottrell points out, “There is a widespread

feeling among the aged that most doctors are not interested in them and are reluctant to treat people who are as little likely to

contribute to the future as the aged are reputed to do.” Even with the help of Medicare, the elderly in the United States often have a

difficult time getting the health care that they need.”

-Coleman and Cressey, Social Problems, p. 227

Topic Sentence

“Everything moves. Even things that appear at rest move. They move relative to the sun and stars. As you're reading this you're moving at about 107,000 kilometers per hour relative to the sun.

And you're moving even faster relative to the center of our galaxy. When we discuss the motion of something, we describe motion

relative to something else. If you walk down the aisle of a moving bus, your speed relative to the floor of the bus is likely quite different from your speed relative to the road. When we say a

racing car reaches a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, we mean relative to the track. Unless stated otherwise, when we discuss the

speeds of things in our environment we mean relative to the surface of the earth; motion is relative.”

-adapted from Hewitt, Conceptual Physics, p. 39

Fact vs. Opinion: Review

Facts: Statements that can be verified. Once verified, facts can be accepted and regarded as reliable information.

Opinions: statements that express feelings, attitudes, or beliefs and are neither true nor false. Opinions are not reliable sources of information and should therefore be questioned and carefully evaluated.

Facts:

1. More than one million teenagers become pregnant every year.

2. The costs of medical care increase every year.

Opinions:

Government regulation of our private lives should be halted immediately.

By the year 2025, most Americans will not be able to afford routine health care.

Expert Opinions

Sometimes authors will give validity to their views by stating “expert opinions.” That is, opinions that are valid because they come from a knowledgeable and trust-worthy source. These statements are

still opinions, though the author may try to present them as facts.

Urban Meyer suggests that the key to winning football games is running the ball and stopping the opposing team’s running game.

All banks and lending institutions should be strictly regulated by the federal government, explains Vice President Joe Biden.

Fact (F), Opinion (O), or Expert Opinion (EO)

United Parcel Service is the nation's largest delivery service.

United Parcel Service will become even more successful because it uses sophisticated management techniques.

Americans spend 13.7 billion per year on alternative medicine.

The best way to keep up with world news is to read the newspaper.

A community, as defined by sociologists, is a collection of people who share some purpose, activity, or characteristic.

The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten Amendments to the Constitution.

Archaeologists believe that the stone monument known as Stonehenge was built to serve a religious purpose.

According to Dr. Richard Sobol, a communication specialist, conflict in interpersonal relationshis is not only inevitable, it can also be beneficial.

The finest examples of landscape photography can be found in the work of Ansel Adams.

The symbol of Islam – a crescent and star – appears on the flags of nations that have a Muslim majority, such as Turkey and Pakistan.

ClosureTopic Sentence, F, O, and EO

“Almost half of all American drink coffee every day, making it the most widely consumed drug in the United States. Some people

believe its popularity can be explained by the “wake-up” effect of caffeine, a critical element of many people's morning ritual. A five-

ounce cup of coffee contains between 65 and 115 milligrams of caffeine, depending on the brand of coffee and the strength of the

brew. In addition to enhancing mental alertness and reducing fatigue, the stimulant effects of caffeine include increases in

urinary output, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, and indigestion. Apparently, these rather unpleasant side effects are not enough to

deter millions of Americans from their daily caffeine fix.”

adapted from Donatelle, Health: The Basics, p. 215