Success Homeschool

Year 5 English · Organising paragraphs

Name: ______________________

Date: ____________

1. What is a topic sentence?
- ☐ (a) the last sentence of a story
- ☐ (b) a sentence that asks a question
- ☐ (c) the sentence that tells what a paragraph is mostly about
2. Which sentence does NOT belong in a paragraph about looking after a goldfish?
- ☐ (a) Change some of the water each week.
- ☐ (b) My favourite sport is basketball.
- ☐ (c) Feed it a small pinch of food each day.
3. Which is the best topic sentence for a paragraph about riding bikes to the shops, for exercise and for fun?
- ☐ (a) Bicycles are a useful way to get around.
- ☐ (b) My brother has a red helmet.
- ☐ (c) Cars are fast.
4. When should you start a new paragraph in an information text?
- ☐ (a) after every sentence
- ☐ (b) when you move to a new idea or subtopic
- ☐ (c) only at the very end
5. Where does the topic sentence usually go in an information paragraph?
- ☐ (a) at the start
- ☐ (b) in the middle
- ☐ (c) after the paragraph
6. You are writing about three ideas: what penguins eat, where penguins live and how penguins raise chicks. How many paragraphs should you write for these ideas? Type a number.
7. In the penguin swimming paragraph, how many supporting sentences come after the topic sentence? Type a number.
8. Fill the gap: the sentence that introduces the main idea of a paragraph is called the ___ sentence.

Answer sheet

1. the sentence that tells what a paragraph is mostly about — A topic sentence introduces the main idea of a paragraph.
2. My favourite sport is basketball. — Basketball has nothing to do with goldfish care.
3. Bicycles are a useful way to get around. — It introduces the idea that all the other sentences support.
4. when you move to a new idea or subtopic — Each new idea or subtopic gets its own paragraph.
5. at the start — Topic sentences usually come first so the reader knows what to expect.
6. 3 — One paragraph for each idea makes three paragraphs.
7. 3 — The flippers, smooth bodies and diving sentences are the three supporting sentences.
8. topic — It is called the topic sentence.