Washington Standards. A topic sentence supports or develops the theme or main idea of a paragraph.
WA.1. Writing: The student understands and uses a writing process.
1.3. Revises to improve text.
1.3.1. Revises text by adding, deleting, substituting, and moving text.
1.3.1.a. Rereads work several times and has a different focus for each reading (e.g., first reading -- adding specific details for support; second reading -- substituting words for clarity; third reading -- moving text by combining sentences for variety).
1.6. Adjusts writing process as necessary.
1.6.1. Applies understanding of the recursive nature of writing process.
1.6.1.a. Revises at any stage of process.
1.6.1.b. Edits as needed at any stage.
3.1. Develops ideas and organizes writing.
3.1.1. Analyzes ideas, selects a narrow topic, and elaborates using specific details and/or examples.
3.1.1.b. Selects details relevant to the topic to elaborate (e.g., adds detail to each main point using more than one sentence; uses specific words and phrases, reasons, anecdotes, facts, descriptions, and examples).
3.1.1.c. Uses personal experiences, observations, and/or research to support opinions and ideas (e.g., collects, organizes, and uses data to support conclusions in math, science, or social studies).
3.1.2. Organizes writing using a logical organizational structure.
3.1.2.a. Writes in a logically organized progression of unified paragraphs.