Advanced ENGLISH Teacher’s Notes

Module 1 • Community Reading

Identifying Topic and Supporting Sentences

Objective
 y the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify topic sentences and supporting sentences. They will also
B
be able to look for and compare specific details in a text and use relevant collocations.

Student Worksheets
• Worksheet 1: Volunteer Opportunities in Baldwin
• Worksheet 2: Topic and Supporting Sentences
• Worksheet 3: Analyzing Information

Lead-In (10 minutes)

• Tell students that they are going to read a brochure about volunteer opportunities in a community.
• Begin the lesson by asking:
Do you or any members of your family volunteer in a community organization?
Where do you volunteer?
Why do you volunteer?
Do you think it is important to volunteer? Why or why not?

Activity 1 (15 minutes)

• Explain that there are many phrases related to volunteering that are collocations.
For example: get started, take charge, work hard, fight hunger
• Remind students that collocations are words that often go together and that some words can collocate with 
many different words.
• Write the following sentence on the board: Our volunteers organize fund-raising events to raise money.
Ask students which phrase in the sentence is a collocation.
Answer: raise money
• Write the following on the board:

raise money

• Divide the class into pairs and have students write down as many collocations as they can with the words raise
and money. Point out that they will need to add a noun after raise and a verb before money in order to complete
the collocations.
• Have students share their answers with the class, and write them on the board.
Possible answers: raise … : raise a family, raise children, raise an idea, raise expectations, raise doubts
… money: make money, earn money, donate money, lose money, owe money, 
borrow money, lend money, deposit money, spend money
• Elicit or explain the meaning of the collocations on the board. Give students several minutes to write as many
sentences as they can about volunteering, using the collocations on the board. Have them share their best
sentences with the class.

Page 1 of 4
Advanced ENGLISH Teacher’s Notes
Module 1 • Community Reading

Activity 2 (35 minutes)

• Ask the following questions:
Which organizations or services do you know of in your community where people can volunteer?
What do volunteers at these organizations do?
• Tell students that they are going to read a brochure about volunteer opportunities in the community of Baldwin.
• Review the structure of a paragraph with students. Remind them that every paragraph contains one main idea,
which appears in the topic sentence. Ask: Where does the topic sentence usually appear?
Answer: in the first or last sentence of the paragraph
• Refer students to Worksheet 1: Volunteer Opportunities in Baldwin. Read the first paragraph aloud in the section
called Baldwin Technology Center. Ask: What is the topic sentence in this paragraph?
Answer: Baldwin Technology Center was established in order to give residents access to technology.
Point out that in this case, the topic sentence appears at the beginning of the paragraph. Explain that the topic
sentence introduces the name of the center and explains why it was established. Mention that the topic sentence
of the first paragraph of a text often sets the tone for the entire text.
• Read the rest of the paragraph aloud again. Elicit information provided in the rest of the paragraph. Ask: How
does this information relate to the topic sentence?
Answer: T  he sentences give specific examples or details about the activities offered at the center, which explain
how the center’s goals are accomplished.
• Point out that these sentences are called supporting sentences. Ask: What conclusions can you draw about the
function of supporting sentences? 
Possible answer: T  hey strengthen or support the main idea (given in the topic sentence) by explaining, giving
reasons or providing details and examples.
• Have students read the second paragraph of this section. Ask: What is the topic sentence?
Answer: Baldwin Technology Center is open to people of all ages.
Point out that in this case, the topic sentence once again appears at the beginning of the paragraph.
• Ask: What do the supporting sentences give more details and examples of? Have students underline the part of
the topic sentence that the examples relate to. 
Answer: Baldwin Technology Center is open to people of all ages.
• Ask: Describe the people you can find at the center. Have students underline the specific examples in the
supporting sentences. 
Answer: Popular teen workshops are held every afternoon. In the evenings, adults are helped by our highly
qualified technical support team.
• Have students read to the end of this section and highlight the topic sentence in each paragraph. 
Answer: Third paragraph: Baldwin Technology Center is run by the community for the community.
• In pairs, have students read the next section in the worksheet, Baldwin Literacy Center. Instruct them to highlight
the topic sentences in each paragraph.
Answers:
First paragraph: Baldwin Literacy Center provides literacy services to local adults.
Second paragraph: We cater to a large variety of students.
Third paragraph: We do all we can to make our services accessible to all.
Fourth paragraph: W e rely heavily on private support to supplement the public funding we receive, so we are
always on the lookout for ways to cut costs.
• Have students review the text again and underline any collocations that they find.
Possible answers: literacy services, speaking skills, computer lab, educational software, native English speakers,
fundraising events

Identifying Topic and Supporting Sentences: Page 2 of 4

Advanced ENGLISH Teacher’s Notes
Module 1 • Community Reading

Activity 3 (15 minutes)

• Refer students to Worksheet 2: Topic and Supporting Sentences. Point out that the worksheet contains descriptions
of two more volunteer opportunities in Baldwin, Baldwin Hunger Busters and Baldwin Helpline, that appear in
the brochure.
• Point out that in the text Baldwin Hunger Busters, the topic sentences have been removed. Remind students that
the topic sentence can be found at the beginning or end of the paragraph. In pairs, have students choose and copy
the suitable topic sentences to complete the paragraphs.
Worksheet 2, Part 1 Answers:
1. Baldwin Hunger Busters is an organization that works hard to fight hunger in our community.
2. Baldwin Hunger Busters also runs educational programs.
3. Your donation is important to us.
4. We offer many meaningful opportunities for people interested in volunteering.
• Instruct students to look at the other text: Baldwin Helpline. Explain that the topic sentences of the text have
been provided, but that students have to complete the rest of each paragraph by choosing suitable supporting
sentences and organizing them in the right order. Have students do this section in pairs.
Worksheet 2, Part 2 Answers:
1. For example, some callers may need help in dealing with an elderly parent or child with special needs.
2. Other residents may call to get legal assistance or information about healthcare.
3. W e maintain a directory with information about various agencies and organizations, update it regularly and
stay in close contact with the representatives of various organizations.
4. For example, we try to provide items like furniture and clothing ourselves, by approaching donors or
advertising in the local newspaper.
5. A s a volunteer, you would assist in answering calls to the helpline and arrange fund-raising events – our only
source of funding.
6. Our volunteers must commit to at least one eight-hour shift a week, Monday to Friday.

Activity 4 (15 minutes)

• Tell students that they are now going to analyze information about the four volunteer services described in
the brochure (Baldwin Technology Center, Baldwin Literacy Center, Baldwin Hunger Busters and Baldwin
Helpline). Point out that they will need to look at the information in Worksheets 1 and 2. Have each student
complete Worksheet 3: Analyzing Information by putting an X in the appropriate boxes.
Worksheet 3 Answers:
Baldwin Technology Baldwin Literacy Baldwin Hunger
Baldwin Helpline
Center Center Busters
1. 7
2. 7 7
3. 7 7
4. 7 7
5. 7 7 7
6. 7 7
7. 7 7

• Review the answers with the class.

Identifying Topic and Supporting Sentences: Page 3 of 4

Advanced ENGLISH Teacher’s Notes
Module 1 • Community Reading

Lead-Out (15 minutes)

• Ask: For which service in Baldwin would you like to volunteer? Why? Remind students that there are four
volunteer opportunities to choose from.
• Instruct the students who chose the same organization to work in pairs.
• Instruct students to jot down at least three creative ideas for a fund-raising event for their organization.
• Have students share their ideas with the class.
• Ask students to decide which of the ideas they think would be most successful, and why.

Identifying Topic and Supporting Sentences: Page 4 of 4