Download Controlling Ideas

TEXT DEVELOPMENT WITHIN PARAGRAPHS
• Controlling Idea Sentences
• Major details essential for explaining the
controlling idea sentence
• Minor details that give further, nonessential
information such as examples and statistics to
help you understand major details
• Definitions
5
PART 1
A broad, general sentence that:
A. Narrows the topic
B. BUT, it is general enough to cover all
the details in the passage
PART 2
By itself, it does not provide enough information to be
useful to the reader.
PART 3
It sets up a sense of anticipation in the reader.
PART 4
Provides hints about the upcoming organizational
pattern(s)
DOGS AS PETS (TOPIC)
We can understand the values of cultures around the world by examining the way
different societies treat dogs as pets. (Controlling idea sentence from a sociology
book)
1. Does it narrow the topic?
2. Does it give enough information to be useful to you?
3. Does it set up a sense of anticipation – You anticipate what the author might say?
4. Can you guess what organizational pattern might develop the ideas?
DOGS AS PETS (TOPIC)
How a person treats his dog can tell you a lot about his feelings about himself and his
views on self versus others. (Controlling idea from a psychology book)
1.. Does it narrow the topic?
2. Does it give enough information to be useful to you?
3. Does it set up a sense of anticipation – You anticipate what the author might say?
4. Can you guess what organizational pattern might develop the ideas?
DOGS AS PETS (TOPIC)
In order to choose the appropriate breed of dog for you, consider whether you live in
an urban or rural area. (Controlling Idea sentence from Humane Society
guidelines for potential dog owners)
1. Does it narrow the topic?
2. Does it give enough information to be useful to you?
3. Does it set up a sense of anticipation – You anticipate what the author might say?
4. Can you guess what organizational pattern might develop the ideas?
NERVOUS SYSTEM
To live is to take in information from the world
and the body's tissues. All this happens
thanks to our body's nervous system.
Peripheral Nervous System
Our peripheral nervous system
has two components - somatic
and autonomic.
Central Nervous System
From the simplicity of neurons
"talking" to other neurons arises
the complexity of the central
nervous system's brain and
spinal cord.