Understanding, Analyzing, and Inferring Controlling Sentences
Understanding Controlling Sentences
As you read, watch for two types of controlling sentences:
A focus statement tells what an essay or article is about. It usually appears at the end of the first paragraph.
Many features of games make them powerful tools for learning.
A topic sentence tells what a paragraph is about. It usually appears at the start of a middle paragraph.
To start with, games are fun, and fun actually promotes learning.
Find controlling sentences.
In the following brief article, underline each controlling sentence. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.
Listen to "The Game's the Thing"
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The Game’s the Thing!
By Sara Chang
In the past, school work and games lived in two different worlds. Now, teachers use games to help students learn. Many features of games make them powerful tools for learning.
To start with, games are fun, and fun actually promotes learning. When students enjoy an activity, they naturally learn it faster than if they dislike it. Fun also causes students to repeat the activity many times, a key to learning. People quickly become experts at their hobbies not because they “study” but because they have fun.
Games often require players to learn concepts and skills. Before playing a game, students need to learn the rules. As they play the game, students discover strategies that can help them win. If games simulate situations in history or science, students learn about these subjects at the same time.
Games get students to work together in competition and cooperation. Learning is social. When you discover something new, you want to share it with others. In games, learning and sharing go hand in hand. Students have to work with and against others.
Adults use games all the time for training. People use flight simulators to train to be pilots or astronauts. Salespeople role-play interactions with customers to learn how to provide the best service. Police and rescue professionals stage disaster simulations to learn how better to respond. Games provide a safe, inexpensive way to learn from situations that are too dangerous or expensive in real life.
What games do you enjoy? Which ones have you mastered? What did you learn in the process? Next time you choose a game, think not just about the fun you’ll have, but also about what you will learn!
The Game’s the Thing!
By Sara Chang
In the past, school work and games lived in two different worlds. Now, teachers use games to help students learn. Many features of games make them powerful tools for learning.
To start with, games are fun, and fun actually promotes learning. When students enjoy an activity, they naturally learn it faster than if they dislike it. Fun also causes students to repeat the activity many times, a key to learning. People quickly become experts at their hobbies not because they “study” but because they have fun.
Games often require players to learn concepts and skills. Before playing a game, students need to learn the rules. As they play the game, students discover strategies that can help them win. If games simulate situations in history or science, students learn about these subjects at the same time.
Games get students to work together in competition and cooperation. Learning is social. When you discover something new, you want to share it with others. In games, learning and sharing go hand in hand. Students have to work with and against others.
Adults use games all the time for training. People use flight simulators to train to be pilots or astronauts. Salespeople role-play interactions with customers to learn how to provide the best service. Police and rescue professionals stage disaster simulations to learn how better to respond. Games provide a safe, inexpensive way to learn from situations that are too dangerous or expensive in real life.
What games do you enjoy? Which ones have you mastered? What did you learn in the process? Next time you choose a game, think not just about the fun you’ll have, but also about what you will learn!
Analyzing Controlling Sentences
A controlling sentence does two jobs: It names the topic and gives a special thought about it.
Many features (topic) of games make them powerful (thought) tools for learning.
To start with, games (topic) are fun (thought), and fun (thought) actually promotes learning.
Analyze controlling sentences.
For each of these sentences, identify the topic and the special thought. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.
Inferring Controlling Sentences
If you can’t find a controlling sentence, you can infer one—creating one of your own. Read the following paragraph. Then read a controlling sentence that one reader inferred by stating the topic and the special thought about it.
The dragon puppet stretches from 20 to 70 meters in length. The front has a head with wide eyes and a gaping grin. The other end has a bright tail piece. In between, hoops of bamboo or aluminum support the sections of the serpent’s body. Each hoop is suspended on a pole that is held by a dancer. The procession of dancers moves down the street, making the colorful Chinese dragon come to life.
The Chinese dragon puppet (topic) has many different parts (thought).
Infer controlling sentences.
For each paragraph, state the topic and a special thought. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.
A green dragon symbolizes growing things and bounty. A red dragon represents good fortune and excitement. Gold and silver, of course, stand for wealth, but they also create a glittering effect as the dragon moves along. Yellow symbolizes the stately empire of China. All dragons of all colors show happiness and pride.
(Answers will vary.) Creators of Chinese dragon puppets use different colors to represent different ideas.
Chinese dragons display power, wisdom, fertility, and wonder. They bring good luck. A dragon might look scary and angry, but it is a good creature and represents the power of the empire. The dragon creates a sense of beauty and dignity.
(Answers will vary.) In Chinese society, dragons are not monsters but rather symbols of many good things.
Teaching Tip
Encourage students not just to name the topic and special thought, but to do so in a creative way that captures the reader’s interest.