Your primary support points will form the topic sentences of the paragraphs that support your thesis statement. Each topic sentence should clearly relate to and show, explain, or prove your thesis.
| THESIS STATEMENT | Playing a team sport taught me more than how to play the game. |
| TOPIC SENTENCE (paragraph 1) | I learned the importance of hard practice. |
| TOPIC SENTENCE (paragraph 2) | I also realized that, to succeed, I had to work with other people. |
| TOPIC SENTENCE (paragraph 3) | Most important, I learned to be responsible to others. |
Once you develop topic sentences to support your thesis, back up your topic sentences with supporting details.