Writing Transitions Lesson Plan
If the reader is confused, it's the writers fault. Clear up the confusion with clear transitions.
Cleaning Up the Essays
After teaching the basics of essay writing, I felt good about myself once again. I bragged to the custodians at my school and invited them to take a break (after emptying my trash) and just read what I write on the board every day. Then I realized parts of my students' writing were incoherent.
I had neglected to teach them how to make effective transitions in writing. In shock, I ran back to the custodians, begged them to leave my room (after emptying the trash and cleaning the white board), and cancelled my camping trip to Big Bear Lake.
I had work to do. I had to devise a lesson plan that helped students make coherent transitions in writing. Here's what I came up with.
I had neglected to teach them how to make effective transitions in writing. In shock, I ran back to the custodians, begged them to leave my room (after emptying the trash and cleaning the white board), and cancelled my camping trip to Big Bear Lake.
I had work to do. I had to devise a lesson plan that helped students make coherent transitions in writing. Here's what I came up with.
Common Core Standards
Teaching transitions in writing satisfies the following common core standards.
W.9-10.2b Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. W.9-10.2a Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings); graphics (e.g., figures, tables); and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.9-10.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
W.9-10.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
W.9-10.3c Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.9-10.2b Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. W.9-10.2a Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings); graphics (e.g., figures, tables); and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.9-10.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
W.9-10.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
W.9-10.3c Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Introducing the Lesson
Have students come up with their own definition of transition and write their responses on the board. Definitions will vary but most can be applied to writing. Understanding transitions in other contexts facilitates understanding their importance in writing.
Be sure your discussion includes the following:
Be sure your discussion includes the following:
- Good writing presents and connects ideas in a clear, logical manner.
- When used appropriately (please emphasize when used appropriately; otherwise, transitions bog down the reader (ironic, you must agree)), transitions clarify connections for the reader and make writing coherent.
- Effective transitions are more than just a list of words your middle school teacher taught you.
Writing Transitions Lesson Procedures
1. Explain that transitions have different functions. Instruct students to copy down the following examples of how transitions in writing function.
2. Give students a writing sample, one with good transitions.
3. Instruct students to identify transitions and the function they serve. This is best done in groups of 3-4.
4. Discuss answers.
- to show time - one day later...
- to clarify cause and effect - as a result...
- to show location - to the right...
- to introduce examples - for example...
- to add more information - in addition...
- to contrast information - otherwise...
- to conclude - in conclusion...
- to compare - much like...
2. Give students a writing sample, one with good transitions.
3. Instruct students to identify transitions and the function they serve. This is best done in groups of 3-4.
4. Discuss answers.
Revision Activity
Do this transitions in writing activity if you are teaching revision.
- After you discuss each groups' findings, have them reassemble.
- Instruct students to read each other's rough draft.
- Readers should identify any part of the rough draft that lacks clarity.
- Readers should identify and circle all transitions.
- After the rough drafts have been marked appropriately, each student will revise his or her essay for coherence. For confusing parts, the writer should ask if transitions would make it more clear.
- For each transition the writer used, he or she should ask if the meaning of the passage would be less clear without the transition. If the transition adds no clarity, it should be deleted.
Lessons on Paragraph Writing
Here are some more lesson plans and lesson ideas for writing paragraphs.
