How to Writing: Transition

Contributor: Erin Jones. Lesson ID: 11606

You are going to the store. Pick up milk. Go to the cleaners. You wrote a list. The sun will come out. If the thought flow of those sentences isn't clear, it is because there are no transition words!

categories

Writing

subject
English / Language Arts
learning style
Visual
personality style
Otter, Beaver
Grade Level
Intermediate (3-5)
Lesson Type
Dig Deeper

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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  • Did you know that transitional phrases are the glue that holds our writing together?

Without them, thoughts are just random pieces that may not make sense.

Transitional words and phrases clearly connect ideas within writing and can be used to show the passage of time, addition of new ideas, and sequence or order.

They are used to logically organize writing. Watch the video, Transition Words, by Melissa Seehausen:

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Now, talk with your teacher or parent about what transition words and phrases are.

  • What did you learn?
  • Can you provide a few examples of transitional words and phrases?

Read the sentences below:

First of all, pour a half-cup of milk in the bowl; second, add two eggs; and third, stir the mixture.

  • Can you identify the transitional words or phrases?

In this sentence, the transitional words and phrases are first of all, second, and third. This is a recipe, or step-by-step directions, for how to complete a task. The author has chosen to write the steps in a sentence, rather than writing them in a numbered list.

Now, try a few more!

  • Can you identify the transitional phrases or words in the sentences below?

In conclusion, I appreciate your hard work.

  • The transitional phrase in the sentence above is in conclusion.

After that, I walked home with my head held high.

  • The transitional phrase in the sentence above is after that.

Download and print Transitional Words and Phrases from Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar. This document will become a very valuable resource when writing, editing, and revising your work. Although there are many transitional words and phrases, these particular transitional words and phrases are most helpful when assembling sentences in a specific order.

This resource will help you when you revise and publish the writing you completed in the previous Related Lesson, found in the right-hand sidebar.

In the Got It? section of this lesson, you will practice identifying transitional words and phrases.

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