Transition Words

Transitions Transitions help link paragraphs together and work to create sentence to sentence harmony in paragraphs. Skillful transitions pull the reader through the piece of writing. Transitional words allow one to work smooth changes into one's writing; thus, simple sentences are transformed. When using transitional words, it is important not to be too redundant.

Let’s take a look at the following examples. At first Lisa thought that Cindy was mean, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hang out with her. I love fruit, and I like bananas, pineapple, and berries. The woman sees the cat out in the rain; but, the cat is gone by the time the woman goes outside. These transition words are small, boring, and unsophisticated. Try to avoid these kind of transitions: first, next, finally, and, but, so etc. when possible.

Let’s take a look at the following examples. Even though Lisa thought that Cindy was mean, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hang out with her. I love fruit, in particular I like bananas, pineapple, and berries. The woman sees the cat out in the rain; however, the cat is gone by the time the woman goes outside. These transition words are more interesting and show a higher level of writing for the same ideas.

Examples of Level 3 words: In addition For example Plus Because Namely That is Another likewise In fact Moreover Besides In particular However

Examples of Level 4 words: To illustrate In contrast Consequently As a result In the same way In other words Put another way Even though At the same time As you may know Please Note: Transitions can be smooth and seamless or transparent. They may be used in groups to communicate a relationship between ideas. Not only____, but ____ While ____, it is also true _______ You may believe_____, and yet ______ *there are many variations of transitions that can link ideas in this way

Level 1 and 2 words: Note these words as level 1 or 2 words Try to AVOID whenever possible. First Next Last After But Like As Finally In summary In conclusion Also From By On Among Later When Meanwhile Today Yesterday And…and So When And…then

How Do I Add Transition Words? You can write your paragraphs first, then add transitions from the list - OR - you can write level 3 and level 4 transition as you write. You will need both level 3, level 4 AND seamless transitions in your writing. Every sentence DOES NOT need a transition word, but add at least a few.

The following slides are for station 4

Transitions Mad Libs Read of the article “Outsiders and IKE – Not All That Different” on the next slide Notice all the transition words you see. They may be from any level.

Outsiders and IKE: Not All That Different The Outsiders is not just a book, it also shows some of the real problems that teens face here at IKE. Middle school students face tough issues like bullying, stereotyping, and family disputes. I have seen all these things first hand; one of them happens every day! School should be a place of learning, bullying seems to sneak its way into the classroom like a stealthy spy. I once knew a student that received a note in class saying she was the worst girl in school. After that she cried almost every day in the bathroom, and ended up transferring to the Marysville School District. Seventy-five percent of bullied students reported wanting to leave school and never come back after severe bullying or harassment. This is a startling fact and should encourage parents and teachers to step in and stop the unsafe behaviors. There is no easy solution, but we should do everything we can to prevent this spy from entering our place of learning. Make it stop!

Outsiders and IKE: Not All That Different ANSWER KEY The Outsiders is not just a book, it also shows some of the real problems that teens face here at IKE. Middle school students face tough issues like bullying, stereotyping, and family disputes. I have seen all these things first hand; one of them happens every day! School should be a place of learning, bullying seems to sneak its way into the classroom like a stealthy spy. I once knew a student that received a note in class saying she was the worst girl in school. After that she cried almost every day in the bathroom, and ended up transferring to the Marysville School District. Seventy-five percent of bullied students reported wanting to leave school and never come back after severe bullying or harassment. This is a startling fact and should encourage parents and teachers to step in and stop the unsafe behaviors. There is no easy solution, but we should do everything we can to prevent this spy from entering our place of learning. Make it stop!

Mad Libs Cont… Notice – most of those transition words are level 1 or level 2. Now, flip over your transition notes in your WRITING PACKET. Read the article again – Add more sophisticated transitions. Working in your group, use your transition list of level 3 and level 4 words to fill in the blanks. There may be more than one answer that works, but you may only use a word once.