1. Week 6 – Review & Intro.
Topic: Declining birth rate world wide
The birth rate has fallen dramatically in many parts of the world. So what are the causes of this trend? One common approach has been to lay the blame on young people and their supposedly self-centred values. It is argued that in developed societies, we now live in a "post-materialist age", where individuals do not have to be so concerned about basic material conditions to survive. Thus people, especially the young, have become more focussed on the values of self-realisation and the satisfaction of personal preferences, at the expense of traditional values like raising a family. Another conflicting study found that women do want children in their lifetime but encounter social and economic obstacles along the way that prevent them from fulfilling their plans to be parents. These obstacles can vary from delaying marriage to extended their careers. Finally, MacDonald cites "Rational Choice Theory", whereby a couple make an assessment of the relative costs and benefits associated with becoming a parent. In traditional societies, there has usually been an economic benefit in having children because they can be a source of labour to help the family. In developed societies, however, children now constitute an economic cost. In conclusion, the decline in the birth rate worldwide can be attributed to a number of different factors.
The birth rate has fallen dramatically in many parts of the world. Some social theorists argue that it is due to selfishness while others point to other social and economic factors. (“such as”) I believe that the declining birth rate is due to a combination of factors including …,…&…
One common approach has been to lay the blame on young people and their supposedly self-centred values. It is argued that in developed societies, we now live in a "post-materialist age", where individuals do not have to be so concerned about basic material conditions to survive. Thus people, especially the young, have become more focussed on the values of self-realisation and the satisfaction of personal preferences, at the expense of traditional values like raising a family. (concluding or connecting sentence “TRANSITION”) But is it reasonable to attribute the baby crash just to the "pleasure-seeking" values of the young?
Another study found that women do want children in their lifetime but encounter social and economic obstacles along the way that prevent them from fulfilling their plans to be parents. These obstacles can vary from delaying marriage to extended their careers. (concluding or connecting sentence)
Finally, MacDonald cites "Rational Choice Theory", whereby a couple make an assessment of the relative costs and benefits associated with becoming a parent. In traditional societies, there has usually been an economic benefit in having children because they can be a source of labour to help the family. In developed societies, however, children now constitute an economic cost. (**concluding or connecting sentence)
In conclusion, the decline in the birth rate worldwide can be attributed to a number of different factors.

2. The birth rate has fallen dramatically in many parts of the world
The birth rate has fallen dramatically in many parts of the world. Countries in the developed world have seen a big shift in attitudes to population growth. Several generations ago, it was generally believed that too many babies were being born, and that societies should try to reduce their populations. Nowadays, however, the concern is the reverse - that birth rates are falling too low and that urgent action is needed to encourage people to have more children. But what are the causes of this trend? And what are the real consequences ? The real causes of a low birth rate are to be blamed on shifts in social and economic conditions in modern society, while the effects will be ...
…[Paragraph One – historical population statistics ]…
So what are the causes of this trend? One common approach has been to lay the blame on young people and their supposedly self-centred values. It is argued that in developed societies, we now live in a "post-materialist age", where individuals do not have to be so concerned about basic material conditions to survive. Thus people, especially the young, have become more focussed on the values of self-realisation and the satisfaction of personal preferences, at the expense of traditional values like raising a family. Another conflicting study found that women do want children in their lifetime but encounter social and economic obstacles along the way that prevent them from fulfilling their plans to be parents. These obstacles can vary from delaying marriage to extended their careers. Finally, MacDonald cites "Rational Choice Theory", whereby a couple make an assessment of the relative costs and benefits associated with becoming a parent. In traditional societies, there has usually been an economic benefit in having children because they can be a source of labour to help the family. In developed societies, however, children now constitute an economic cost. In conclusion, the decline in the birth rate worldwide can be attributed to a number of different factors.
…[Paragraph Three – Effects ]…
In conclusion, …

4. Transitions between paragraphs
They help the reader anticipate or comprehend the new information that you wish to present.
Transitions between sections—Particularly in longer works, it may be necessary to include transitional paragraphs that summarize for the reader the information just covered and specify the relevance of this information to the discussion in the following section.
Transitions between paragraphs—If you have done a good job of arranging paragraphs so that the content of one leads logically to the next, the transition will highlight a relationship that already exists by summarizing the previous paragraph and suggesting something of the content of the paragraph that follows. A transition between paragraphs can be a word or two (however, for example, similarly), a phrase, or a sentence. Transitions can be at the end of the first paragraph, at the beginning of the second paragraph, or in both places.
Example
Paragraph A: points that support the view that El Pais’s new government is very democratic.
Transition: Despite the previous arguments, there are many reasons to think that El Pais’s new government is not as democratic as typically believed.
Paragraph B: points that contradict the view that El Pais’s new government is very democratic.
Transitions within paragraphs—As with transitions between sections and paragraphs, transitions within paragraphs act as cues by helping readers to anticipate what is coming before they read it. Within paragraphs, transitions tend to be single words or short phrases.