Using Sentence Strips to Practice Transition Words

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Stephanie Sommers

Objectives (SWBAT):

1. Explain why writers use transition words.

2. Recognize that there are different categories of transition words.

3. Categorize transition words according to the relationships that they signal.

4. Combine sentences using a variety of transition words.

5. Use transition words in their own writing.

Materials:

1. Sentence strips

2. Large index cards with transition words written on them

3. Using Transitions Chart

4. Transition words worksheet from a book or the Internet

Preparation:

1. Write some sentences on the sentence strips that could be joined together using the target transition words.

Examples to show time relationships:

Sam and Joe played video games. They finished their homework.
Dad and I went fishing. Mom made our lunch.
The light turned green. I stepped on the gas. The police officer pulled me over.

Examples to show logical relationships:

I don’t like my supervisor. I go to work anyway. I like my co-workers.
Minneapolis has a lot of wonderful museums. Minneapolis has many world-class theaters. St. Paul is known for its parks.

2. Write some common transition words on the large index cards.

Words to write on the index cards:

Before Next While Meanwhile After As soon as

Conversely However On the other hand In addition Moreover Furthermore

Nevertheless Although

Warm up:

Review with students why writers use transition words (i.e. to signal different types of relationships, such as cause-effect, compare-contrast, and logical order).
Reinforce the idea that transition words strengthen the organization of a text and help the reader to understand the writer’s ideas.

Introduction:

Put on the board (with tape or magnets) two of the sentence strips that show time relationships. Have the index cards with the transition words displayed next to the sentences.
Ask the students to think of the various ways to combine the sentences using the transition words. After each combination, ask the students to explain what the sentences mean when arranged in that way. Ask which action happened first and which happened second. Third. Challenge the students to think of all the possible time combinations.
After practicing with the sentence strips that show time relationships, switch to the ones that show logical relationships. Repeat the process.

Guided Practice:

Distribute the Using Transitions Chart.
Encourage students to help think of categories of types of transition words to put in the first column of the chart (e.g. to show time order, to show contrast, to add information or show comparison, to add an example).
Students should think of examples of these types of transition words to write in the second column (e.g. first, before, meanwhile, however, although, likewise, moreover, furthermore, for instance, for example).
Students should write an example sentence (or use one of those from the practice exercise with the sentence strips) in the third column of the chart.

Independent Practice:

Find a worksheet in a book or Online, or create a worksheet, that helps students to practice transition words.
Have students practice using the correct transition word in a sentence or pairs of sentences to show the correct relationship.
Challenge students to make their own sentences that use some of the target transition words.

Extension:

Find examples of text that use different categories of transition words. Ideas include using a compare-contrast paragraph, a cause-effect paragraph, and a process paragraph.
Have students circle or highlight all of the transition words in the texts and then put any words that don’t already appear into the correct category in their Using Transitions Chart.

Learning Goals