CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3c

ELA4th GradeText Types and Purposes

The Standard

Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to help readers follow a story from one event to the next. They should choose time and sequence words that fit the action, not just repeat “then” over and over. They also need to place transitions where they guide the reader clearly.

Mastery looks like a narrative that moves smoothly through the beginning, middle, and end. Readers can tell when events happen and how they connect. Students often get stuck using the same few words, adding transitions to every sentence, or choosing words that do not match the timing of the event.

Ways to Teach It

Give students sentence strips from a short story and have them add transition cards before arranging the events in order.
Ask students to revise a draft paragraph by replacing three repeated transition words with stronger choices from a class chart.
Have students highlight every transition in a peer’s narrative and circle one spot where the sequence feels confusing.
Show a recipe or game instructions, then discuss how transition words help someone follow the steps correctly.