CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2c

ELA7th GradeText Types and Purposes

The Standard

Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to connect ideas in informational writing so the reader can follow the thinking. They should use more than “also” and “because.” They need transitions that show sequence, cause and effect, comparison, contrast, example, and conclusion.

Mastery looks like a paragraph or report where each sentence fits with the one before it. The links make the logic clear without sounding forced. Students often get stuck using the same transition repeatedly, adding transitions where they do not belong, or choosing a word that signals the wrong relationship.

Ways to Teach It

  • Give pairs a cut-up paragraph and transition cards, then have them rebuild the paragraph and defend each transition choice.
  • Ask students to revise one paragraph by replacing repeated transitions and explaining how each new word changes the connection.
  • Use a five-sentence exit ticket where students label each transition as cause, contrast, example, sequence, or conclusion.
  • Show a recipe, game instructions, or news article, then have students highlight transitions that guide the reader through the information.

Related Standards

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Standard text verified against corestandards.org on July 10, 2026.

Page updated July 10, 2026.

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