CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2c
The Standard
Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, 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 parts of an informational or explanatory piece so the reader can follow the thinking. They should use transitions that show cause, contrast, sequence, example, and result. They also need to vary sentence patterns, not repeat the same “also” or “another reason” structure over and over.
Mastery looks like a draft where each section fits with the next, and paragraphs do not feel like separate notes pasted together. Students often get stuck using weak transitions, overusing first, next, finally, or adding transition words without showing the actual relationship between ideas.
Ways to Teach It
- Give students a cut-up explanatory essay and have them reorder sections, then add transition sentences between each section.
- Ask students to revise one paragraph using three different sentence openings and two transitions that show cause and contrast.
- Have students highlight every transition in a draft, then label each one as cause, contrast, example, sequence, or result.
- Show a news explainer article and have students mark how the writer moves from background to evidence to impact.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c
Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2c
Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2c
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
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