Building Paragraphs from Sentence Strips with Transition Words
About this lesson
In this 50-minute Grade 6 lesson, small groups write short Canadian Thanksgiving paragraphs on paper strips, scramble them, and swap with another group to rebuild each other's work. Students learn how topic sentences, supporting details, transition words, and conclusions fit together, and explain their choices. You'll need paper strips, markers, scissors, masking tape, chart paper, and a whiteboard.
- Grade
- 6
- Subject
- ELA
- Time
- 50 min
Objective
Students will construct and organize a coherent paragraph by arranging a topic sentence, supporting details, transition words, and a concluding sentence in logical order, then justify their choices.
Materials
- Strips of paper cut from letter-size sheets (about 4 cm wide)
- Markers
- Scissors
- Masking tape
- Chart paper (one sheet per group)
- Whiteboard and markers
Hook
Before class, write a five-sentence paragraph about preparing a Thanksgiving harvest meal on paper strips, scramble them, and tape them randomly around the room. Have students walk around, read each strip, and then work together to call out the correct order while one volunteer physically moves the strips into place on the whiteboard. Ask: what clues told you which sentence came first, next, and last?
Main Activity
Briefly review paragraph structure (topic sentence, 3 supporting details, concluding sentence) and brainstorm a list of transition words on the whiteboard (first, also, in addition, for example, however, finally, as a result). In groups of 3-4, students choose a Canadian Thanksgiving or autumn harvest topic, such as 'A meal my family shares,' 'Why farmers matter in the fall,' or 'Someone I am grateful for,' and write a 5-6 sentence paragraph with one sentence per strip, writing each transition word on its own small separate strip. Groups scramble their strips, fold them inside a sheet of paper labelled with their group name, and leave the packet at their table, then rotate to another group's table. At the new table, students rebuild the other group's paragraph by laying out the strips, testing different transition words in different spots, and taping their final version onto chart paper, writing a one-sentence explanation of their ordering choices at the bottom. Finally, groups return to their original table to compare the rebuilt paragraph with their intended version and circle any differences in a different colour marker.
Discussion Questions
- Which sentence was easiest to place, and what made it stand out as a topic or concluding sentence?
- Did the group rebuilding your paragraph put it in a different order? Was their version still logical, and why or why not?
- How did moving a transition word change the meaning or flow of the paragraph?
- Why do you think gratitude and thankfulness are good topics for practising clear, organized writing?
- What would happen to a reader's understanding if a paragraph had no transition words at all?
Exit Ticket
On a sticky note or paper slip, write one topic sentence about something you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, followed by one supporting sentence that begins with a transition word. Underline the transition word.
Differentiation
Support: Provide struggling learners with a colour-coding system: topic sentence written in green, supporting details in blue, and conclusion in red, so the structure is visible while building. Offer a printed or board-posted bank of sentence starters (e.g., 'One reason I am thankful for…', 'For example…', 'In conclusion…') and allow them to rebuild a paragraph with only four strips before moving to six.
Extension: Advanced learners write a second paragraph on the same topic from a different point of view (for example, a farmer harvesting the food instead of a family eating it), then build a two-paragraph sequence on chart paper and add a transition sentence strip that smoothly connects the two paragraphs.
