Name: Program:
Carson Hope Early Childhood Special Education (K-3)
Lesson Topic/Title:
Using Transition Words in How To Writing
Lesson Date: Lesson Length:
February 5, 2020 30 minutes
Learning Objectives
Students will practice using transition
words to sequence their procedural writing
by finding and/or adding them in their how them within their writing.
to books.
Content Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in
which they name a topic, supply some facts
about the topic, and provide some sense of
closure.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.7
Participate in shared research and writing
projects (e.g., explore a number of "how-to"
books on a given topic and use them to
write a sequence of instructions).
Learning Goal #2: The students will be able
to write “how to” informational text pieces
by writing the steps required to complete a
chosen or assigned process.
• Indicator (b): The students will be able
to accurately use transition words
(including but not limited to first, then,
and last) in “how to” informational text
pieces.
Assessment
This is a formative assessment. Students
will be assessed on:
• Identifying transition words already
used
• Addition of transition words to writing
Course:
ECH 460
Grade:
1st Grade
Instructional Decisions/Reasoning
Students will be learning about transition
words and will have an opportunity to use
Instructional Decisions/Reasoning
• Students will learn how to use
transition words to sequence
informational texts appropriately.
• Students will use resources such as
nonfiction books to accurately order the
steps in their procedural writing by
using transition words.
• Students will learn a strategy for
strengthening their procedural writing
(transition words).
• Students will be introduced to using
transition words in how to writing,
beginning progress towards success of
learning goal 2(b).
Instructional Decisions/Reasoning
This is the initial lesson on transition
words, so students are being assessed for
understanding and initial use of transition
words.
Materials, Resources, and/or Technology
• Transition word practice sheet
• Scissors
• Glue
• How to books
• Colored pencils
• Transition words poster
Teaching and Learning Sequence
Introduction
1. Miss Hope will ask students who has
been writing the steps to something in their
how to books. She will then ask who has
been paying attention to the order they are
writing things in.
(1 minute)
2. Miss Hope will remind students that it is
really important to teach the reader the
correct steps in the correct order when
writing a how to book. Miss Hope will
introduce the term “transition word” and
explain that today students are going to
learn what a transition word is and how to
use them.
(2 minutes)
Mini Lesson
3. Miss Hope will show students the
transition words poster (see example
following lesson plan). She will explain it
part by part, starting with beginning
Instructional Decisions/Reasoning
• A practice sheet will be completed as a
whole group to introduce transition
words.
• Students will need to cut out transition
words for the practice sheet.
• Students will glue transition words to
the appropriate spot on the practice
sheet.
• Students will look for transition words
in their how to books and add them
where they are missing.
• Students will use a colored pencil to
circle and add transition words so when
books are completed, Miss Hope can see
what was done during this lesson and
what was done later.
• A poster will be hung so children have a
resource to use when adding transition
words to their writing during this lesson
and in the future.
Instructional Decisions/Reasoning
1. Miss Hope will lead into the discussion
on transition words by asking students
about the order followed in their
writing.
2. Miss Hope will state the objective of
today’s activities.
3. Miss Hope will introduce transition
words auditorily and visually.
4. Students will prepare for practicing
together.
5. The class will do the practice sheet as a
whole group as this is an introductory
activity. Skills using transition words
will later be assessed.
6. The activity will be tied into writing how
to books, which is what students have
been working on during writing
workshop.
7. Students will search for transition words
they’ve already used, and then will add
them to their writing. Colored pencil
transition words. She will ask students will be used for assessment purposes (to
where they might use these and why. see what was done during this workshop
Repeat for middle and ending transition time).
words. 8. Miss Hope will conclude the lesson by
(5 minutes) reminding students of the purpose and
4. Miss Hope will explain that to practice connecting it to future work on how to
using transition words, the class will be books.
doing a practice sheet all together. She will
pass out the sheet and instruct them to cut
out the four words at the bottom and then
put everything down on their table (so she
knows they’re ready to move on).
(2 minutes)
5. When all students are ready to move on,
Miss Hope will ask what part of the diagram
is the first step. Then, she will ask what
transition word belongs there if it is the first
step. Repeat for each of the other three
parts of the worksheet.
(8 minutes)
6. Miss Hope will confirm with students
what the purpose of transition words are,
then she will ask them how they can use
them in the how to books they are working
on.
(2 minutes)
Writing Workshop
7. Students will be instructed to take out
their how to books and look for transition
words they have already used. They will be
asked to circle them in colored pencil. Then,
students will add transition words to their
how to books, also using colored pencil.
(8 minutes)
Conclusion
8. Students will be informed that transition
words can be used in how to pieces as well
as other texts that have an order to them.
Miss Hope will explain that students will
continue to use transition words in their
how to books. She will remind students that
as they add pages to their books, they will
use transition words to lead into the steps
they write.
(2 minutes)
Meeting Students’ Needs
• The practice sheet will be done as a
whole group so students can develop an
understanding.
• Miss Hope will circulate the room
during workshop time to assist children
needing scaffolded support.
Instructional Decisions/Reasoning
• Transition words are a new concept
being taught.
• Miss Hope will allow students who are
confident to attempt using transition
words independently and will provide
additional support for those needing it.

Reflection
I feel content with the methods I chose to teach transition words. I feel that doing a
practice sheet as a whole group was a hands-on, effective way (for my specific students) to
introduce this topic. Transition words can be a little confusing since these words can also
be used in other contexts, so I like the visual and practice that the diagram worksheet
provided. I also am glad I thought of the idea to have students indicate today’s work in
colored pencil in their how to books, so I could see what transition words they already had
(circled in colored pencil) and if they were used and identified in proper context, as well as
what they added that day (written in colored pencil) and what was added during future
workshop time (written in regular pencil).
Students were engaged during this lesson. There are not typically supplemental activities
during a writing block, as when these are done they are usually done during the “Work on
Writing” job during reading groups, so this was exciting to some students. I also noticed
they were very engaged during traditional workshop time as they were doing something a
little bit different (looking for and adding transition words). My students are often excited
by new concepts, and this shined through today!
Teaching Standards and Rationale
Standard 4 addresses content knowledge. The standard states: “the teacher understands
the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches
and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and
meaningful for learners” (CCTS). In other words, teachers must have a strong background
in understanding the concepts they teach to then develop lessons that teach this content in
a meaningful way for students. In order to effectively teach my students how to use
transition words and explain their use “in the how to books they are working on” I had to
have a deep understanding for how to use them and how to teach students to use them
appropriately (Hope). To make the lesson on transition words relevant and meaningful to
students, I planned the lesson for a day when I knew students had a significant amount of
their how to book completed, so that they had text to add transition words to. If I had
taught this on day 1 of writing how to books, I would have not been able to do the
activities I did such as identification with colored pencil, and they would have had less text
to analyze and add transitions into. I also knew it was important to plan this lesson,
because the Calkins (2013) rubric that is used has a line item on transitions and students
can earn points for using them. Indicator 4(a) states teachers “effectively uses multiple
representations and explanations that capture key ideas in the discipline, guide learners
through learning progressions, and promote each learner’s achievement of content
standards” (CCTS). Through this lesson, I taught students lecture-style with auditory and
visual cues, I appeased to kinesthetic learners by leading a hands-on activity, and then I
turned content into application by applying it directly to the projects students have been
working on (their how to books). In addition, indicator 4(l) states the educator “knows
and uses the academic language of the discipline and knows how to make it accessible to
learners” (CCTS). In this lesson, I taught students about transition words and used the
direct language with them. In my writing lessons, I have attempted to maintain academic
language use by introducing terms by these names and having students repeat them with
me. I try to be consistent in referring to these terms as their academic terms, even if this
means reminding students what that means. I feel this maintains consistency instead of
coining terms that students’ future teachers may not use or know.
Standard 11.5 addresses designing learning opportunities using technology. The standard
states: “educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that
recognize and accommodate learner variability” (ISTE). While this lesson did not use
technology directly, I used technology to find activities and explore resources that helped
me design a complete lesson that drew on different styles and activities and made it
cohesive. Although, as I stated in my rationale for CCTS standard 4, I feel confident in my
knowledge of transition words, I struggled to find ways to make a lesson on them engaging
and effective. This sums up indicator 11.5(a): educators “use technology to create, adapt,
and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate
learner differences and needs” (ISTE). Again, while technology wasn’t used in the direct
instruction portion of my lesson, without using technology as a professional, I would not
have been able to design the lesson that I did. By engaging with online resources, I was
able to find ideas such as using colored pencils “for assessment purposes (to see what was
done during this workshop time)” (Hope). Thankfully, educators can use technology in
many ways, whether that be finding resources to learn about broader strategies, searching
for specific activities or lessons for the content they are teaching, or engaging in online
professional development to grow in any area of education.