Grade 3 Spring — Informational/Expository Writing, Research Process Introduction, and Dialogue Mechanics Maintenance
Lesson 6 55 min eng.g3.s.lesson_06.body_2_with_transition_to_body_3

Draft Body 2 — and Meet Inter-Paragraph Transitions

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students draft body paragraph 2 of their informational essay using TDET.
  • Students use a transition word at the START of body 2 (e.g., ALSO, ADDITIONALLY, IN CONTRAST) to signal a new focus to the reader.
Vocabulary
transitioninter-paragraphadditionallyin contrastanother

Lesson plan

Warm-up

5 min

Sentence-pair detective: teacher writes two sample paragraphs on board, one with a transition opener and one without. Children compare and name the difference.

Teacher moves
  • Read both paragraphs aloud
  • Ask 'which one feels more connected?'
  • Highlight the transition word in the connected one

Direct instruction

12 min

Today you draft body paragraph 2 — and you meet TRANSITION WORDS at the start of paragraphs. A transition word at the START of a body paragraph tells the reader what kind of move is coming. Look at MG-4. Transition words fall into FOUR FAMILIES. SEQUENCE (blue): first, second, next, then, after that, finally. ADDITION (yellow): also, additionally, in addition, furthermore, moreover. CONTRAST (red): however, in contrast, on the other hand, but, yet, although. CAUSE/CONCLUSION (green): therefore, as a result, for these reasons, in conclusion, so. For body 2, pick a transition from the ADDITION family or the CONTRAST family. If body 2 ADDS another focus to body 1: use ALSO, ADDITIONALLY, IN ADDITION. If body 2 SHOWS A DIFFERENCE from body 1: use IN CONTRAST, HOWEVER, ON THE OTHER HAND. Watch the model. (Teacher writes body 2 on the board) 'IN ADDITION TO living in colonies, honeybees have an amazing way to TALK to each other. Honeybees communicate by dancing. The waggle dance is a special dance that tells other bees where to find flowers. For example, a worker bee can tell her sisters that flowers are 200 meters southwest of the hive by dancing in a figure-eight at a specific angle. Besides communicating, honeybees also play an important role in our food supply.' Notice the transition opens body 2 and the closing sentence transitions to body 3.

Key examples
  • The transition word at the start of the paragraph PREVIEWS the move. Addition = more. Contrast = different. Sequence = next step.
    model ADDITION: 'Additionally, honeybees have an amazing way to communicate.' CONTRAST: 'However, life inside the hive is not always peaceful.' SEQUENCE: 'Once the colony is established, the bees begin their daily work.'
    prompt Teacher models 3 transition-word openers for body 2 about the same topic.
Checks for understanding
  • Which transition family fits body 2 of YOUR essay?
  • Where does the comma go after a fronted transition word?
Media
M-3-S-WR-06-A Chart Physical / non-image

Reproduction of MG-4 at 11x17: 4 colored quadrants — SEQUENCE (blue: first, next, then, finally), ADDITION (yellow: also, additionally, in addition, furthermore), CONTRAST (red: however, in contrast, on the other hand, but), CAUSE/CONCLUSION (green: therefore, as a result, in conclusion, so). Each transition word with a tiny icon and sample sentence. Bottom rule: 'Front transition + comma + capital first word of the rest.' Print-ready, dyslexic-friendly font.

MG-4 Chart Physical / non-image

Transition-words anchor chart organized BY FUNCTION: four colored quadrants — SEQUENCE (blue): first, second, next, then, after that, finally; ADDITION (yellow): also, additionally, in addition, furthermore, moreover; CONTRAST (red): however, in contrast, on the other hand, but, yet, although; CAUSE/CONCLUSION (green): therefore, as a result, for these reasons, in conclusion, so. Each transition word has a tiny icon and a sample sentence. Bottom rule: 'Transition words at the START OF A PARAGRAPH tell the reader what move is coming. Front transition + comma + capital first word of the rest.' Print-ready 11x17.

Guided practice

18 min
Tasks
  • Pick a transition word from one family. Draft body paragraph 2 using TDET, opening with the transition word.
    scaffold Transition-word card deck + MG-3 + MG-4 anchors
  • Annotate: underline your transition word in red; star the TOPIC SENTENCE that follows.
    scaffold Red pencil + MG-3 reference
  • Reread body 1's TRANSITION sentence. Does it connect to body 2's opener? Revise if not.
    scaffold Both bodies side by side
Media
M-3-S-WR-06-B Manipulative Physical / non-image

Photo of the recommended kit: 12 small cards (one per major transition word), color-coded by family (sequence=blue, addition=yellow, contrast=red, conclusion=green). Cards sit in a 4-slot organizer on the child's desk. Children physically pick the card before writing the transition into their draft. Print-ready 4x6 catalog photo.

Formative assessment

5 min
Exit ticket
  • Read body 1 and body 2 aloud back-to-back. Partner names: transition word, transition family, and whether the move (addition or contrast) fits.
  • Move your status-of-class tile if appropriate.
scoring Transition correctly identified by partner + correct family + correct move-fit = mastery; 2 of 3 = practicing; 0-1 = transition reteach in lesson 8.

Closure

3 min
Moves
  • Hold up body 2.
  • Predict: tomorrow we work on DIALOGUE MECHANICS — even informational writers use quotation marks.

Homework

10 min
Tasks
  • Find one transition word at the start of a paragraph in any book at home. Copy the sentence onto a sticky note. Bring it tomorrow.

Exercises in this lesson

eng.g3.s.ex_11
For each body-paragraph opener, choose the BEST transition word and write the opening sentence. (1) Body 2 ADDS another focus to body 1....
 transition choice · diff 2
eng.g3.s.ex_12
Open your essay draft. Add a transition word at the start of body 2, body 3, and the conclusion. Use a DIFFERENT family for each (one...
 transition revision in draft · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Pre-printed transition-word card deck color-coded by family
  • Transition-opener sentence-frame template
  • Partner-discuss which family fits body 2 before writing
Extensions
  • Try TWO different transition families for body 2 and pick the stronger.
  • Add a transition sentence at the END of body 2 that previews body 3.
English Learners
  • Bilingual MG-4 with cognate transitions
  • Slower oral transition-opener demonstration
Ieps 504s
  • Transition-card-only path (place the card, no writing required)
  • Reduced target: TDET with topic-detail-transition skipping example
  • Adult scribe for body 2

Teacher notes

Transition words at paragraph openings are the single highest-impact discourse-level move in spring informational writing. Without them, body 2 reads as a disconnected list. The MG-4 anchor and the physical card deck are non-negotiable. Watch for over-reliance on ALSO — push children to try a contrast family (IN CONTRAST, HOWEVER) at least once across their three body paragraphs. The comma-after-fronted-transition is the same rule as the fronted-subordinate-clause comma from fall — link the two rules explicitly. The closing-transition sentence of body 1 + the opening-transition word of body 2 are a paired move; check that both align.