Age: 11-12 years

Duration: 80 min

Objectives

• Identify cohesive devices: reference words, transitions, and repetition.
• Add links and transitions to unify a draft paragraph.
• Revise a paragraph for a single, clear focus.

Vocab

• cohesion: "Cohesion is how sentences stick together."
• reference: "Words like 'this' and 'it' refer back to earlier ideas."
• transition: "Transitions like 'however' guide the reader."
• unity: "A unified paragraph sticks to one main idea."

Warm-up (5min)

Show a paragraph where every sentence starts with the same noun. Ask how to make it flow. Introduce reference words (this, they, such) as "glue" that avoids repetition.

Main Activity (65min): "Syntax: Cohesion in Paragraphs"

"Paragraph Glue Lab" — Round 1: device tour (8 min) — spot reference words, transitions, and topic-sentence links in a model paragraph. Round 2: reference drill — replace repeated nouns with correct reference words in 6 sentences. Round 3: transition insert — add linking words to a disjointed 5-sentence paragraph so ideas connect. Round 4: unity check — find and remove the one off-topic sentence from a paragraph, then justify. Round 5: revise — students take one of their own paragraphs, add a strong topic sentence, two transitions, and one reference link. Peer-mark for unity and flow.

Wrap-up (10min)

Read-smooth test: pairs read a revised paragraph; if it flows without bumps, it passes. Exit ticket: "One transition I added was ___ to connect ___ and ___ ."

Teacher Tips

• Overusing "this/that" without a clear referent causes confusion — check antecedents.
• One paragraph, one idea — the unity check is the highest-value habit here.
• This is the final polish skill before the full essay workshop (Lesson 16).