Draft Body
Paragraphs: TransitioningTransitioning Example: Within and Between Paragraphs
In the example that follows you can see how transitioning
within and between paragraphs works in a multi-paragraph example.
Ignore the numbers and the underlining and bolding for now; you’ll
use them in a minute when we discuss the paragraphs.
Children learn (1.a)gross motor skills through their active play.
Gross motor skills involve the ability to maintain balance, to run
significant lengths, and to jump over specific hurdles. Children tend
to fine tune these skills on the playground, where many tools challenge
their (2.a)skills.
Children (2.b) also acquire (1.b)fine motor (2.c)skills through playing.
Fine motor skills develop through using specific hand-eye coordination
abilities. By cutting a paper with a pair of scissors or coloring
inside the fine lines of a drawing, children develop the ability to
manipulate their environment.
(1.c)With enhanced gross and fine motor skills, children become
more comfortable with the socialization process. By skillfully running,
jumping, and then scaling an obstacle, children learn to compete with
their peers in active play. (3.a) Similarly, children's fine
motor skill development enables them to perform tasks that are considered
necessary to existing within a group. (3.b) For example,
fine motor skill activities, like putting puzzles together, improve
children's
critical reasoning and thinking skills, which, in the future, will
help them get along with other people. It also helps children gain
the confidence needed to help them become a leader in a group rather
than just being a part of one.
Now that you’ve read through the passage, let’s consider
the various transitions within the passage. The numbers here refer
to the marked passage above. For example (1) refers to 1.a (“gross
motor skills”); 1.b (“fine motor skills”); and 1.c
(“with enhanced gross and fine motor skills”) above.
(1) Number one has three parts to it (1.a; 1.b; 1.c). We’ve
underlined all the parts that go with number one (notice that some
of the words are bolded as well; we’ll talk more about those
in a moment). In 1.c we can see how the writer uses key phrases (gross
and fine motor skills) to link the third paragraph to the previous
two paragraphs.
(2) Number two has three parts two it as well (2.a; 2.b; 2.c), although
in this case the writer is using two strategies that work together
to make a subtle transition. The parts here are all bolded. Notice
that some of them are underlined as well. The writer uses the key
word “skills” in the last sentence of the first paragraph
and then reintroduces it in the first sentence of the second paragraph.
However, in this case the writer felt that the key word “skills” may
not make a strong enough link between ideas for the reader, since
the word skills is used often, so the writer included the transition “also” to
show that paragraph one and paragraph two contained a related discussion.
(3) Number three consists of two parts (3.a; 3.b). Both 3.a and 3.b
are examples of transitions used within paragraphs. Again, you can
see that these words contain meaning. By using the word “similarly” the
writer wants to emphasize or explore a similarity between two ideas.
When the writer uses “for example,” she wants to indicate
to the reader that she is providing an example of the previous sentence.
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