Cohesion within paragraphs

EnglishGrammar & PunctuationAges 9–11

Use cohesive devices within a paragraph — including pronouns, adverbials (then, after that, firstly), and synonyms — to link sentences and build a coherent flow of ideas

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Teaching Table

Set out your lesson

Connect sentences without changing facts or losing clear reference.

Use the diagnostic card before Show. Record actual answers and support. Pause for earlier paragraph or reference teaching when needed.

Activity

Givens

R1. Nell put down a book. She opened it. Who does she refer to? R2. What does it refer to? R3. First, Nell opened the book. Then she read a page. Which word signals the next action?

Response

R1. Response: ____ R2. Response: ____ R3. Response: ____

Credit

Original Gakuva fictional text cards and worked paragraphs. Canonical content: Marble Skill Taxonomy v1, Generative Spark, Inc. Supplier commit: 96a7933754af672e1bfdbf7ecb05c325860c6e0d. Content: CC-BY-SA-4.0. Database: ODbL-1.0.

No Printer

Read only the active card on screen. Write on plain paper or type the response. Record adult reading, hints, and transcription. Spoken planning does not establish independent written composition. No printer or purchase is needed.

Policy

Use this check before the worked examples. Record actual reading, hints, and scribing.

Use paper and a pencil or a text editor. These are fictional paper tasks, not activities to perform. Keep adult keys off the learner’s screen and paper. Split the cards across sessions.

How this lesson works

Complete text cards, actual paragraph breaks, and owned blank writing regions carry the lesson. No external image or custom interaction is needed.

Record the learner’s actual response and any help used. These activities do not establish mastery.

Use the complete materials on screen or print only the current sheet. Keep adult guidance out of learner view. Retain an earlier model only when the current step supplies it as context.

Teaching limits and safe use

These are finite task opportunities, not proof of mastery. Record what was attempted and what support was used.

Fact cards and requested relation families provide support.
An oral plan or adult transcription does not establish independent written composition.
Fictional examples are not learner observations. Valid alternative language remains acceptable when it preserves facts and clear relationships.
Paragraph counts and response positions are supplied. Writing within those frames does not establish independent paragraph planning or layout.

Record the learner’s actual response and any help used. These activities do not establish mastery.

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Entire curriculum

1590 concepts · 8 subjects

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Connect sentences without changing facts or losing clear reference.

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Learning resources

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Check understanding

Replace repeated nouns with pronouns or synonyms to maintain cohesion without ambiguity, e.g. 'The explorer found a cave. She examined it carefully'
Use adverbials of sequence (firstly, then, next, finally) and cause (therefore, as a result, consequently) to connect ideas within a paragraph
Identify where cohesion breaks down in a paragraph and insert appropriate linking devices to improve the flow

“When your child writes a paragraph, do the sentences flow together smoothly — using words like "however", "after this", or "in contrast" to link ideas, rather than every sentence starting with "And then"?”

Curriculum record

Type: Procedural
Subject: English
Domain: Grammar & Punctuation
Age range: Ages 9–11

Standards

uk-nc-2013:Eng.App2.Y5.Text.1uk-nc-2013:Eng.UKS2.Write.Comp.2d