Revising Your Writing: Structure and Transitions
Structure refers to how you begin and conclude a paragraph, whereas transitions are the subtle ways you guide the reader, compare, and connect ideas. These concepts are represented in the "M" and "L" (main idea and lead-out) sections of the MEAL plan for paragraphs. They are also necessary in scholarly writing to ensure your reader's engagement and interest.
This week's Learning Resources provide a useful framework for better understanding ways to use structure and transitions in your writing to create flow between paragraphs and overall cohesion for your essay.
For this Discussion, you will reflect on your own writing in relation to creating structured, well-connected paragraphs. Based on what you have learned from the week's Resources, you will share your thoughts and experiences on structure and transitions.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the Learning Resources on transitions, paragraph development, and the MEAL plan.
Reflect on your writing process in relation to structure and transitions.
Write a minimum of 350 words essay in APA format with 2 references from the list of required readings below. Include the level one as numbered below:
1) Post a 1- to 2- paragraph reflection on your skills in using structure and transitions to create a sense of flow in an essay.
2) Include any phrases, words, or sentences that you have used in the past. (Note: You may choose to reflect specifically on how you will apply strategies for structure and transitions in this week's Assignment.)
Required Readings
Laureate Education. (2015). MEAL plan for paragraph development [Infographic]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Walden University Writing Center. (2015i). Walden templates: General templates: APA course paper template (6th ed.).
Arneson, B. K. (2014, May 11). Breaking down the MEAL plan: Wrapping up with lead out sentences [Blog post].
Oyler, B. (2014, April 21). Breaking down the MEAL plan: Beginning with the main idea [Blog post].
Skarbakka, K. (2013, January 10). Steer your reader right with effective transitions [Blog post].
Required Media
Walden University Writing Center (Producer). (2013, July 1). WriteCast: Creating a successful paragraph (Episode 3) [Audio file].
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 21 minutes.
Walden University Writing Center. (2015). Transitions video playlist [Video files].
Note: View the entire playlist of videos on this web page. The approximate combined length is 6 minutes.