Year 5 English · AC9E5LA04

Cohesion: connect ideas and control what comes first

Teach clause links first, then show how sentence and paragraph openings guide the reader.

Learning intention

We are learning to make writing cohesive by showing logical relationships and by choosing sentence or paragraph starting points that foreground the message.

  • I can choose a conjunction for the relationship I mean.
  • I can explain what becomes prominent when a phrase moves to the front.
  • I can use paragraph openings as signposts.
  • I can make each sentence grow logically from the previous one.
Board 1: conjunction relationships

Addition

and

Contrast

but, although

Cause/result

because, so

Time

when, after, until, while

Condition

if, unless

Quick check: “The path was steep, ___ the group continued.” → but.

Board 2: same event, different prominence

Neutral starting point

The class planted seedlings near the fence on Friday.

Time foregrounded

On Friday, the class planted seedlings near the fence.

The basic event is unchanged. The second version tells readers to frame the message through time first.

Board 3: cause first or result first?

Cause prominent

Because the soil was dry, the leaves wilted.

Result prominent

The leaves wilted because the soil was dry.

Ask: what does the reader meet first, and how does that guide interpretation?

Board 4: paragraph signposts
  • The main problem is… → issue
  • For example,… → evidence/illustration
  • However,… → contrast
  • As a result,… → consequence
  • One practical solution is… → response
  • For younger students,… → affected group foregrounded
Board 5: paragraph pathway

Project this sequence:

The creek was polluted. As a result, fish numbers fell. To address the problem, volunteers planted reeds and removed litter.

Label the pathway: situation → consequence → response. The openings show the reader where the paragraph is going.

Quick checks
  1. What relationship does unless express? Condition.
  2. Which version foregrounds place: “Beside the creek,…” or the same phrase at the end? The first.
  3. Which opening signals contrast? However,…
  4. Does adding ‘and’ automatically make ideas cohesive? No; the relationship must make sense.
  5. Why begin “For students who walk to school,…”? To foreground that group.
Misconceptions to correct
  • “Any conjunction improves cohesion.”
  • “Long sentences are automatically cohesive.”
  • “Moving a phrase to the front changes the basic fact.”
  • “Every sentence should start the same way.”
  • “Paragraph openings do not affect reader guidance.”
Exit ticket

Rewrite: “The path flooded because the drain was blocked.”

  1. Write one version that foregrounds the cause.
  2. Write one version that foregrounds the result.
  3. Explain in one sentence what changed for the reader.