Cohesion within paragraphs

PROCEDURAL

English›Grammar & Punctuation|Ages 9—11|ID: mt_4-vfMgmCVB

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

Mastery Evidence

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

Assessment Prompt

“When [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 Standards2 alignments

Eng.App2.Y5.Text.1The national curriculum in England

Cohesion within a paragraph

Devices to build cohesion within a paragraph [for example, then, after that, this, firstly]

English · Key Stage 2

Eng.UKS2.Write.Comp.2dThe national curriculum in England

Build cohesion

Draft and write by using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs.

English · Key Stage 2

Prerequisites2

Pronouns for clarity
softAges 7—9
Organising Writing into Paragraphs
hardAges 7—10

Show full prerequisite tree

Pronouns for clarity soft
Pronoun cohesion is a key cohesive device; prior work on choosing pronouns for clarity feeds directly into paragraph-level cohesion
- Pronouns hard
  Pronoun cohesion and reflexive pronouns build on basic pronoun usage
  - Building sentences soft
    Sentence concept supports understanding pronoun function
  - Basic Nouns & Verbs hard
    Must know what nouns are before replacing them with pronouns
Organising Writing into Paragraphs hard
Cohesion within paragraphs requires paragraphing knowledge; learners must organise text into paragraphs before learning to build cohesion within them
- Building Writing Stamina hard
  Paragraph organisation requires writing for different purposes
  - Joining Letters soft
    Joined handwriting supports sustained writing stamina
    - Forming Capital Letters soft
      Capital letter formation supports correct sizing in joined writing
      - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
        Master lowercase formation before capitals
    - Sitting and holding a pencil hard
      Joining letters builds on Y1 lowercase letter formation
  - Expressing Feelings with Words soft
    Writing about real events draws on the ability to put feelings into words — the SEL skill of expressing emotions verbally before encoding them in written form
    - Triggers and Causes of Feelings soft
      Expressing feelings in words benefits from understanding triggers
      - Feelings Change and Differ soft
        Identifying triggers benefits from knowing feelings change
        
        Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Understanding feelings change benefits from naming basic emotions
    - Simple Calming Strategies soft
      Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
      - Naming Basic Emotions soft
        Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
      - Words for Big Feelings hard
        Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques
  - Writing to inform soft
    Informative writing skills support writing for different purposes
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Informative writing requires knowing 'genre', 'audience', 'purpose', and 'detail' as concepts
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes informative writing
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
  - Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
    Writing about real events builds on narrative writing skills
    - Rote counting to 100 soft
      Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
      - One-to-one counting hard
        One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
    - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
      Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
      - Describing Aloud soft
        Oral description supports oral rehearsal
        
        Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
        
        Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
      - Building sentences hard
        Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
      - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
        Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
    - Characters, settings, and events soft
      Story elements from reading inform writing
      - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
        Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for written narrative
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Writing for different purposes requires the vocabulary of purpose, genre, recount, and instruction
- Simple Stories with Beginning and Ending hard
  Organising paragraphs requires narrative writing ability
  - Rote counting to 100 soft
    Sequencing events in narrative writing draws on the ordinal/sequential thinking developed through counting
    - One-to-one counting hard
      One-to-one correspondence requires knowing the number name sequence
  - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
    Writing simple narratives requires 'narrative', 'sequence', 'beginning', 'middle', 'ending' as shared vocabulary
  - Saying Sentences Before Writing Them hard
    Oral rehearsal precedes written narrative
    - Describing Aloud soft
      Oral description supports oral rehearsal
      - Expressing & Justifying Opinions soft
        Oral expression skills support understanding formality in speech
      - Group discussions soft
        Conversational skills support oral description
        
        Listening and responding hard
        Listening and responding foundational to conversation
        
        Exploring Ideas Through Talk soft
        Conversational skills provide foundation for evaluating viewpoints
        
        Feeling of not understanding soft
        Using talk to explore ideas and speculate requires noticing what you don't yet understand — the comprehension-monitoring habit in a spoken register
        
        Asking for Help hard
        Noticing confusion and acting on it requires already knowing that asking for help is a valid response to being stuck
    - Building sentences hard
      Need to understand sentences for oral rehearsal
    - Writing Process Vocabulary hard
      Oral composition requires vocabulary like 'compose', 'sentence', and 'sequence' to participate meaningfully in the exercise
  - Characters, settings, and events soft
    Story elements from reading inform writing
    - Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
      Need to engage with stories before identifying elements
  - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
    Handwriting needed for written narrative
- Writing Process Vocabulary hard
  Organising into paragraphs requires 'paragraph', 'heading', 'theme', and 'organisation' as named concepts

Unlocks3

Paragraph Cohesion
hardAges 10—11
Cohesion and Transitions Across Writing
hardAges 11—14
Linking paragraphs with adverbials
hardAges 9—11