Structure and Transitions Discussion 3

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.
By tomorrow Tuesday 12/19/17 12 pm, 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.). Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general

Arneson, B. K. (2014, May 11). Breaking down the MEAL plan: Wrapping up with lead out sentences [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2014/05/breaking-down-meal-plan-wrapping-up.html

Oyler, B. (2014, April 21). Breaking down the MEAL plan: Beginning with the main idea [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2014/04/developing-paragraphs-with-meal-plan.html

Skarbakka, K. (2013, January 10). Steer your reader right with effective transitions [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2013/01/steer-your-reader-right-with-effective.html

Required Media

Walden University Writing Center (Producer). (2013, July 1). WriteCast: Creating a successful paragraph (Episode 3) [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/writecast/creating-a-successful

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 21 minutes.

Transcript: http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/transcripts/podcasts/ep003

Walden University Writing Center. (2015). Transitions video playlist [Video files]. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paragraphs/transitions#s-lg-box-10235918

Note: View the entire playlist of videos on this web page. The approximate combined length is 6 minutes.

ORDER CUSTOM, PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.