Don’t close this browser tab!

This Mystery is being downloaded to your device so you can play it at home without an Internet connection.

Keep this tab open once it's downloaded in order to play the Mystery.

If you experience problems, please talk to your teacher.

0% Cancel
Add some SPEED

Add some SPEED
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?
DISCUSS:
How do you think this girl is feeling her way to school?
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
DISCUSS:
As a writer, which word or phrase would you use to show that Eli is excited when
he goes up the stairs? Try lots of words!
Video trouble?
Video trouble?
Step
01/14
Get your supplies.
Video trouble?
Step
02/14
Get your Transition Phrases worksheet. Find number 1. Using the
words on your worksheet, write a few sentences describing what
happens in this video. Try to use more than one transition phrase.
Video trouble?
Step
03/14
Get your highlighter. Highlight all the transition phrases you wrote.
Video trouble?
Step
04/14
Find number 2. Using your transition phrases, write a few sentences
describing what happens in this video. Highlight any transition
phrases you used.
Video trouble?
Step
05/14
Nice job using those transition words! In a moment, you’ll use them in
your story. For now, get these supplies.
Video trouble?
Step
06/14
Quietly review your Story Arc and Story Beginning worksheets to
remind yourself of your story plan and what you’ve written so far.
Video trouble?
Step
07/14
Get your Story Middle worksheet. From your Story Arc worksheet,
copy what you wrote for the obstacle into this box. Then you can
put your Story Arc and Story Beginning worksheets to the side.
Video trouble?
Step
08/14
Think about how your character might feel when they encounter the
obstacle. Write your character’s feeling here. You can use one of
these ideas or come up with your own.
Video trouble?
Step
09/14
Write the part of your story where your character comes across
the obstacle. You can use fast and slow transition phrases to help
show how your character is feeling. Start writing at the arrow.
Video trouble?
Step
10/14
Get your highlighter. Highlight all the transition phrases you wrote.
If you want, you can add more with a caret, like this. Or change parts
of your story, like this.
Video trouble?
Step
11/14
Look back through your writing. If you want to describe how your
character does something with feeling, you can add one of these
words. When you add one, highlight it.
Video trouble?

If you need a natural stopping point!

Teachers: This is a natural stopping point. The next steps will guide students to write about how their character overcomes the obstacle. If you stop here, be sure to put all the VIPs somewhere safe!

If you’re continuing right now, go to the next slide.

Step
12/14
Get your Story Arc worksheet. Copy how your character overcomes
the obstacle into this box on your Story Middle worksheet. Below,
plan how your character will feel when they overcome the obstacle.
Video trouble?
Step
13/14
Continue writing where you left off. Remember to use your
transition phrases to show how quickly or slowly things happen in
your story. Each time you use one, highlight it.
Video trouble?
Step
14/14
In the next lesson, you’ll write the end of your story. Remember to
put your VIPs somewhere safe, and I’ll see you next time.
Video trouble?

Lesson details

Grade 4

Narrative

Transition Words & Phrases

W.4.3A, W.4.3C

16 reviews

Students will...

Print Prep
  • write the middle of their story where the character encounters and then overcomes the obstacle.

  • use transition words and phrases to tell the story in order.

  • use transition phrases to adjust the speed of events in the story.

Before this lesson...

Students should have completed Lessons 1-2 of this unit.
Amusement Park Story Middle worksheet 1 per student
Transition Phrases worksheet 1 per student
Story Arc from previous lesson
1 per student
Story Beginning from previous lesson
1 per student

OPTIONAL SUPPLIES

Word Bank from previous lesson
1 per student
Prep Instructions
  • Students will need to bring their completed work from the previous lessons to this lesson.

  • This lesson is separated into two parts and can be taught in two different sessions if needed. A natural stopping point is included after students write about how their character encounters the obstacle, but before they write about how the character overcomes the obstacle.

Jump to

Introduction

10 mins

Writing Activity

40 mins

Lesson details

Grade 4

Narrative

Transition Words & Phrases

W.4.3A, W.4.3C

16 reviews

Extend this lesson

Reading

Reading

Saturday by Oge Mora, is a book where the characters move at different speeds based on how they are feeling. See if you can notice when the author has characters move quickly and slowly.

Activity

Activity

Go on a scavenger hunt of books in your classroom or library. See if you can find all the transition words an author uses. If you want, you can add new words you find to your transition phrases worksheet.
Credits
 
Amusement Park Lesson 3: Add some SPEED

How did the lesson go?
Terrible OK Good Great Terrific!

How can we improve it?

If you'd like our team to reply to you, please Contact Support instead.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have a question or need help, please contact us.

Sorry the lesson didn’t go well. We read every single review in an effort to improve our lessons.

Thanks for letting us know. We’ll wait to ask you for feedback until after you've actually taught it.

Thanks for the feedback! We read every single review in an effort to improve our lessons.

Is the video not playing properly?

Please follow these steps:

  1. Very rarely a video will fail to completely load in your browser. Try to reload this page to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. If reloading does not help, try our other video player .
  3. If the video still fails to play, open this video in a new tab

Close

How can we help you?

This episode is locked

This lesson is not included in your limited access.

View pricing

This episode is locked

Your membership is expired. The archive of past Mini Lessons is not included in your limited access.

View pricing