You’ve read this paragraph three times. You’re still lost.
The student who wrote it is articulate in class discussions. She participates, she gets the grammar, but this paragraph? It jumps from idea to idea like someone channel-surfing. You can’t follow the thread.
You look at the clock. You have 23 more essays to grade. This one paragraph has already eaten up ten minutes of your life that you’ll never get back.
So what’s going on? Is this student in the wrong level? Did they not understand the assignment? Are they just not trying?
None of the above.
Your Adult ESL Student Isn’t a Bad Writer…She’s Writing in a Different Language
I had my a-ha moment years ago when I read an online English-language Saudi newspaper. The editorial I was reading felt… familiar. Really familiar.
Then it hit me…it was written in the exact same style as many of my Saudi students’ essays. The ones I’d been marking down for “lack of coherence.”
This editorial though? It was praised by highly educated Arabic speakers as excellent writing.
My cultural bias had me judging my students’ writing as poor because Arabic rhetorical style doesn’t match American English style. The logic was there. The sequencing made perfect sense…for Arabic. I just couldn’t see it through my American English lens.
Here’s the thing – that paragraph your student turned in that made zero sense to you might be BRILLIANT in their culture. They’re not necessarily lacking writing skills. They have different writing skills, just like they have a different language.
Teaching Connectives Means Teaching a New Way to Organize Thoughts
Now, recognizing cultural differences doesn’t mean accepting incomprehensible paragraphs. That would be a massive disservice to your students.
What it means is this…you’re not fixing broken writing. You’re adding a new rhetorical toolkit.
Writing classes for adult ESL students isn’t just about constructing sentences. It’s about learning how American English tells a story, sequences ideas, and signals logical connections. The way we organize thoughts isn’t universal, and we can’t expect students from other cultures to absorb it through osmosis.
So when you teach connectives and transition signals, you’re essentially handing them a map to navigate American English writing conventions.
Teaching Connectives for Real Use, Not Endless Drilling
Yeah, you can hand students a list of transition words. First, second, third. However, therefore, in conclusion. They’ll glance through it, nod, and promptly forget it exists by the time they start writing.
Here’s what makes connectives actually show up in their writing…practice in context with immediate feedback.
I still use the sandwich graphic organizer with beginner writers. (Not the hamburger – hear me out on this.) A sandwich has two slices of bread, but the fillings? They can be anything. PB&J. Hummus and olives with tomato. Leftover roasted vegetables with french fries if that’s your thing.
The point is, the structure (bread/topic sentence and conclusion) stays consistent, but the middle (supporting details) can vary wildly. And just like a good sandwich, when it’s put together right, you can’t put it down until you’re done.
But once students grasp that structure, connectives become the condiments that tie everything together. They’re the mustard, the hot sauce, the tahini drizzle that makes the flavors blend instead of just sitting there in separate layers.
Give students sentence stems with connectives already built in:
- “First, _____. After that, _____. Finally, _____.”
- “On one hand, _____. On the other hand, _____.”
- “Although _____, _____.”
Then have them fill in the blanks with their own ideas. This is low-stakes and gives immediate practice. They see how the connectives guide the reader’s understanding.
What Changes When Students Master Connectives
Remember that student whose paragraphs made you want to weep? Give her three weeks of deliberate connective practice, and suddenly you’re reading essays that flow.
One of my students, “Latifah,” went from writing circular, repetitive paragraphs to crafting arguments that built logically from point to point. She told me, “Now I know how to show my reader where I’m going.”
That’s it. That’s what connectives do. They show the reader where you’re going.
Your students already know how to organize ideas in their native language. You’re not teaching them to think logically; you’re teaching them to signal that logic in a way American English readers recognize.
And once they’ve got that skill? Grading their essays stops feeling like detective work and starts feeling like reading actual writing.
Start With This Tomorrow
ick one set of connectives. Time order is usually the easiest entry point: first, next, then, finally, after that.
Give students a simple sequence to describe – making coffee, getting ready for work, whatever. Have them write it out twice: once without connectives, once with them.
Read both versions aloud.
Then ask: “Which one sounds like machine gun firing? Which one flows like a river?”
They hear it immediately. The version without connectives? Choppy. Staccato. Bang bang bang. The version with connectives? It moves and glides as it guides you from one idea to the next without jerking you around.
That’s when they get it. Connectives aren’t just filler words. They’re what makes writing readable instead of exhausting.
The Bottom Line
Not all sentences need a connective, but using them to show the transition from one idea to the next enhances the logic and the smoothness of the writing.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
Want something that’s print and go ready?
These are available in my TpT store:
Connectives and Transition Signals in Writing | Charts & Activities
Connectives and Transition Signals in Writing | Task Cards
Halloween Transition Words for Adult ESL Connectives Task Cards
Want a FREE quick reference sheet? This handy sheet will ensure your students aren’t using the same tired words repeatedly.
Read more about teaching adult ESL!
Why Your Adult ESL Students Still Write Like Beginners…and how to fix that
Summarization: The Reading Strategy Your Adult ESL Students Need, But Nobody Taught Them
