Name __________________________________________
Seamless Transitions
Your turn: Add sentences that help transition ideas from one paragraph to ideas in another paragraph. Use the lines on this paper to seamlessly connect and relate these paragraphs. You may, of course, cross out and replace lines in the original text.
Original prompt: Because of recent complaints about noisy and disorderly behavior at lunchtime, your principal is considering giving each student an assigned seat at lunchtime. Take a position on this issue. Write a multiple paragraph letter persuading your principal to support your position.
Word has spread that you, sir, are considering assigned seating in the lunchroom, due to recent complaints of noisy and disorderly behavior. I do wish that you, before you make the final decision, look at the idea from a student’s perspective. I, as a seventh grade lunchroom-user, oppose the idea of assigned seating in the lunchroom; for it would be too hard to maintain and it will corrupt student relationships. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Since assigned seating in the lunchrooms has been tried before we know that it is possible, but what we don’t know is whether it is sustainable. If we apply this idea to our current situation, it would mean that three adults would have to keep around two children per lunch period in line and in their assigned seats—all two hundred assigned seats. This idea simply cannot work for it is simply too many people to keep track of. One moment you had just moved a student to their assigned seat and a minute later, they are back again. That is how fickle and determined middle schoolers are. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another concern you should have when considering assigned seating is student relationships. When you are forced to sit with the same people every day, you lose opportunities to converse with other peers which results in weakened relationships. When relationships are weak, the whole student body becomes detached and is more likely to have sudden outbursts. Whether at home or school, students are in need of socialization with their peers. In other words, having lunchrooms that divide us are damaging to the social health of students and are more trouble than they are worth. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lastly, I don’t believe that having assigned seats is really that necessary. Sure there are some instances that require action but noisy disruptive behavior occurs every day in the lunchroom. Is it fair to punish an entire school just because a few bad apples acted out? I think not. They did the deed so they should face the consequences, not the entire student body.
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It seems that the more I look into this idea, the more faults I see within it. As I have mentioned before, managing such a system will be too chaotic and will corrupt student relationships, and having it for the entire student body is not necessary, so why do it? Why consider an idea when its consequences clearly outweigh its benefits? The final decision is yours, sir. Please make the right one.
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