Free Narrative Writing Transition Words List for Middle School ELA

 

Teaching narrative writing in 8th grade can be challenging, especially when students struggle to revise and add depth to their stories. Many middle school writers know their narrative needs “more,” but they are not sure where to begin in the editing process.

To make revision feel more manageable, I created this free narrative transition words resource for my 8th grade ELA students. It gives them concrete language they can use to move through time, shift scenes, show feelings, and reflect at the end of their stories.

What Is Included in the Narrative Transition Words Freebie?

This free download includes a set of narrative transition phrases organized into student-friendly categories, such as:

• Time moves forward (plot progression)
• Sudden change / action / surprise
• Flashback / memory / backstory
• Zooming into a moment (show, do not tell)
• Feelings / reactions (internal transitions)
• Dialogue transitions
• Scene changes / new setting
• Reflective / ending transitions

The resource was created for 8th grade ELA narrative writing, but it also works well for grades 6–9, small groups, intervention, and writing conferences.

Important Note for Students: This Is a Starting Point, Not a Rule Book

One of the first things I tell my students is this:

“This is not a list of the only transition words you are allowed to use. It is a tool to help you get started and to give your narrative more depth.”

Some students freeze when it is time to revise or edit. They know they should improve their writing, but they do not know exactly what to do. This transition list turns revision into a clear, concrete step:

1. Reread your draft and highlight the transitions you already used.
2. Ask yourself where the story feels choppy, confusing, or rushed.
3. Choose a transition from the list that fits that moment and try revising the sentence.

This simple process helps reluctant writers move forward and gives more confident writers a way to intentionally strengthen their pacing and structure.

How I Use This Resource in My 8th Grade Classroom

Here are a few easy ways to use the narrative transition list during your narrative writing unit:

• Editing checklist: During peer or self-editing, students highlight all transitions and then decide where to add more.
• Quick-write warmups: Give students a category (for example, “flashback” or “surprise”) and ask them to start a short paragraph with one of the transitions from that section.
• Dialogue practice: Students choose a dialogue transition and write a short conversation using it correctly in a narrative paragraph.
• Station activity: Set up stations for each category. At each station, students revise one part of their draft to include a more effective transition.
• Anchor chart or notebook insert: Print the pages as a reference chart, or have students glue a smaller version into their writer’s notebooks.

Common Core Standards Alignment (8th Grade ELA)

This narrative transition words resource supports several 8th grade ELA Common Core State Standards, particularly for narrative writing and language use.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
• W.8.3.A – Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and organizing an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
• W.8.3.C – Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.
• W.8.3.D – Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
• W.8.3.E – Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5 – With guidance and support, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting.
  

Download the Free PDF

If you would like to use this Narrative Writing Transition Words List in your own classroom, you can download the free PDF version from my Teachers Pay Teachers store:

👉 Narrative Writing Transition Words List (Free Download)

It prints nicely as a reference sheet, notebook insert, or anchor chart—and it’s completely free for teachers.