Starters sorted by the job each sentence does, from K-2 to college.
Good sentence starters name the job a sentence does, such as stating a claim, adding evidence, explaining it, showing a contrast, or closing a paragraph. A student picks the starter by that job, then finishes the sentence in their own words. At Chalkbox, we build free writing tools like the thesis statement generator. We sorted the starters below so you can copy a row straight onto a chart or handout. For a fixed five-sentence pattern with a starter for each sentence, see the 5 sentence paragraph guide.
The starters below are grouped by purpose, so a student who knows what a sentence needs to do can look in one row. The table lists ten purposes with three to five starters each. Every example sentence is an invented classroom example about school uniforms, recycling, or a school garden.
| Purpose | Starters | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Introduce a claim | One reason is... / I believe that... / The main point is... / It is clear that... | I believe that our school should keep its recycling program. |
| Add evidence | According to the text... / The author states... / The article reports... / The chart shows... | According to the article, the cafeteria filled fewer trash bags after the bins arrived. |
| Explain evidence | This shows that... / This means... / This matters because... / In other words... | This shows that bins close to students change what they throw away. |
| Add another point | Another reason is... / In addition... / Also... / Furthermore... | Another reason is that uniforms make getting dressed faster. |
| Contrast | However... / On the other hand... / In contrast... / Even so... | However, some families say uniforms cost too much. |
| Give an example | For example... / For instance... / One example is... / To illustrate... | For example, the third grade grew tomatoes in the school garden. |
| Compare | Similarly... / Likewise... / Both... and... / In the same way... | Similarly, the garden and the recycling program both rely on student volunteers. |
| Show cause and effect | As a result... / Because of this... / This leads to... / Therefore... | As a result, the garden needed a summer watering schedule. |
| Concede a point | Some people argue... / It is true that... / Although... / Admittedly... | It is true that uniforms limit how students express themselves. |
| Conclude | In conclusion... / For these reasons... / To sum up... / Overall... | For these reasons, the school should keep the recycling program. |
Read the table across. When a sentence quotes or paraphrases a source, the student looks in the Add Evidence row. Follow it with a sentence from the Explain Evidence row.
That evidence-then-explanation pair follows the claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) pattern. Use the CER template when students need a frame for all three parts. Read the CER examples together before students write their own paragraph.
Each writing type calls for its own starters: an argument needs claim and concession words, and a story needs time words. The lists below give six or seven starters per type. Plan the paragraph order first with the essay outline generator, then choose a starter for the first sentence of each paragraph.
A starter cannot rescue a vague claim. If the opening sentence of an argument wobbles, work on the claim itself with the guide on how to write a thesis statement.
Match informational starters to the text structure of the piece. Sequence words fit a set of steps. Cause words fit an explanation of why something happens.
Narrative starters move a story through time. How many time words a paragraph needs is a judgment call.
Pair one compare starter with one contrast starter in the same paragraph. The reader then sees how the two things match and how they differ.
Summary starters point at the author. That keeps the student's own opinion out of a piece that should report what the text says.
Many literary starters leave a blank for a quote or detail, which sends the student back to the book.
Spoken sentence starters give students a ready opening when they agree, disagree, or ask a classmate to explain. Post them where groups sit. Ask each student to use at least one during the discussion.
Give the disagree row extra practice time. Students can rehearse those words before a real disagreement comes up.
For younger students, use frames with one or two blanks.
Say each frame aloud with your own answer first. Then ask a student to try the same frame with a new answer.
The grade bands below are a starting point for which starters to post, and they are not tied to any graded standard. Move a student up or down a band based on what they already write.
Pair a frame with a prompt from our writing prompts for kids. The student then has a topic and a way to start the first sentence.
These starters are mostly transitions that link one sentence to the next. After students write a paragraph, have them underline every transition and check that each one matches its row in the purpose table.
These academic sentence starters fit essays that weigh one source against another. Older writers can drop the full list once the moves feel natural. Keep the concession and evidence starters on hand longest.
Teach starters a few at a time, inside real writing, in this order.
Some students may keep a starter list on tests or long assignments as extra support. Whether that counts as a formal accommodation is a decision for the teacher and the student's support team.
This page does not cite research on sentence starters. How much they help depends on the class, so read the drafts students turn in and adjust the chart to match.
Watch for four mistakes once students start using starters.
A required starter list is for students who stall at the start of a sentence. Whether a student who already writes clear, varied sentences still needs it is a judgment call. For that student, drop the requirement and ask them to revise the weakest sentence in each paragraph.
One starting point is to post the full purpose table for the whole class. For a class that is just starting paragraph writing, cut it to three rows (claim, evidence, and explain), then add the other rows one at a time.
For a next step, choose one paragraph students wrote this week and have them revise two sentences using sentence starters from a different purpose row in the table above.
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Sentence starters are short opening phrases, such as 'According to the text' or 'This shows that', that give a student a way into a sentence. Each one signals the job the sentence does, like adding evidence or explaining it. The student finishes the sentence in their own words.
Good essay starters depend on the job of the sentence. Use 'One reason is' to state a claim, 'According to the text' to bring in evidence, 'This shows that' to explain it, 'However' to add a contrast, and 'For these reasons' to close. Pick from at least two of those groups in every body paragraph so the sentences do different work.
Sentence starters for evidence include 'According to the text', 'The author states', 'The article reports', and 'The chart shows'. Follow each evidence sentence with an explanation starter such as 'This shows that' or 'This means'. The second sentence tells the reader why the evidence belongs in the paragraph.
Sentence starters give students a ready opening for a sentence. Each starter also names the job of its sentence, so students pick a starter by that job and finish it in their own words. This page does not cite research on starters, and how much they help depends on the class.
Sentence starters can be given to a student as extra support, but whether they count as a formal accommodation is a decision for the teacher and the student's support team. If the team allows them, give the student the same purpose-sorted list the class uses every day. That way the support matches what the student already practices.
Vary sentence starters by choosing from different purpose groups in the same paragraph. If two sentences in a row open with 'Also', swap one for 'For example' or a cause starter like 'As a result'. Some sentences need no starter at all, so begin a few with the subject itself. How much variety a paragraph needs is a style judgment.