Sequencing Story Events With Transition Words

You already know that stories happen in order. Now you will learn how to write a story with even more steps, like four or five events, and use transition words to show exactly how one event leads to the next. This helps your reader follow a longer story without getting lost.

A multi-step story has more than just a beginning, a middle, and an end. It has several small events that happen one after another. Think about getting ready for school. You do not just wake up and leave. You wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, and grab your backpack. That is five steps in a row!

When you write a multi-step story, you tell each small event in the order it really happened. Skipping a step or mixing up the order can confuse your reader.

Transition words are the words you use to connect each event to the next one. They tell your reader exactly when something happens in the sequence. Here are the transition words you will use the most:

• First for the very first event
• Next for an event that comes soon after
• Then for an event that follows another event
• After that for one more event later in the story
• Finally for the last event in the story

You do not have to use all of these words in every story, but using several of them in one story helps your reader move smoothly from one event to the next.

Here is a story about planting a seed, told in order with transition words:

First, I filled a small pot with soil. Next, I made a tiny hole with my finger. Then, I dropped in the seed and covered it with soil. After that, I watered the soil gently. Finally, I put the pot by the window so it could get sunlight.

Notice that each sentence starts with a transition word, and the events are in the exact order they happened. If you tried to water the seed before planting it, the story would not make sense!

Multi-Step Story: A story that has several small events that happen one after another.

Transition Word: A word that connects one event to the next and shows its place in the order.

First: The word you use for the event that happens at the very start.

Next: The word you use for an event that comes soon after another event.

Then: The word you use for an event that follows right after another one.

After That: A phrase you use for one more event later in the sequence.

Finally: The word you use for the last event in the story.

Sequence: The exact order in which events happen, from the first step to the last.

Pick something you do that has four or five steps, like brushing your teeth, making a bed, or playing a board game. List every step in order first. Then write one sentence for each step, and start each sentence with a transition word such as first, next, then, after that, or finally.

When you finish, read your story out loud. Ask yourself if each step could really happen right after the one before it. If a step feels out of place, move it to the correct spot before you share your story.

Related lessons

• Writing Sequential Event Stories Using Time Order