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The dogs who saved Nome: linking words for telling a story

Linking words for telling a story, from First to In the end, are taught in this A2 ESL lesson plan.

Grammar
Linkers that open a sentence with a comma: First, Then and After that for order, Suddenly for a surprise, Luckily and Unfortunately for news, Finally and In the end for the last event.
Topic
The 1925 dog-sled relay that carried medicine 674 miles from Nenana to Nome, Alaska, with words such as musher, husky, lead dog and relay.
Activities
A museum notice on the relay, a musher's talk after a first ride, a viewer's question, practice that checks itself, a chat retelling the ride and story prompts in boxes.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello from snowy Nome!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: dogs in the snowVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: dogs to the rescue!

    • Look at the photo: a dog team on the icePictureUnlock
    • Read the museum noticeReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: hold on tight!

    • Listen to Marco and AmberListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: First, Suddenly, In the end

    • Study the scheme: story linkersGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: lucky → luckilyFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: write the linkerFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: tell your story!

    • Choose the right replies: Marco's sled storyChatTry it
    • Open a box and tell a storyOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Sort the endings into the correct columnsSort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Marco's postChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Nora's answer to TylerDrag and dropUnlock

29 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • husky
  • harness
  • lead dog
  • relay
  • parka
  • gold rush
  • bronze

Grammar: story linkers

Story linkers are linking words that open a sentence and tell the listener what kind of news is coming: the next step, a surprise, good news, bad news or the end. Retelling the 1925 medicine relay to Nome, learners start each sentence with a linker and a comma, use the -ly forms and finish with In the end.

First, … Suddenly, … Luckily, … In the end, …

Story linkers start a sentence. They tell the listener what kind of news comes next.

What each linker tells the listener

First opens the story, and Then or After that moves it on. Suddenly brings something fast and surprising, Luckily good news and Unfortunately bad news. Finally and In the end close the story: In the end, the medicine reached Nome on February 2, 1925.

What does it show?

LinkerIt shows…Example
First,the first thing 1️⃣First, Amber put the harnesses on the dogs.
Then / After that,the next thing ➡️Then Skye started to run.
Suddenly,a surprise: it happens very fast 😮Suddenly, the dogs ran really fast!
Luckily,good news 🙂Luckily, Marco was holding on tight.
Unfortunately,bad news 🙁Unfortunately, the dogs stopped. Marco didn't!
Finally, / In the end,the last thing 🏁In the end, Marco landed in the snow.

The 1925 medicine run

  • Suddenly, a dangerous sickness appeared in Nome.
  • Unfortunately, the doctor's medicine was too old.
  • Luckily, people found medicine in Anchorage.
  • First, a train took it to Nenana.
  • After that, about 20 mushers carried it, team after team.
  • In the end, the medicine reached Nome on February 2, 1925.

At the start, with a comma

A linker comes first in its sentence and takes a comma: Luckily, the snow was soft. Suddenly, the dogs ran really fast! Then often goes without a comma: Then we went home.

At the start, with a comma

Put the linker at the start of the sentence, with a comma after it: Luckily, the snow was soft. After Then, people often leave out the comma: Then we went home.

Luckily, not lucky

Linkers use the -ly form: Luckily, not Lucky; Suddenly, not Sudden; Unfortunately and Finally work the same way. Without -ly, the word is an adjective and goes with a noun: a lucky team, a final race.

Use the -ly word

Say Luckily, (not Lucky,), Unfortunately, (not Unfortunate,), Suddenly, (not Sudden,) and Finally, (not Final,).

In the end or at the end?

In the end means finally, after everything has happened: In the end, everybody was happy. At the end needs of and a thing: at the end of the trail, at the end of the movie. So the last line of a story starts with In the end.

In the end or at the end?

In the end means finally, after everything: In the end, everybody was happy. At the end needs of + a thing: at the end of the trail, at the end of the movie. (Not: At the end, everybody was happy.)

Common mistakes

  • In the end, we put on our parkas. Then we went out.

    First, we put on our parkas. Then we went out.

    in the end = the last thing, never the first

  • Luckily, I fell in the snow.

    Unfortunately, I fell in the snow.

    bad news: unfortunately

  • Suddenly, the snow melted in April and May.

    Slowly, the snow melted in April and May.

    suddenly = very fast, never slow

  • At the end, Marco landed in the snow.

    In the end, Marco landed in the snow.

    at the end + of… (at the end of the trail)

More lessons on this grammar: Linking words lessons and exercises

Try the story linkers exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 16 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • put events in order with First, Then and After that: First, a train took it to Nenana. Then dog teams carried it.
  • mark a surprise with Suddenly, and good or bad news with Luckily or Unfortunately: Unfortunately, the doctor's medicine was too old.
  • end a story with Finally or In the end, and keep at the end for phrases like at the end of the trail
  • use the -ly form at the start of a sentence: Luckily, not Lucky; Suddenly, not Sudden

Lesson 12 ends unit 3 of English A2.2 · Curious Minds, Everyday heroes. It builds on A1.2 lesson 20, where First, Then, After that and Finally put instructions in order, and on the -ly adverbs of manner from A2.1 lesson 19, such as softly and carefully. The past continuous of lessons 9 and 10 returns inside the stories: Luckily, I was holding on tight. The 1925 relay has bad news, good news and a happy ending, so every linker marks a real turn.

A wheel of questions about dogs, cold days and heroes opens the lesson, followed by ten cards with a picture and audio for each word, from pull and steer to gold rush and bronze. The reading, a museum notice, tells the relay story with Togo's longest part and Balto's last one. The listening is an AI-voiced talk between Marco and Amber, a musher, after his first dog-sled ride, plus a viewer's question: who was the real hero? The scheme comes with four self-checking drills, among them a table where students type the right linker. In the speaking chapter, students play Marco and tell Maya about the ride in a chat; open boxes then call for stories of their own.

Eight homework tasks check themselves: word games, word order, endings to sort under Luckily or Unfortunately, a quiz on what each linker shows, a post with options and words to drag into a reply to the viewer.

Grammar:
story linkers · first, then, after that · suddenly · luckily, unfortunately · finally, in the end
Topic:
Nome, Alaska · Balto · Togo · sled dogs · dog mushing · Iditarod · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Hand out linker cards before the notice: as you read it aloud, students hold up Suddenly, Unfortunately, Luckily or In the end the moment they hear it.
  • Cut the 1925 story into strips, one event each, and let pairs put them in order; then they read the story aloud with a linker on every strip.
  • Pause the sled-ride dialogue after each linker and ask what kind of news comes next; students predict, then listen on to check.
  • Hold a quick debate on the viewer's question: who was the real hero, Balto or Togo? Each side answers with a fact from the notice and at least two linkers.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12 · you're hereThe dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

What are linking words?
Linking words are words that join ideas and show how they connect: and, but, because and so inside a sentence, or First, Then, Suddenly and In the end at its start. In a story, they tell the listener what is coming: First, a train took the medicine to Nenana. Then dog teams carried it. The A2 lesson The dogs who saved Nome on edio.ai teaches the story kind.
What connectors in English help you tell a story?
Story connectors in English mark the order of events and the kind of news: First, and Then or After that, for the order, Suddenly for a surprise, Luckily for good news, Unfortunately for bad news, and Finally or In the end for the last event. Each one opens its sentence: Unfortunately, the doctor's medicine was too old. Luckily, people found medicine in Anchorage.
How do you use sentence connectors like luckily and unfortunately?
Put the connector first, with a comma, and match it to the news: Luckily introduces something good and Unfortunately something bad. Luckily, the dogs found the way home. Unfortunately, our plane was two hours late. A mismatch confuses the listener: Luckily, I fell in the snow sounds strange unless the fall was good news. In The dogs who saved Nome on edio.ai, students sort story endings under each word.
What are time connectors in English?
Time connectors, or time linkers, show when each event happens: First for the start, Then or After that for the next step, Suddenly for something quick and unexpected, and Finally or In the end for the last event. First, we put on our parkas. Then we went out. Never open a story with In the end: it marks the last thing.
What are good transition words for stories?
Good transition words for stories are short openers that move the plot forward: First, Then, After that, Suddenly, Luckily, Unfortunately, Finally and In the end. Four of them make a whole story frame: First, … Suddenly, … Luckily, … In the end, … Add the past continuous for the background: I was walking home when suddenly it started to snow.
What's the difference between "in the end" and "at the end"?
In the end means after everything, at last; at the end means at the last part of something and usually takes of. In the end, the medicine reached Nome. The dogs stopped at the end of the trail. We clapped at the end of the movie. The dialogue in The dogs who saved Nome, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, uses both, first at the end of the trail, then in the end.
Is it "Lucky," or "Luckily," at the start of a sentence?
Use Luckily, the -ly adverb, to open a sentence: Luckily, the dogs were strong. The same rule gives Suddenly (not Sudden), Unfortunately (not Unfortunate) and Finally (not Final). The adjective needs a noun after it: a lucky day, a sudden noise. A gap-fill in The dogs who saved Nome, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, turns lucky, sudden, unfortunate and final into linkers.
Do you need a comma after linking words like suddenly?
Yes, a linker that opens a sentence takes a comma: Suddenly, the dogs ran really fast. Unfortunately, the doctor's medicine was too old. Finally, we said goodbye. Then is the usual exception and often goes without one: Then we went home. In the middle of a sentence, many linkers need no comma: The dogs suddenly stopped.
What words do you need to talk about sled dogs?
Sled-dog talk needs words for the team, its gear and its driver: a musher drives the sled, a lead dog runs at the front, and each husky wears a harness to pull. The musher steers left or right, dressed in a parka, a very warm coat with a hood. In a relay, teams take turns: in 1925, about 20 mushers carried medicine to Nome, Alaska, team after team.
How do I teach linking words to A2 students?
Teach linkers as signals of what comes next: say one, and students predict the news, so Luckily, … gets a happy ending and Unfortunately, … a sad one. Then order a short true story with First, Then and In the end, and add Suddenly for the surprise. The dogs who saved Nome on edio.ai uses a table whose first column says what kind of news comes next.
What's a good game for practicing story linkers?
A good-news, bad-news chain works well: one player starts a story, the next adds a sentence with Luckily, …, the next with Unfortunately, …, and the turns swing back and forth until someone ends the story: In the end, we all went to bed early. Open boxes help too, with prompts like Tell your partner about a surprise: I was … when suddenly …
Are there interactive exercises for linking words?
Yes: a linker gap-fill and a story chat on this page react to every answer, with no account needed. They come from The dogs who saved Nome, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, along with two more parts: the museum notice on the 1925 medicine relay and a dialogue after a first dog-sled ride. The gap-fill turns lucky into Luckily; in the chat, students retell the ride. The other drills are locked.
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