Sequence of Events Teacher Resources

Alliterative adjective nicknames generate stories inspired by Rosemary Wells' book Noisy Nora (also a thematic complement to any class with children who make a ruckus to get attention). Class members explore basic story elements -- characters, setting, conflict, sequence of events, and resolution -- in Noisy Nora, and employ them in original short stories based on adjectives they brainstorm about themselves. A beautifully integrated exercise, and fun!

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Young writers explore sequence of events in this guided practice activity. Based on a reading of "My Trip to Lyme Park," they discuss sequence words and develop the story of a trip to the park using first, then, and next.

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Every story needs an order of events, but how do we know what comes first? As simple as this seems, it's important for scholars to break apart story lines to analyze the logic in event sequencing. Choose a fiction book to read aloud, first asking kids to predict what it is about from the cover. After explaining sequencing in books, lead scholars to understand the ways they sequence events every day. How do they know what comes first when they tell a funny story? Read the story and then brainstorm as a class to record major events on chart paper. Encourage the terms beginning, end, and middle as the class recalls the storyline. 

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Using the folk tale "The Man, The Boy, and The Donkey" (linked in the lesson) and a SMART board, teachers can help pupils access multiple skills. Reading the story allows learners to create a timeline of the sequence of events based on the beginning, middle, and end. Additionally, they complete a homework activity based on another sequence of events, such as completing a recipe or playing a board game. Note: Files are in SMART board format.

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Elementary schoolers listen to a read aloud of Brenda Z. Guiberson's, Cactus Hotel before acting the story out using the proper sequence of events. Using a graphic organizer, they determine the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Finally, as an assessment they write a summary, poem or narrative from the cacti' point of view.

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Class members simulate a watershed with a painters drop cloth, placing objects underneath to create landscape variation, making "rain" with a watering can, and using red drink mix powder to track the path of precipitation. They observe what happens and depict the sequence of events on a chart (example included). Engaging and visual. Extend by researching the topography of your local watershed and building an accurate facsimile.

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Children listen to the story, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, and discuss the sequence of events. They create a booklet, sequencing the events in the correct order.

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Learners retell a story using the correct sequence of events for a story they have listened to five times. They identify the characters and the setting for the story, and sequence the events using a dissembled copy of the book.

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Explore the Ukraine through a reading of The Mitten. Readers will determine the sequence of events, cause and effect, make predictions, and find the main idea of the story. They also use math skills to make charts and graphs. Finally, they will draw additional animals that could be found in the story.

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