All About Sequencing

Building academic language

Word

• Display visuals or draw images of three regular school day activities such as morning circle, lunch, and dismissal.
• Write the words, "First we ____." on the board for students to reference.
• Have students turn and talk to a partner to answer the question, "Which activity do we do first?"
  • Invite one or two pairs to share their thinking with the class. Have them turn and talk to answer the questions:
  • Which activity do we do next?
  • Which activity do we do last?
• Explain that the students just put the three activities in order. Say, "We don't get to school and eat lunch right away! That would be so silly. First we, ____. Then we, ____. Finally, we ____."
• Explain that just like during the day, when we read a story, it happens in order.

Sentence

• Write the word "sequence" on the board and read the word aloud.
• Tell the class that sequence is another way to say "order" and that you will be practicing sequencing pictures to put them in the right order. Write the word "order" next to sequence.
• Display the three images from Put Things in Order worksheet
  • Ask students to identify what is in each of the images.
  • Ask the class if they know which image should go first.
• Have students turn and talk to share their ideas. Provide them with a pre-written sentence frame, "I think the ____ goes first because ____." to use as a verbal support or to complete in writing.
• Have a few pairs share their ideas with the class.
• Review that when things are put in the right order, it is called a "sequence."
• Have the class help you put all three images in the correct order by assigning three corners of the room "beginning", "middle", and "ending."
• Hold up an image and ask students to move to the corner where they think the image belongs.
• Repeat this activity for all three images.
• As students move to different corners, check to see who is confident in their choice and who is unsure.
• Check which students are choosing the correct corners.

Discourse

• Explain that you will be reading aloud a story and that after you finish, the students will help you retell the story in order.
• Read aloud the story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears while projecting the story to the class.
• As you read, ask students to pay careful attention to the illustrations, or pictures in the story to remind them of what is happening.
• After you finish reading, ask the students to think about the sequence of the story and what happens first.
• Provide them with a pre-written sentence stem, "In the beginning of the story ____." Have students complete this in writing (using invented spelling as they are able).
• Ask students to share out their ideas using the sentence stem with the class.
• Go back to the beginning of the story and check student understanding.