Lesson Targets
Students will be able to sequence a set of events from a story
Lesson Overview
One way to show that you understand what you read is to be able to sequence a story.
Task #1 - Sequence
Sequence means to put events in the correct order. For example let’s take these three tasks: get dressed, get out of bed and take a shower. Tosequence these you need to think, "Which one would I do first? Then what would I do? What would I do last?" Would it make sense to get dressed and then get out of bed? NO! What about get dressed and then take a shower? NO! The correct sequence would be: get out of bed, take a shower, get dressed. Now you may be thinking, “this is easy!" I agree - as a fourth grader you should be able to sequence 7-10 events in a story. So let's get to work.
One of the easiest ways to sequence a passage is to look for signal words. Clickhere to learn about signal words. (Note: you do not need to do the sandwich activity!)
Signal words will signal you when one event is completed or the next event is beginning. Understanding these words helps you to understand the sequence of the events. Refer to the chart below for examples.
SIGNAL / TRANSITION WORDS FOR RECOGNIZING SEQUENCE |
first, second, third, etc. | at the beginning |
finally | following that |
afterwards | later |
while | at (in) the end |
last | next |
the first/next/last thing | before |
then | after |
Read the paragraph below. Look for signal words.
In the beginning,the girls were just talking while they waited for the bus. Suddenly a car pulled up andblew its horn loudly. Next, a woman jumped out with her hair flying. At thesame time, the driver put the car in park and stepped into the street. When he did this, cars began stopping. Next, the bus arrived and joined the line ofstopped cars. Following that, the police arrived. Soon they had the woman calmed down. Then they asked the driver to move his car out of the way. When the street was clear, the line of cars moved on. Subsequently, the girls got onthe bus. The last thing they saw was a happy dog jump into the arms of the woman.
Did you see all the signal words? Here is the paragraph again with the signal words highlighted.
In the beginning,the girls were just talking while they waited for the bus. Suddenly a car pulled up and blew its horn loudly. Next, a woman jumped out with her hair flying. At the sametime, the driver put the car in park and stepped into the street.When he did this, cars began stopping. Next,the bus arrived and joined the line of stopped cars. Following that, the police arrived. Soon they had the woman calmed down. Then they asked the driver to move his car out of the way. When the street was clear, the line of cars moved on. Subsequently,the girls got on the bus. The last thing they saw was a happy dog jump into the arms of the woman.
Here are a couple of games to practice sequence. I suggest you try at least one at each level of steps.
If you do well, that's great! Youcan move on to Task #2.
If you don't do well, try a few more until you do well.
Click here for Using an Elevator (6 steps).
Click here for Fixing a Flat Tire on Your Bike (6 steps).
Click here for Carvinga Pumpkin (7 steps).
Click here forBrushing Your Teeth (7 steps).
Click here for Using a Gumball Machine (8 steps).
Click here forPlanting Flowers (8 steps).
Click here for Making Homemade Pizza (9 steps).
Click here for GoingTrick or Treating (9 steps).
Click here for Making Microwave Popcorn (10 steps).
Task #2 Assignment
On a piece of paper, I want you to make a sequence question for one of your classmates to complete (like the activities you just completed). You need to give it a title so that someone knows what they sequencing. Your question should have at least 5 steps, but not more than 8! Make sure you give me the answer key as well! Here is an example of what you need to do. (Have fun and be creative!)
How to get ready for school
__4___ Brush your teeth
__2___ Get dressed
__6___ Go out and wait for bus
__3___ Eat breakfast
__1___ Get out of bed
__5___ Put on coat
Remember to turn the assignment fromTask #2 to your reading teacher when you get back to school. You have up to 2 weeks after we have our e-Day to finish your lessons.