Sequencing Stories

Students will:

• Be able to use Sequencing Stories to assist them in their learning process in efforts to achieve with writing their own stories. 

Vocabulary Words:

1. Sequential: Sequential is forming or following in a logical order of events or sequential steps.

2. Events: Events are a thing that happens, especially one of importance.

3. Create: To create is to bring something into existence.

4. Story: A story is an account of imaginary or real people and events sold for entertainment.

5. Specific: Specific is clearly defined or identified.

To prepare for this lesson:

• In preplanning, the teacher will want to explain the sequencing skill that contributes to the student’s ability to comprehend what they read. Also, the teacher will help the student to know that sequencing is the order that the events occurred in the story.

• To identify the components of a story here they are as follows: the beginning, middle, and end, the teacher will show pictures within a given well-known story. The teacher can also use transition words to begin sentences such as; First, Next, and Last. The students will learn the ability to retell the events within a given text in the order that they occurred.

• Sequencing events in a text is a key comprehension tool, especially for narrative texts. Sequencing is also an important component of problem-solving across subject matters.

• The teacher will know when to use the following:

  • Before reading
  • During reading
  • After reading
• Also how to use:
  • Individually
  • With small groups
  • With whole-class setting

• The teacher can write on the board as follows:

  • What is sequencing?
  • The sequence is the order.
  • The story is about a little boy that wants ice cream.
  • Why wouldn’t the ice cream come first?
• The teacher will talk about the events.
  • Events are something that happens that is important to the story.
  • Recall a story that you have recently read, what was an important event from the story?
• The teacher will talk about the order of events.
  • Thinking about order when telling a story, or re-telling, you should think about what happens and form the current order.
    • First, the boy gets hungry for ice cream.
    • Picture of a boy
    • Next, the boy decides to go to the store to get ice cream.
    • Picture of a Supermarket
    • Then, the boy picks his favorite flavor of ice cream at the store.
    • Picture of a boy choosing a flavor in the freezer section of the store.
    • Last, the boy buys his favorite flavor of ice cream and eats it.
    • Picture of a boy paying for the ice cream he chose at the store to the clerk at the cash register.
    • Picture of a boy eating his ice cream.
• The teacher will then show how she sequenced the events and put them in order.
• The teacher will mention the transition words by asking the question, “Did you notice the words, first, next, and last?”
• Then, he/she will say “These words help us put our events in order.”
• This accomplishes the lesson on the Sequence of events to be able to write Sequencing Stories.
• Pictures will be available and ready (specific to a story) that may be sequenced to create a story. 
• Select writing paper that is suited for sequencing pictures, two pictures on the left side of each page. In case more writing lines are needed, lines without pictures may be printed on the back. If your school’s lined writing paper is used, the pictures can be glued, one under the other, on the left-hand side of the page.
• In most teacher libraries, stores, and outlets, there are reproducible books on the subject of sequencing.
• Eradicate the sentences first before reproducing the pages if these sequencing books already have sentences provided.
• There are three excellent sources for sequencing at the primary level.  
  • Fairy Tale Sequencing by Joy Evans and JoEllen Moore.
  • Picture Sequencing by Helen Chirinian,
  • Sequencing by Phyllis Bass.
• For sample story ideas go to Magic Keys. 
   

• Check out StoryJumper or ABYCA's Storymaker to sample constructing a story with text and/or voice. Storyjumper allows the students to write and narrate their voices. 

• Here is an article with information on creating Word Walls to teach vocabulary. 

• Here is a sample site for teaching sequencing stories.

See Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students website in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

1. The teacher will hand out the websites or have them on a bookmarked site for the students to access easily. 

   • Magic Keys - Sample storybooks for young children

   • StoryJumper or ABCYA Storymaker- Sample constructing a story with text and/or voice  

   • Sample learning vocabulary using a word wall. 

2. Allow the students to work individually or in pairs to explore the website (about 20-30) minutes or may need to do two or more days depending on the student's grade level.

3. If needed have the students meet with their teacher’s aid in small groups.

4. Give the students discussion questions on the pictures. Ask them what is happening in each picture. Allow the students to reread the story in between discussing the pictures. Ask them what events came before the other when they reread and look at the pictures.

5. Have the students put the pictures in sequencing order.

6. In addition: The teacher will use the video to introduce the concept of sequencing.

7. Explain to the students that they will be using an example video with pictures. The pictures will have sentences describing what is happening in the picture.

8. Explain to the students that they will be using an example story with pictures and an idea. They will be creating a very specific set of sequenced directions

   • Use prepared words that may be used with each prepared picture.

   • Create a list of words that may be used for each picture.

   • Write one or two sentences about each picture.

   • Pictures should be in sequential order for the story to make sense.

   • The final result is a complete story.

Different options for assessing the students:

• Observations
• Check for understanding

• The teacher can create a rubric to assess a student’s mastery over this resource or the concepts surrounding its use.

  • http://www.teachjunkie.com/language-arts-writing - go to language arts
  • http://www.thoughtco.com/infographic-2081370