It is important that students be able to sequence events and actions. Sequencing is needed to complete the steps of a task, to give directions (and follow them), to tell about an event, retell a story, and have a conversation (which is its own unique sequence).
In the context of reading, we talking about sequencing the events in the story. Being able to identify what happened first. What happened next. What happened last? How did it end?
There is a lot involved with this. Understanding serial order. Moving left to right or up to down. And understanding how one even led to the next; whether or not there is a cause-effect relationship, or merely a temporal one.
When I use books to work on language skills with students, I always use a sequencing task as the first step in having students be able to re-tell the story.
One of my favorite winter books is Jack Ezra Keats’ The Snowy Day.
Now that I live in an area where there is no snow, students are less engaged with a story that they can’t relate to. But I’ve spent most of my life in areas where there is an abundance of snow.
If you read the book with your students you’ll see that there are two very distinct and easy to follow sequences in the story; what Peter does outside in the snow and what he does once he gets back inside.
Try this free sequencing activity for his snowy exploits – and try to stay warm!
Keep on talking.
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