📖 ReadingGrade 3Lesson 13
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Sequence Story Events

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Learning Objectives

  • 1Identify the first, next, and last events in a story
  • 2Use sequence words such as first, then, next, and finally to retell events in order
  • 3Explain why the order of events matters in a story
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Mini Lesson

When you read a story, the events happen in a certain order. Putting them in the right order is called sequencing. Good readers track what happened first, next, and last so they can follow the story and retell it clearly.

Sequence Words

  • First / To begin — marks the opening event of the story.
  • Then / Next / After that — shows events that follow in the middle.
  • Finally / At last / In the end — marks the closing event.
  • Before / After — shows the relationship between any two events.

How to Sequence Events

  1. Read the whole story before you try to sequence it.
  2. Look for sequence words (first, then, finally) to guide you.
  3. Think about cause and effect — event A causes event B.
  4. Number the events or draw a simple timeline.
Story sequence chain: first, next, lastThree connected boxes labeled First, Next, and Last showing the order of events in a story.Story SequenceFirstThe opening event↓NextMiddle events↓LastThe closing event
Sequence words chartA chart showing common sequence words grouped by position: beginning, middle, and end.Sequence WordsBeginningFirst, To begin, At firstMiddleThen, Next, After thatEndFinally, At last, In the end
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If a story has no sequence words, ask yourself: "Could this event happen before the other?" That question helps you decide the correct order.

Vocabulary
Sequence
The order in which events happene.g. I retold the sequence of the story from start to end.
Event
Something that happens in a storye.g. The first event was the boy losing his dog.
Beginning
The first part of a storye.g. The beginning sets up the characters.
Middle
The main part of a story where the problem happense.g. In the middle, the dog gets lost in the woods.
End
The last part of a story where the problem is solvede.g. In the end, the boy finds his dog.
Signal word
Words that help show order, like first, next, then, finallye.g. "First" is a signal word for the beginning.
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← Lesson 12: Understand Cause and EffectLesson 14: Make Predictions and Inferences →