How does sequencing help kids

The importance of a defined beginning, middle, and end is further emphasized from the first fairy tales students encounter through to the later classics of English literature. While it is clear our students have a sense of what sequence is right from the start, understanding how a sequence comes together, and developing the necessary skills to identify its component parts, is another matter and it is this that will serve as the focus of this article.

Given its importance in our daily lives, it is no surprise that there are a myriad of reasons to teach sequencing skills to our students. Strong sequencing skills help students:. For our students, being able to identify the sequence of events in a piece of writing is essential for them to gain a clear understanding of what they are reading.

An important reading comprehension strategy, sequencing allows students to make sense of how events unfold in their reading. In turn, these reading skills will help students in their own writing. It will help them to construct a cohesive and logical flow to their writing that readers can follow easily. There is a multitude of applications for good sequencing skills outside of the English classroom too.

They are needed to effectively perform the steps of a science experiment in the correct order, for writing a set of instructions, for making sense of a historical series of events, and they are an important aspect of problem-solving in mathematical computation.

For more complex narratives and technical nonfiction genres that comprise more moving parts, other techniques need to be employed. Graphic organizers are a great way to help students arrange their thoughts more efficiently in a range of areas — and sequencing is no exception.

There are a number of different graphic organizers that lend themselves well to displaying sequences of events. The timeline is the most commonly used form of graphic organizer used for displaying events in chronological order. They can come in a wide variety of forms, including vertical, horizontal, and illustrated. Students can get creative with timelines in a number of ways.

Or, they could create a map timeline which places the timeline onto a map depicting distance, place, and dates of events. Timelines are great for sequencing the events in fiction and nonfiction genres alike. This graphic organizer visually represents a set of stair steps.

Students should write the events of the story on each step of the stairs in the order they occur, starting with the first event on the first step and with each event that follows written on the next step above. This is also a useful way for students to represent nonlinear narratives, such as in medias res. This organizer is a helpful means to unravel more complex chronologies. The finished chart helps the student to see each of the events in the story in the order that they occurred.

There are a range of ways to encourage student awareness of the importance of sequencing for the comprehensive understanding of a text. Using the graphic organisers mentioned above is one such way of helping students to identify the main events of a text. In this activity, divide the class up into smaller groups of three or four.

Give each a copy of a short story for differentiation purposes, you could assign groups based on ability here and give each a story according to their level. The short stories should be cut up into paragraphs or individual sentences.

Then, we are ready to go to school. Practice sequencing using different modalities. Sequencing can be communicated in various ways, using words, pictures, music, and objects, for example.

Practicing sequencing with your child using various tools and modalities can advance his or her skills and engagement in learning. One modality might be to use stories as models for how events occur in sequences. You can ask your child what happened first, what happened next, and how the story ended.

Since songs often have repetitive structures and may have associated dance moves, learning a new song or dance can encourage your child to practice sequencing while having fun. Puppet shows and other forms of dramatic play are also great ways of fostering sequential storytelling. Helping your child develop sequencing skills can help strengthen his or her conceptual and reasoning ability along with concentration skills and verbal, written, and mathematical foundations.

There are many fun ways to practice sequencing. Have any of the approaches described in this article worked for you? Do you have any other ideas? We would love to hear your thoughts! Spivey, Becky L. Super Duper Publications, Linde, Sharon. Grace Chen is currently pursuing an Ed. She has been a teaching artist, curriculum developer, and research assistant focusing on innovative evaluations in out-of-school time programs. She hopes to develop resonant and empowering art programs by partnering with youth in educational research and practice.

All Rights Reserved. However, it is also a very abstract concept and takes a lot of practice to master. Fortunately, there are a lot of natural, simple, and fun ways to teach sequencing!

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By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Method 1. Use sequencing words in conversation. Use words like first, second, third, next, in front of, after, and last when you talk with your children.

For instance, while waiting at the crosswalk, you might say, "See the cars at the red light? The first car is blue, and the second car is green. The last car is red. Describe what your child has built: "I see that you put a big block in back of the triangle. Look at how you also put a little block on top of that big block. You might say, "Nina, what do you want first, the scissors or the glue stick?

Talk with your kids about their daily activities. Many children have a working understanding of words as first, second, third, next, in front of, after, and last by the age of 4. However, not all children have a firm grasp of the concept. Engaging children in language and discussion about their daily activities will help them to build their understanding of sequencing. Next, put on your hat and mittens. Then, we will be ready to go to the playground. Ask the child to explain what to do first, next, and last during events throughout their day such as eating lunch, cleaning up, going to the bathroom, or having a fire drill.

Let the child talk about each step as it is happening. Read books together and talk about the order of story events. Understanding sequencing is the precursor to retelling stories. Children begin to understand that stories follow a sequence that include a beginning, middle, and an end.

For example, you might read and experiment with Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Ask your child, "What happened first in the story, next, and last? Method 2. Play the robot game. This is a game that uses a lot of sequencing and communication skills. An adult or teacher is a "robot" that will follow directions given by a child very, very literally! The child has to give a command, and the robot will do it, even if the direction is incomplete! This can lead to funny situations.

For instance, the child may forget to tell the robot to reach inside the bread bag, or open the top of the jelly jar.

They forget to mention that the jelly goes in the middle of the sandwich. This game reinforces concepts of sequencing, but also how to communicate instructions clearly and completely. Create puppet shows. Dramatic play helps children build communication skills. Puppets are a great way of unfolding dramatic play, and some children are more comfortable storytelling in this way. Use puppets to tell a familiar story like Goldilocks or Jack and the Beanstalk , or make up a new story with your child.

Emphasize that the story must have a clear beginning, middle, and end. You could also use flannel or felt board characters. Print pictures of storybook characters and attach Velcro to the back of each one.