Sequencing Events — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Read the story: "First, Emma heard thunder. Next, she closed the windows. Then, she grabbed a blanket. Finally, she read a book on the couch." What happened right AFTER she closed the windows?
A) She heard thunder.
B) She grabbed a blanket.
C) She read a book.
D) She went outside.
The word "Then" follows the windows sentence and introduces the blanket, which tells the reader grabbing the blanket happened immediately after closing the windows.
2. Read the story: "The rain started to fall. Then, puddles formed on the sidewalk. Next, Jake put on his rain boots. Last, he splashed in the puddles." What happened FIRST?
A) Jake put on his rain boots.
B) Puddles formed on the sidewalk.
C) The rain started to fall.
D) He splashed in the puddles.
The rainfall is the event that kicks off everything else — puddles, boots, and splashing could only happen after the rain started.
3. Read the story: "Mom opened the umbrella. After that, she walked to the mailbox. Then, she grabbed the letters and hurried back inside." What happened LAST?
A) Mom opened the umbrella.
B) She walked to the mailbox.
C) She grabbed the letters and hurried back inside.
D) She closed the umbrella.
Grabbing the letters and rushing inside sits at the end of the story after the word "Then," which makes it the final action in the sequence.
4. Read the story: "First, the clouds turned dark. Next, the wind blew hard. Then, it started to rain. Finally, a rainbow appeared." What happened right BEFORE the rainbow appeared?
A) The clouds turned dark.
B) The wind blew hard.
C) It started to rain.
D) The sun came out.
Rainbows appear when sunlight meets raindrops, and the rain sentence sits right before the rainbow sentence — so rain is the event just before the rainbow.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. In the story, the thunder came after the lightning.
Light travels faster than sound, so you see lightning first and hear thunder "after" — this order is just how a storm actually works.
2. The word 'finally' is a signal word that marks the very end of a story.
"Finally" is the sequence word writers save for the grand finish, so whenever you see it, the story's very last event is about to appear.
3. You should put on rain boots before you go outside in the rain.
Rain boots only keep your feet dry if they are already on when you step outside, so pulling them on must happen "before" leaving the house.
4. The main events of a rainy day story happen in the middle.
Every story has a beginning and an end, but the biggest action — the actual adventures of the day — all unfolds in the "middle."
5. When we put story events in the right order, we are sequencing them.
"Sequencing" is the reader's word for placing events from start to end in the order they happened — it is the same idea as lining up dominoes.