LESSON THREE: Sequencing
LESSON DESCRIPTION
This lesson focuses on using details from a nonfiction passage to identify cause and effect and to sequence events.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS
R3C Use details from text to identify and explain cause and effect
R3C Use details from text to sequence events
§ Sources of literature
o None
§ Supplies
o Highlighters
o Grammar/language textbook
o Two passages about influential American woman appropriate for determining sequence of main events (one for formative assessment)
o Lesson Three formative assessment scoring guide
§ Handouts provided
o Episodic notes graphic organizer
o Lesson Three Formative Assessment Prompt with graphic organizer
§ Words to know
o cause and effect
o graphic organizer
o narrative writing
For the formative assessment, students will read a nonfiction passage about an influential American woman and complete a provided graphic organizer to sequence three consecutive major events from the individual’s life. Scoring guide provided.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Lead students in brainstorming important school-related events that have happened so far this year. List those on the black/white board, overhead, Smart Board, NotePad, etc. in order as they are given by students.
|
Strategy
|
Stress to students not to offer personal or embarrassing events. It may be necessary to get students’ thinking started by offering appropriate events, such as dances, athletic events, major assignments, etc. If this lesson/unit is taught early in the school year, it may be necessary to reflect back on events near the end of the previous school year or to focus on summer events. As appropriate, events outside of school but with which all or most students will be familiar (community, state, national or world happenings) may be used instead of or in addition to school events. Be certain not to list the events in chronological order, as sequencing them is the goal of the lesson. If necessary, lead students to events out of sequence so that the list made is in random order. Try not to stifle students’ responses; accept nearly anything. (When sequencing the events, those that are trivial or otherwise inappropriate can be eliminated.) |
|
Questions for Students |
What are some recent major events in our school/community/state/nation/world?
|
2. Lead students in reorganizing the listed events in correct chronological order.
|
Strategy
|
There are several possible approaches to sequencing the events, such as beginning with the most recent event and working backward, beginning with the earliest event and working forward, or choosing the most major event and organizing others in relationship to that one. It may be helpful to go through the list of events and beside each write the month – or even the exact date if known – that each occurred. As they are sequenced, or put in chronological order, the events should be rewritten and numbered beginning with one or simply listed top to bottom from first to last. It is important that students understand that events are generally listed from the earliest through to the latest, though sometimes reverse order is used, with the most recent event being listed first and working through to the event that occurred first (as when listing employment on a job application). While sequencing, lead the students in eliminating trivial or inappropriate events. As an extension, once sequenced the events could be put in the form of a timeline; this would reinforce the concept of text features, as discussed in lesson two. |
|
Questions for Students |
Which of these events came first/last? What happened next? When did event x happen in relationship to event y? Did any of these events happen because of another? |
3. Lead students in discussing words and phrases that indicate sequence or time order; they should be familiar with many of those associated with narrative writing, as that is something they have been doing for several years. Also discuss words and phrases that indicate cause and effect, such as “because,” “as a result,” “so,” etc. (Note that one event often occurs as a direct result of another, thus cause and effect and sequencing are closely related skills.) After brainstorming sequencing and cause-and-effect words/phrases, ask students to consider situations they may face in their real life, such as their alarm failing to go off, and what would happen as a result.
|
Strategy
|
Many grammar/language textbooks or handbooks list time order words, and it may be appropriate to draw students’ attention to such a list, or even to make a list as a class and have students record those words and phrases in their notes.
Make it clear to students that the cause is what happens first and the event is what follows or results from the first thing. (In a written or spoken sentence, though, the effect may actually be stated first followed by the cause. An example: “We didn’t have school today because it snowed three inches last night.”) Also note that when one event leads to another, it is an example of cause and effect as well as sequencing.
This is a good opportunity to distinguish “cause,” a noun, from “because,” a conjunction. Make certain students understand that in conversation we often shorten words for simplicity’s sake and what we intend as “because” may become “’cause.” Also note that “because” in itself is not a reason, or cause; it is only the word that introduces the first-occurring event. This is also a good opportunity to discuss the often-confused “effect” and “affect.”
By extending the line of questioning, students should realize that sometimes what is a result of one thing may itself cause another result. For example, because the student’s alarm didn’t go off, the student overslept, so he/she may miss the bus, and because he/she missed the bus, his/her parent may become angry, and because the parent is angry, she/she may make the student walk to school, creating a chain of causes and effects (as well as a sequence of events). |
|
Questions for Students
|
What do we mean by “cause”? How is this different from “’cause” (a shortened form of “because”)? What do we mean by “effect”? (How is “effect” different from “affect”?) What might happen if your alarm fails to go off? How can one event be both a cause and an effect? In terms of sequencing events, which comes first, the cause or its effect? When writing about a cause and an effect, which comes first? |
|
Idea
|
For an explanation of cause and effect, see the Communication Arts Grade Level Expectations Glossary, 2004. |
4. Provide students with a passage about an influential American woman that makes use of words/phrases that indicate time order and cause-and-effect. Ask students for an example of those kinds of words/phrases in the passage and model highlighting the word/phrase on the overhead, Smart Board, NotePad, etc. Have students highlight the same word/phrase on their own copy of the passage. Note that dates also, of course, indicate time order, or sequencing, as well and may be highlighted just the same as time order words are. After highlighting the time order/sequencing or cause-and-effect word/phrase, also highlight the event that it introduces. Lead students in highlighting one or two additional time order or cause-and-effect words/phrases and the event each introduces; then assign students to continue doing the same in the rest of the passage. After all or most students have completed a portion of the passage (a paragraph, half a page, etc.), discuss the work done so far and correct any fallacies. Then have students use the same procedure to finish highlighting within the passage.
|
Strategy
|
It would be best to use a passage that isn’t entirely written in chronological order, such as a passage that begins with the person’s main accomplishments and then jumps back to her earlier life. Thus, students will understand that not all passages are written in chronological order and it is very important to pay attention to the clues (time order words, dates, etc.) that help indicate proper order of events. Using a passage with text features supporting it would reinforce lesson 2, but be certain not to use a passage that already displays the main events in the form of a graphic organizer such as a timeline.
Be certain students understand that though they’re reading nonfiction narratives because of the focus of this unit, the same kinds of sequencing words are used in fictional passages and well as in passages that explain the steps involved in completing a process, such as checking a book out of the library.
It may be useful to provide each student – or small group of students – with three or four highlighters of different colors, highlighting the first sequencing word and event with one color, then moving to a different color for the second sequencing word and event, and so forth. |
|
Questions for Students
|
What words/phrases or date(s) do you find in the passage that indicate time order or sequence? What words/phrases do you find in the passage that indicate a cause-and-effect relationship? What event does each word/phrase/date introduce? Are all of the events in this passage necessarily in chronological, or time, order? How can you tell? |
|
Idea
|
In order to model the highlighting technique, display a copy of the passage on an overhead, Smart Board, NotePad, etc. |
(Day 2?)
5. When all students have completed the highlighting activity, have them work in pairs to identify three consecutive main events from the passage. Students might circle each of the main events with a pen or note each in the margin of the passage. While students are doing this, walk about the room to monitor their discussions and choices, correcting any fallacies as necessary.
|
Strategy
|
Note that while there may not be a single correct answer to which three events are the main ones, students should be able to justify their choices, and there are certainly some events that are not among the most important. It may be useful to discuss what criteria can be used to evaluate an event’s importance.
Because this lesson includes both sequencing and identifying and explaining cause-and-effect, it is important that the three main events chosen also be consecutive. Use appropriate language to make it clear to fifth-graders what “consecutive” events are (one main event directly following another rather than skipping one or more main events, though trivial events may fall between those main events). |
|
Questions for Students |
Of the events identified in the passage, which are most important? (Why?) |
6. Students are then to list their three chosen events in the correct sequence, beginning with the earliest and working through to the last.
|
Strategy
|
Students may be instructed to simply make a list top to bottom of the events from first through last, or they may be instructed to number them one, two and three. Another method for recording three events in a sequence is the Episodic Notes graphic organizer, which calls for the student to draw in each of three boxes what happens during the event and what he/she “sees” in the passage. In addition the student explains what is happening and why it is important in the form of an accompanying caption. This is especially appropriate for fifth-graders whose learning is often still best reinforced visually and who often like to draw. The use of a picture and written caption may make it easier for students to get their ideas across. On the other hand, little instruction could be given about what method the students are to use to list the events so that students have the opportunity to create an appropriate method, and the class could then study and discuss the various methods chosen. As time and space allow, the teacher may want to have a representative of each pair write the group’s final list on the black/white board for the purpose of discussing and comparing students’ responses. |
|
Ideas |
For information on Episodic Notes, see Burke (2002). |
|
Questions for Students |
Which of these three events happened first? Second? Last? What words help us determine the order? |
7. For the formative assessment, provide students with an appropriate passage and the Lesson Three Formative Assessment Prompt and Scoring Guide. Students should work independently to complete the formative assessment.
|
Assessment
|
For the formative assessment, students will read an appropriate passage about an influential American woman’s life, identify at least three major events in the passage and then put those in the correct order/sequence in the graphic organizer provided. |
|
Strategy
|
Again, try to choose a passage in which the events are not necessarily reported in chronological order and one that doesn’t already make use of a text feature that lists the events in the correct sequence. Students may continue to use the highlighting technique at the teacher’s discretion. The teacher may choose to have students make use of the Episodic Notes graphic organizer rather than the one provided with the formative assessment, especially if students have previously practiced using the Episodic Notes tool. |