What is a sequence?
A sequence is the order in which things happen. Lots of things happen in a sequence.
To make a sandwich:
- First, get two slices of bread.
- Next, spread the peanut butter or jam.
- Then, put the slices together.
- Last, eat your sandwich!
If you did these steps out of order, it wouldn’t work very well. Imagine eating it before you made it!
Order words
Order words help us tell things in sequence: first, next, then, last. You can also use:
- before and after
- beginning, middle and end
- yesterday, today and tomorrow
- morning, afternoon and evening
- finally
Before lunch, we read a story. After lunch, we went outside.
Events
An event is something that happens. An event can be big or small:
- your birthday
- the first day of school
- losing a tooth
- a holiday
- getting a new pet
- a class trip
What is a timeline?
A timeline is a line that shows events in the order they happened. The earliest events go on the left, and later events go on the right, just like reading words on a page.
A day timeline
| 7:00 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wake up | go to school | eat lunch | go home | go to bed |
A life timeline
| Age 0 | Age 1 | Age 3 | Age 5 | Age 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| born | took first steps | started preschool | started kindergarten | learned to ride a bike |
Reading a timeline
When you read a timeline, ask:
- What happened first?
- What happened last?
- What happened before this event?
- What happened after it?
Calendars
A calendar shows days, weeks and months. It helps us keep track of time and plan events.
- There are 7 days in a week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
- There are 12 months in a year: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
- There are 4 seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall (autumn).
You can mark birthdays, holidays and special events on a calendar.
Timelines in history
People use timelines to show events from long ago, too. For example, a timeline can show how transportation changed:
| Long, long ago | Long ago | Not long ago | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| walking and canoes | horses and wagons | the first cars and trains | electric cars and airplanes |
Try it yourself
- Put these in order: brush teeth, wake up, eat breakfast, go to school.
- Draw a timeline of your day with at least four events.
- Make a life timeline with photos or drawings from when you were a baby until now.
- Find your birthday on a calendar. What month and season is it in?
- Tell a story using first, next, then and last.
Tip for families
Use order words when doing everyday tasks together, like baking cookies. Ask your child, "What do we do first? What comes next?"
Quick recap
- A sequence is the order things happen.
- Order words include first, next, then, last, before and after.
- An event is something that happens.
- A timeline shows events in order from earliest to latest.
- A calendar shows days, weeks and months.