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Literacy · Years 1-2
How can I teach children to put story events in order?
Read all the events, look for time words and check which actions must happen before others. This fictional planting story provides six cards for ordering and retelling.
Download: Sequence a planting story
A4 PDF · 2 pages · free · no sign-up
Print page 1 for the activity and keep page 2 for teaching notes and answers or suggested responses.
Use A4 paper at 100% or Actual size. Choose by the task and your class; the suggested range is a starting point, not a curriculum-alignment claim.
How to use this resource
- Read all six cards before moving them.
- Find the beginning and use sequence clues to arrange the rest.
- Retell the complete story and check that each event follows sensibly.
Make it easier or add challenge
More support
Read the cards aloud and begin with three selected events. Reintroduce the other cards after the sequence is secure.
More challenge
Retell without the cards or add a connecting sentence explaining a transition.
What to look for
Can the child justify an event's position? The planting story is fiction and does not give a real germination timetable.
Teacher answers and suggested responses
Order: B, D, F, C, A, E.
This order follows the story as written. Actual germination time varies; a week is a fictional event, not a promised growing timetable.
A useful next step
Printing, access and sharing
Allow drawing, discussion, practical materials or usual communication tools where they support the learning aim. Use separate paper if a child needs more writing or drawing space.
Free to print and copy within your school, setting or family. Retain the website credit and share this resource page with other settings.