Have you ever seen a really good movie? Maybe it was an action-packed superhero movie or a fantasy adventure to a far off land. When a director creates a new film, he or she has to make sure the scenes help the movie make sense from the opening scene until the credits start rolling.
Likewise, as a reader, it's important for you to identify the sequence of events in a story. The sequence of events is the order of events as they occur in a story. Just like when the heroes can't stop the world-ending doomsday machine before it's been built in a superhero movie, the sequence of events in story occurs in a precise order so that it makes sense to the person reading it.
So how do you identify the sequence of events? Get your popcorn because it's showtime!
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Try it nowMovie directors often use storyboards to help them visualize what will happen in each scene. Storyboards show what will happen in each camera shot just like the panels of a comic book tell a story. As a reader, you can also think of the sequence of events like a storyboard.
After you've read a story, you can organize the story into three sections and ask yourself the following questions:
The beginning of the story usually introduces the main characters, setting, and problem faced by or purpose of the characters. The middle part of the story usually focuses on the characters as they try and solve the problem. The end of the story focuses on how the problem is resolved, or the end of the characters' journey.
It may help to create a chart, like this one, to help you organize the different events that make up the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
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In the movies, directors use different transitions between scenes to show the audience that one event has ended and another is beginning. Think about how the screen might fade to black just as the innocent citizen dangles from the ledge of a building and right before the superhero flies in to save the day.
Likewise, authors use transition words to show the relationship between different events, including the sequence of events. When identifying the sequence of events, it's important to look at transition words because they can help you identify when certain events happen.
Look at the following text and the events listed. Can you sequence the events in the correct order? What transition words helped you determine the correct sequence?
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The correct order for the sequence of events is: C, D, A, and B. Event C is the first event because the transition word 'initially' signals that the story is just beginning. Events D and A are the second and third events because the transition words 'later' and 'when suddenly' show that one event is ending and another is occurring. Lastly, Event B is the fourth and final event because the transition word 'finally' signals that the story is coming to a close.
Speaking of which, this lesson is coming to a close. Cue the credits!
The sequence of events is the order of events as they occur in a story. To find the sequence of events, you should think about what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Additionally, you should look for transition words to help understand the order of the events.
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This lesson taught you the importance of understanding the events of a story in order. Check out these lessons to practice what you've learned and explore it in more depth.
As this lesson explained, there are certain things that usually happen at the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Think of some stories that you are very familiar with. Nursery rhymes and fairy tales are a great place to start because they tend to be simple and easy to remember. Choose at least three stories and divide them into their beginning, middle, and end sections. Check back on this lesson if you get stuck. When you feel confident that you've divided the stories properly, get a family member or teacher to check your work.
There is more to a story than just beginning, middle, and end. Many events can happen in a single story, just like in the example of the tortoise and the hare in this story. Think of a book that you've recently read. On one piece of paper, write a clear list of events in the story. Now, cut them up into separate sentences and mix them all up. Can you put them back together again in the right order? Make sure that the end result of your activity makes logical sense.
If you feel really confident in your understanding of narrative structure, try writing your own short story. Think carefully about the order of events as you write them. What does the audience have to be aware of for the events to make sense? What is your story's beginning, middle, and end? Consider these questions as you write.
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