Determine the order of events in informational texts
key notes:
To understand a series of events, ideas or steps, you have to think about the order in which things happen.
As you read, one thing to look for is words that show time, such as next, later, after, already and then. These words can help you see what happens first, what happens in the middle and what happens last.
Learn with an example
😆Use the text to put the events in order.
Your mouth is home to many bacteria. When you eat something sugary, the bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugar. Over time, this causes more and more bacteria to form. If you don’t clean your teeth soon enough, the build-up of bacteria can make a slimy coating called plaque. Plaque sticks to your teeth, but you can remove it by brushing. If you don’t remove plaque, though, a cavity may begin to form.
| A cavity begins to from. | Plaque sticks to teeeth. | Bacteria feed on sugars. |
This passage tells about a process. It lets you know that the process happens in this order:
- Bacteria feed on sugars.
- Plaque sticks to teeth.
- A cavity begins to form.
😆Use the text to put the events in order.
To become a knight in the Middle Ages, boys had to work hard and train for years. At the age of seven, a boy would become another knight’s page, or servant. When the boy turned fifteen, he would become the knight’s squire, or ‘shield-bearer’. Squires learned to fight and ride horses. If the squire proved himself in battle, he finally became a knight at the age of twenty-one.
| Boys become knights. | Boys become pages. | Boys become squires. |
This passage tells about a process. It lets you know that the process happens in this order:
- Boys become pages.
- Boys become squires.
- Boys become knights.
😆Use the text to put the events in order.
Your mouth is home to many bacteria. When you eat something sugary, the bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugar. Over time, this causes more and more bacteria to form. If you don’t clean your teeth soon enough, the build-up of bacteria can make a slimy coating called plaque. Plaque sticks to your teeth, but you can remove it by brushing. If you don’t remove plaque, though, a cavity may begin to form.
| Bacteria feed on sugars. | Plaque sticks to teeth. | A cavity beings to form. |
This passage tells about a process. It lets you know that the process happens in this order:
- Bacteria feed on sugars.
- Plaque sticks to teeth.
- A cavity begins to form.
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