Sequencing

Any time you do a task, you follow a sequence of steps. To make macaroni and cheese, you need to boil water, cook the pasta, add milk, add butter, add the cheese mix, and simmer.

What is sequencing?

Writers typically arrange sentences, paragraphs, and ideas in one of several common patterns. Recognizing these different patterns allows you to predict what will happen next and to visualize the events and details. Recognizing sequences will also help you infer main ideas when they are not stated.

How do I find sequences?

The first step in finding sequences is recognizing facts and details. The next step is to discover how the facts and details are related. Writers commonly indicate relationships and sequences in two ways. The first way is simply to write sentences in the correct sequence. For example, a person that writes computer manuals would write a sentence explaining the first step. The next sentence explains the second step, and so on. The writer may or may not number, letter, or highlight the order of the sentences.

The second way writers show sequence or order is to use transition words. Transition words show relationships between facts and details. Once you know which words to look for, you can scan the materials for these transition words. A writer might use the words “first”, “next”, or lastly to indicate the sequence of events. Look at the table. It gives a few examples of transition words for common organization patterns.