Describing Experiences Worksheet

Describing an experience means telling what happened in order and adding the details that let a listener picture it. When a first grader says “First I cracked a brown egg, next I stirred the batter, last I ate sweet pancakes,” they are recounting events in sequence and choosing describing words at the same time. This describing experiences worksheet teaches both halves of that skill with one short, friendly story before children write about a day of their own.

This 1st grade describing words worksheet tells a four-part pancake story, but the parts are printed out of order. Students read each sentence, look at its picture, and number the parts from 1 to 4 so the story makes sense. Then they find and circle the one describing word in each sentence: brown, big, hot and sweet. At the bottom, the page turns the skill over to the child with three sentence starters, First, I, Next, I and Last, I, so they can write about something fun they did using order words and details.

What’s Included

• A one-page describing experiences worksheet with four picture cards and a writing section
• A sequencing task where students number the parts of the story from 1 to 4
• Four sentences, each with exactly one describing word to circle
• First, Next and Last sentence frames for a personal recount
• An answer key with the correct order and every describing word circled

Here are three reasons this worksheet helps kids. First, the pictures give every reader a way into the story, so children can reason about order even while their reading is still growing. Second, circling a single describing word in each sentence shows students exactly what an adjective does: it tells more about a noun. Third, moving from a model story to their own First, Next and Last sentences helps children see that the same tools good writers use in a book are tools they can use too.

Teachers can model the pancake story aloud before students start, acting out cracking, stirring, cooking and eating so the order is easy to hear. After the worksheet, invite children to share their own recount with a partner and ask, “What describing word could you add?” Parents can use the page after a family outing or a weekend baking project, talking through what happened first, next and last and naming the colors, sizes and tastes along the way. The sheet also works well in a writing center or as a quick check after a lesson on sequencing and adjectives.

Related Resources

• Sequencing Pictures Worksheet
• Describing Words Activity
• Sharing Experiences Worksheet
• Adjective Song (Have Fun Teaching)