Sequence Writing Graphic Organizer Worksheet

Sequencing is one of the first big steps in learning to write a story. Before a child can tell about an event from beginning to end, they have to decide what happened first, what came next, and how the whole thing ended. This Sequence Writing Graphic Organizer Worksheet gives first graders a simple, visual place to do that thinking before they ever start a draft. Instead of staring at a blank page, students slow down, picture their story in order, and put one part of it in each box.

This first grade graphic organizer worksheet opens with a single line where students name what their story is about. Under it, four labeled boxes — First, Next, Then, and Last — each hold three wide writing lines, so children can add real details instead of squeezing everything into one word. A short self-check at the bottom asks them to confirm that they told what happened first, used the order words, and gave their story a good ending. Use it as a pre-writing page before a narrative draft, as a retelling frame after a read-aloud, or as a quick writing-center activity.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• A story-idea line and four labeled sequencing boxes (First, Next, Then, Last)
• 12 wide primary writing lines plus a three-point student self-check

There are three reasons this Sequence Writing Graphic Organizer Worksheet helps young writers. First, the order words are printed right on the page, so children practice the temporal words their writing standards ask for instead of trying to remember them on their own. Second, breaking a story into four boxes makes a big task feel small — each box holds only a sentence or two, which keeps reluctant writers moving. Third, the closing box builds the habit of ending a story on purpose rather than stopping when the paper runs out.

Teachers and parents can stretch the same skill away from the page. Tell a familiar story out loud and have your child hold up one finger for each part in order. Mix up four picture cards from a favorite book and ask them to lay the cards down in the right sequence before retelling it. Ask sequencing questions all day long: what did we do first this morning, and what came last? At home, have children narrate an everyday routine such as making a sandwich or getting ready for school, and then write it in the four boxes.

Related Resources

• Beginning, Middle, End Sequencing Graphic Organizer
• Story Plot Order of Events Worksheet
• Story Elements Graphic Organizer
• Story Elements Song by Have Fun Teaching