Year 1 English: Sentences in order: first, next, then, after that, finally
Part of the Year 1 English writing your own sentences and stories chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Sentences in order: first, next, then, after that, finally
A story, or a recount, tells what happened. It tells the events in the order they happened. Words such as first, next, then, after that and finally help us to follow the order.
Look at the party. Ali has a birthday party first. Friends come next. Then they sing. After that they eat cake. Finally Ali opens his gifts.
Key ideas
- First is the start of the story.
- Next, then and after that come in the middle.
- Finally is the end of the story.
- Put the events in the order they happen.
Method. Think about which thing happens at the start of the party.
- Read both sentences. Look for the one that could happen first.They sing a happy song. Ali has a birthday party.
- Think about the order. Before the friends come, the party has to start.The party starts, then the singing comes.
- Write the answer. The sentence that comes first is the one about the party.Ali has a birthday party.
Check. Read the story in order: party, then singing. It makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Look for the start of the story first, then the events after it.
Method. Put the first event first, then the next event.
- Look at the two sentences. One happens first, and one happens after.They sing a happy song. / Ali has a birthday party.
- Put the first event first. The party starts before the singing. Add first to the start.First Ali has a birthday party.
- Add the next event. The singing comes after. Then shows the order.First Ali has a birthday party. Then they sing a happy song.
Check. Read both sentences aloud. They are in order and they make sense. ✓
Watch out. Put first at the start, and then before the event that comes after.
Method. Write one sentence for each picture, in order, with a sequence word for each.
- Picture 1. The first picture starts the story.First Ali has a birthday party.
- Picture 2 to picture 4. Use next, then and after that for the middle pictures.Next friends come to the party. Then they sing a happy song. After that they eat birthday cake.
- Picture 5. The last picture ends the story, so use finally.First Ali has a birthday party. Next friends come to the party. Then they sing a happy song. After that they eat birthday cake. Finally Ali opens his gifts.
Check. Read the story aloud. It goes in the same order as the pictures. ✓
Watch out. Each new sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop. Words such as next and then go inside the sentence, not before it.
Watch out
Watch out: finally is for the last thing, not for the first. Do not start a story with Finally. Also write the words in the sentence in the right order, so the story runs from start to end.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What happened first? What happened next? What happened at the end?” Practise on paper: draw three boxes and draw one thing that happened in each. Your child writes first, then, finally above them.
Exercise 11B Putting sentences in order
A Sam goes home.
B Sam kicks a ball.
C Sam walks to the park.
D Sam plays on the swing.
Key words. The order is the way things happen, one after another.
Method. Start with the first thing that happens. Then find the next thing, and the next, in order.
- Find the first thing. It is the sentence that comes at the start of the story.C: Sam walks to the park.
- Follow the story in order. Each sentence follows on from the one before it.C → D → B → A
- Write the letters in order. The answer is the letters, first to last.C, D, B, A
Check. Read the sentences in the order you wrote them. The story makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Do not put the last thing first. Look for “first” and “finally” clues in the story.
A Mia goes in and gets dry.
B Mia puts on her boots.
C Mia jumps in a puddle.
D Mia opens her umbrella.
Key words. The order is the way things happen, one after another.
Method. Start with the first thing that happens. Then find the next thing, and the next, in order.
- Find the first thing. It is the sentence that comes at the start of the story.B: Mia puts on her boots.
- Follow the story in order. Each sentence follows on from the one before it.B → D → C → A
- Write the letters in order. The answer is the letters, first to last.B, D, C, A
Check. Read the sentences in the order you wrote them. The story makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Do not put the last thing first. Look for “first” and “finally” clues in the story.
Key words. First is the start. Finally is the end. Next, then and after that go in between.
Method. Think about when the thing happens in the story.
- Read the sentence. Think about where it comes in the story.First Sam walks to the park.
- Pick the sequence word that shows the order. It is the first thing that happens, so it goes at the start.First = the order word
- Write the answer. First
Check. Read the story out loud with the word in place. It makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Sequence words show the order: first, next, then, after that and finally.
Method. Read the sentence with the gap. Try the word in the gap, and check it makes sense.
- Read the sentence with the gap. Think about what the sentence is saying.Sam walks to the park. ___ Sam plays on the swing.
- Try the word in the gap. The swing comes after the walk, so we need a word for the next thing. Then fits. Next is also correct.Sam walks to the park. Then Sam plays on the swing.
- Write the word. Then
Check. Read the whole sentence again. It makes sense with Then. ✓
Watch out. Try each choice in the gap. Only one choice makes the sentence sensible.
Key words. First is the start. Finally is the end. Next, then and after that go in between.
Method. Think about when the thing happens in the story.
- Read the sentence. Think about where it comes in the story.Finally Sam goes home.
- Pick the sequence word that shows the order. Finally tells us the last thing in the story.finally = the order word
- Write the answer. finally
Check. Read the story out loud with the word in place. It makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Sequence words show the order: first, next, then, after that and finally.
Key words. Finally is a sequence word. It tells us the order things happen.
Method. Put the new word at the front, then check the capital letter.
- Look at the sentence. It is the sentence we want to change.Sam goes home.
- Add the word at the front. Finally tells us that this is the last thing in the story.Finally + Sam goes home.
- Write the sentence. The first word has a capital letter. Names keep their capital letters too.Finally Sam goes home.
Check. Read the new sentence aloud. It makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Start the new word with a capital letter. Keep the names with capital letters.
Key words. Finally is a sequence word. It tells us the order things happen.
Method. Put the new word at the front, then check the capital letter.
- Look at the sentence. It is the sentence we want to change.Ali opens his gifts.
- Add the word at the front. Picture 5 is the last thing in the party story.Finally + Ali opens his gifts.
- Write the sentence. The first word has a capital letter. Names keep their capital letters too.Finally Ali opens his gifts.
Check. Read the new sentence aloud. It makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Start the new word with a capital letter. Keep the names with capital letters.
A They eat birthday cake.
B Ali opens his gifts.
C Friends come to the party.
D Ali has a birthday party.
E They sing a happy song.
Key words. The order is the way things happen, one after another.
Method. Start with the first thing that happens. Then find the next thing, and the next, in order.
- Find the first thing. It is the sentence that comes at the start of the story.D: Ali has a birthday party.
- Follow the story in order. Each sentence follows on from the one before it.D → C → E → A → B
- Write the letters in order. The answer is the letters, first to last.D, C, E, A, B
Check. Read the sentences in the order you wrote them. The story makes sense. ✓
Watch out. Do not put the last thing first. Look for “first” and “finally” clues in the story.
Method. Find the sentence in the story, then find the one that comes next.
- Find the sentence. Friends come to the party is picture 2.Friends come to the party.
- Look at the next picture. The next picture is picture 3, with the singing.They sing a happy song.
- Write the sentence. They sing a happy song.
Check. Read the two sentences in order. They make sense. ✓
Watch out. Look at the picture numbers, not the words, to find what comes next.
Method. Think about the word finally.
- Read the word. Finally means the last one, or at the end.finally
- Think about a story. The last thing that happens is put at the end, with finally.the last event in the story
- Write the reason. It tells us the last thing that happens in the story.
Check. Read the story and check finally is at the end. ✓
Watch out. Finally is used once, at the end. It is not used at the start.
Method. Read the sentences in the order they are written. Then decide if the order is right.
- Read the first sentence. Finally is for the last thing in the story.Finally Leo goes to bed.
- Read the second sentence. First is for the first thing in the story. Leo has tea before he goes to bed.First Leo has his tea.
- Decide. Going to bed is the last thing, so finally should be on the bed sentence, and first on the tea sentence. These are swapped.No. First Leo has his tea, and finally he goes to bed.
Check. Read the corrected story aloud. It is in order. ✓
Watch out. Check the word first and the word finally against what happens in the story.