Tell First, Next, and Last

Supplied materials

• Original read-aloud story: “Sam puts a cup on the table. Sam fills the cup with water. Sam carries the cup to the plant.”
• Paper and pencil; spoken responses are welcome.

Learn the idea

Stories tell events in an order. First tells the beginning, next tells what follows, and last tells the ending of this little story. An adult reads the whole story once, then again slowly. You can point, use a drawing, or speak; you do not need to read the words yourself.

Retelling keeps the important actions in the same order. Sam puts the cup down before filling it and carries it afterward. We can use our own words, but we keep those events. If we add that Sam drinks the water, we have invented an event that this story does not tell.

1. Listen as an adult reads the three sentences.
2. Draw or gesture putting down, filling, and carrying a cup.
3. Tell the events using first, next, and last.
4. Listen again to check whether your ending matches the story.

Check your reasoning

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Take it further

Change the final sentence to “Sam leaves the cup on the table.” Model retell: “First Sam puts it down, next fills it, and last leaves it there.” The ending changes because the supplied sentence changes.

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