What Comes Next? – Pre-Kindergarten
Ohio Standards
Connection
Measurement
Benchmark C
Develop common referents
for units of measure for
length, weight, volume
(capacity) and time to
make comparisons and
estimates.
Indicator 3
Sequence or order events
in the context of daily
activities and play (e.g.,
wash your hands before
and after snacks, who’s
next for computer).
Mathematical Processes
Benchmark D
Evaluate the
reasonableness of
predictions, estimations,
and solutions.
Lesson Summary:
Children discover the sequence of activities that take place daily
in their classroom and become familiar to the language
associated with sequencing. Preparation for this lesson takes
approximately one week. This allows time for taking pictures,
developing film and assembling a schedule. The actual execution
of the lesson takes three to five minutes per day, over several
days, when children transition from one activity to another.
Estimated Duration: 15-20 minute sessions over several days
Commentary:
Pre-Kindergarten classrooms are comprised of many activities
that require consistency and repetition. Consistency with routines
and activities provides the feelings of security for young children.
Children do not have to worry about “What will happen next?”
While striving to follow a consistent routine closely, some
element of flexibility must be present in a pre-kindergarten
classroom.
To help children recognize the consistency in their daily routine,
use broad categories to refer to times in the daily schedule. For
example, instead of saying “It’s Story Time or Music Time” say
“It’s Circle Time.” There may be days when a different activity
takes place during that time, so using a general term is less
confusing to the children. Children realize that Circle Time
includes a variety of activities for group participation.
Pre-Assessment:
An informal, observation-based assessment can take place in a
whole group, small group or individual setting. During transitions
between activities, ask individual children questions, such as:
 What do we do next?
 What do we do before lunch? After lunch?
 What is the first thing we do when we come into our
classroom?
 What is the last thing we do before going home?
Make sure you include questions for all of the vocabulary words;
e.g., after, before, first, last, next.
Scoring Guidelines:
Children’s responses exemplify their level of understanding the
words that describe the ordering of events within the child’s daily
routine; i.e., next, before, after, etc. Use Attachment A, Pre- and
Post-Assessment Checklist, to record and make notes of the
child’s ability to correctly answer the questions asked.
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What Comes Next? – Pre-Kindergarten
Post-Assessment:
Assess each child individually during center time. Use pictures of the daily routine from this
lesson.
 Use three sequential pictures representing daily routine activities specific to your classroom.
 Mix the pictures and have the child put the pictures in sequential order.
 Have children explain why they put the pictures in that particular order. You may need to
prompt for the word before, for example, “Why did you put the picture of us eating lunch
right here and us washing our hands right here?”
 Have children self-check, by referring to the classroom picture schedule, to determine if they
placed the events in the correct order
Scoring Guidelines:
Record each child’s ability to sequence the pictures correctly on Attachment A, Pre- and PostAssessment Checklist. Also, record any time and sequence vocabulary the child used when
explaining the picture sequencing.
Instructional Procedures:
Initiate this lesson at the beginning of the school year to establish a routine of sequencing events.
Repeat and develop sequencing activities throughout the year. Transition times between
activities are an excellent time to do the short activity. Before beginning this activity, check your
school’s policy regarding the photographing and posting of children’s photographs.
Instructional Tip:
This lesson will take place over several days. You will initially introduce the children to the
concept of sequence and events taking place over time.
Part One
1. Develop the children’s sequencing skills with simple activities, such as sequencing sounds.
For example, make two sounds (ring a bell, and clap your hands.) Ask children to tell what
they heard first, and then what they heard next. As children show increased awareness of
sequential order, add additional sounds.
Part Two
2. Read the children a simple story about an event taking place over time, for example, a
snowman being built, a child planting seeds and a flower growing, or child drawing a picture.
Show in sequence, three pictures of that event taking place from beginning to end. For
example, if using the snowman scenario, one picture would show one large snowball, the
next picture would show a medium sized snowball on top of the large snowball, and the last
picture would show a complete snowman. Review the order in which the event took place.
Part Three
3. Photograph the children as they participate in each part of the daily routine. Take a picture of
each activity during the day. Develop or print the pictures, making double prints of each
picture. Use one set of these photographs to make a classroom schedule, listing each activity
and designated time for the activity (Gym - 8:10 a.m.). Pictures show children engaged in
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What Comes Next? – Pre-Kindergarten
this activity. Include the digital time (8:10 a.m.) to enhance children’s ability to read
numbers. The times listed on the schedule can be approximations and do not have to be exact
times. Remember, the pictures of the children engaged in activities are the actual teaching
tools, rather than the times listed. Post the schedule in the children’s view.
4. Introduce the schedule through a classroom discussion, describing the purpose and features
of the schedule. Refer to the daily schedule as the children change from one activity to
another. Model the terminology such as first, next, before, and after.
5. During the year, have individual children utilize the “picture schedule” to determine what
activity comes next. Use questions that require children to reflect on the relationship of the
present activity to the other activities. For example:
 What activity do we have next?
 What is the first activity we do in the morning?
 What activity do we have after music?
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the intent
of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the specified
indicator(s).
 Expand sequencing notion to other areas of life, such as the cycle of the calendar (days of the
week, months of the year, seasons), recipes and events from stories.
 To support basic understanding of this concept, use concrete objects that represent different
times within the daily routine. For example, use a lunch box to represent lunchtime, a
toothbrush for teeth brushing time, and a stuffed animal for rest time. The actual objects help
children recall and sequence the events.
 Read children’s picture books that show photographs of different events to provide children
with more experience in sequential concepts.
Extensions:
 Assign groups of children a specific time in the daily routine and have the children draw
pictures of the activity during that time. Use the pictures in a bulletin board display to show
the classroom schedule or compile the pictures in a book, “A Day in Our Classroom”. Permit
children an opportunity to borrow the book overnight to share it with their family.
 Later in the year, place a picture of an analog clock showing the time when particular events
happen. Do not expect children at this age to tell time, but time/clocks peak their curiosity
and provide opportunities for teachable moments.
Home Connections:
 Have children and their families sequence events that take place in their individual homes in
the morning, after school, or before bedtime. Have the children draw pictures of routines at
home and identify the times when these routines occur. Children bring their projects to
school and compare their home routines with those of their classmates.
 Children and their families utilize sequencing skills to keep organize events significant to
their family, such as birthdays, holidays, and vacations. (“Mommy’s birthday comes first,
then mine.”)
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What Comes Next? – Pre-Kindergarten
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Content Area: Social Studies
Standard: History
Benchmark: 3. Chronology – Begin to use or respond to the language of time such as next,
before, soon, after, now and later as related to daily schedules and routines.
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of its
contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does not
endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main page,
therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information required
for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes over time,
therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related to a given
lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher: chart paper, markers, camera, film, photographs
Vocabulary:
 after
 before
 first
 last
 next
 order
 schedule
Technology Connections:
Use a digital camera and save the pictures on a computer to enhance the lesson. Children assist in
the creation of the classroom schedule by naming each photograph viewed on the computer. If
you do not have access to a digital camera, any type of photographic equipment will do.
Research Connections:
Daniels, Harvey and Marilyn Bizar. Methods that Matter: Six Structures for Best Practice
Classrooms. Me: Stenhouse Publishers, 2000.
Attachments:
Attachment A, Pre- and Post-Assessment Checklist
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What Comes Next? – Pre-Kindergarten
Attachment A
Pre- and Post-Assessment Checklist
Student
Name
Donald D.
Pre-Assessment
No
Partial
Demonunderunderstrates
standing standing underof seq.
of seq. standing
words
words
of seq.
words
10/13/04
Post-Assessment
No
Partial
Demonunderunderstrates
standing standing underof seq.
of seq.
standing
words
words
of seq.
words
2/3/05
N, A, L
Notes
Codes: A = after; B = before; F = first; L = last; N = next
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