Sequencing 

refers to the identification of the components of a text — the beginning, middle,

and end — and also to the ability to retell the events within a given text in the order
in which they occurred. / the order of things in text

HOW TO IDENTIFY SEQUENCE WHEN READING OR VIEWING A TEXT.

• In its simplest terms, identifying sequence in a text involves identifying

the beginning, the middle, and the end.
• One of the easiest ways to recognize the order of events is to look out
for the sequencing words or transitions that are used to connect the
various parts of the text.
• Some of these words and phrases also act as signals to provide an
indication of whether the event will be located in the beginning, in
the middle, or toward the end of the text’s chronology.
• There are a wide variety of ‘signal words’ and the following represent just a
few of the most common, as well as where they are most likely to occur
Beginning : In the beginning, First of all

Middle : Meanwhile, After that, Suddenly

End : In the end, Finally, After all

For more complex narratives and technical nonfiction genres that comprise more moving parts,
other techniques need to be employed

Types of Sequence of Events

Let's take a look at the different forms sequence of events can take.
Chronological Sequence
Many informational texts that involve history or other such related topics that deal with time
often present information chronologically, or in the order in which they happened. Texts that
provide information in a chronological sequence are generally easy to follow as they are similar
to stories.
Within the text you will find phrases like 'first this happens, and then...' or 'these events were
followed by...' Especially if it is a historical text, the author will often provide years and dates,
which can also help you know when in the sequence something is happening. This is especially
helpful when the author is describing events that happened at around the same time.
Instructional Sequence
Like our previous example about baking cookies, information such as recipes and instruction
manuals present their information in an instructional sequence. Instructional sequence tells the
reader the exact order in which the information being presented should be performed. Authors of
this type of informational text usually indicate this sequence by numbering each instruction so
that the reader does not miss any of the instructions.
Foundational Sequence
Much of how you are learning here is presented in a foundational sequence. In other words, as
you read informational text in this pattern, your author assumes you learned and remembered
information from previous texts or chapters as the foundation of what you have learned. This
sequencing is found in informational texts involving math or science. You cannot learn
multiplication without first learning addition.
The easiest way to spot this sequencing is to look at the first and last paragraph of a chapter. In
those, you will find phrases like 'In the previous chapter, you learned' or 'In our next topic, you
will learn how to...' These phrases will tell you the order the author assumes you need to learn
this information.