Fun activities to teach beginning, middle, and end Grade 1.

🎯 Learning Goals

• 📖 Students will be able to identify the beginning, middle, and end of a simple story.
• ✍️ Students will be able to sequence events in a story chronologically.
• 🗣️ Students will be able to retell a story using sequence words (first, next, then, last).

📦 What You'll Need

• 📚 A selection of short, simple picture books (e.g., 'The Little Red Hen', 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears').
• ✂️ Construction paper or cardstock.
• 🖍️ Crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
• 🖨️ Printable story sequencing cards (pictures representing key events from a story).
• 📝 Chart paper or a whiteboard.
• glue sticks or tape.

⏰ Quick Start (5 Mins)

• 🗣️ Begin by discussing a familiar routine with students, like their morning routine. Ask: "What do you do FIRST when you wake up? What do you do NEXT? What do you do LAST before school?"
• 💡 Introduce the terms 'beginning', 'middle', and 'end' as they relate to their daily activities. Explain that stories also have these parts.

👩‍🏫 Engaging Core Activities

🖼️ Activity 1: Story Sequencing Fun

Objective: To visually sequence story events.

• 💡 Introduce the concept using a familiar story like 'The Three Little Pigs'. Explain that every story has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• 📚 Read a short, simple picture book aloud to the class. Choose one with clear, distinct events.
• ✂️ Distribute pre-made picture cards (3-5 cards per story) depicting key events from the story. Ensure each card clearly represents either the beginning, middle, or end.
• 🧩 Instruct students to arrange the cards in the correct order on their desks.
• 🗣️ Have students share their sequences and explain their reasoning. Facilitate a class discussion to confirm the correct order.

🎭 Activity 2: Act It Out!

Objective: To physically embody and understand story sequence.

• 📖 Choose another simple story with clear actions, such as 'Little Red Riding Hood'.
• 👩‍👧‍👦 Assign different students or small groups to represent the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
• 🎬 Guide students to act out their assigned part of the story, emphasizing the sequence of events. For example, the 'beginning' group might show Little Red Riding Hood leaving home.
• 💬 After each group performs, discuss what happened during that specific part of the story and how it connects to the previous and next parts.
• 🔁 Repeat with another story or have groups swap roles for reinforcement.

🥪 Activity 3: Story Sandwich Craft

Objective: To create a visual representation of story parts.

• 📝 Explain the idea of a 'Story Sandwich' – the top bun is the beginning, the fillings are the middle, and the bottom bun is the end.
• 📚 Read a new simple story to the class.
• 🎨 Provide students with three pieces of paper or a template labeled 'Beginning', 'Middle', and 'End'. Instruct them to draw or write (depending on their ability) what happened in each part of the story.
• ✂️ Once completed, have students cut out their three parts and glue them together vertically to form a 'sandwich' or a strip.
• 🌟 Encourage students to decorate their story sandwiches and display them around the classroom, reinforcing the concept visually.

📝 Check for Understanding

• ✅ Observe student participation and accuracy during the sequencing card activity and the 'Act It Out!' performance.
• ✍️ Review the 'Story Sandwich' crafts for correct sequencing and comprehension of story events.
• 🗣️ Ask individual students to retell a familiar story, prompting them to identify the beginning, middle, and end verbally.
• 📊 Provide a simple worksheet where students draw or write one event for each part (beginning, middle, end) after hearing a new story.