Sequencing examines the order in which events takes place in a story. The sequence of events helps a student understand the significance of events, such as the reason that identifying the protagonist's real problem in the last chapter influences all of the other events in the story. Understanding the sequence of events in a story also helps students learn the differences between story genres and themes. For instance, if a story identifies the antagonist early, the story may be a revenge tale, while a story that identifies the antagonist in the last chapter may be a detective story.
An inference involves gathering clues throughout a story and then making an informed prediction about how a story will conclude based on those clues. Learning inferring teaches students how to read while picking out important details from the story. It forces students to read the material more closely and comprehend how the clues work together in the work. These details direct the student through the story, highlighting important points and ideas and helping them understand how a story comes together. Additionally, inferring becomes an important problem-solving tool that students can use in other subjects.
Focus on your students' grasps of the order of events in the story and the way that order affects the overall story. Discuss an event from the story with your class. Ask them to tell you about the events that preceded the event you described. Ask them what information the characters had at the time of the event. Now ask them to speculate on ways that the story would be different if the character had more or less information. Transition from event to event in the story, asking these questions, and asking your class to think about the evolution of the plot from event to event.
Isolate a moment of discovery: the point at which one or more characters discovers something significant about another character or about the plot. Discuss this moment of discovery with your students and work through the clues that lead to this discovery. Show them how to identify these clues in the work. Once you have demonstrated this process a few times, work in the other direction. As you read, identify important clues and discuss what they could mean, in the story, with your students. Encourage your students to make predictions about future events in the story.