1st Grade · English Language Arts · Parent guide
Short answer. W.1.3 asks first graders to write a story with 2 or more events in order, details about what happened, words like first and then, and an ending.
Quick answer
Narrative writing is the storytelling standard. W.1.3 asks your first grader to write about something that happened, real or imagined, with at least two events in the order they occurred, some details about what happened, time-order words like first, then, next, and after that, and an ending of some kind. "First we drove to the lake. Then I caught a fish. It was tiny but it flapped a lot. After that we ate lunch. It was the best day." That checks every box.
Why parents see this skill
Putting events in order on paper is sequencing, memory, and cause-and-effect all working together. It also feeds reading comprehension from the other side: a child who builds stories with a beginning, middle, and end starts noticing that same shape in every book she reads.
For reference
Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.Official Common Core source
See it, then try it
You do not need a lesson plan. Look for these signs in ordinary play, reading, and conversation, then choose one short activity.
Fold a paper into 3 boxes labeled First, Then, Last. Before any writing, she draws one moment of a real event (losing a tooth, the time the dog stole a hot dog) in each box. Then she writes one sentence under each drawing. The pictures do the sequencing so the writing part feels easy.
Drop 3 random household objects in a paper bag: a spoon, a toy car, a mitten. She pulls them out one at a time and tells a story where each object appears in order, out loud first, then written down with first, then, and last. Ten minutes, and the sillier the better.
After she writes a short story, read it back to her with the events deliberately out of order and ask what went wrong. Kids find scrambled sequence hilarious, and fixing your "mistake" makes her think hard about which event truly came first. End by having her add one more detail to her favorite part.
Choose what helps today
Start with the domain guide for context, use the learning library when a concept needs explaining, or print a page when your child is ready to practice.
See every W.1 skill in order and how the codes fit together.
Open resourceFilter free pages by literacy, phonics, handwriting, and comprehension skills.
Open resourceLow-pressure pencil-control and early writing practice.
Open resourceSimple reading and vocabulary ideas for home and classroom routines.
Open resourceMy daughter tells amazing stories out loud but writes 2 flat sentences. Why the gap?
Because handwriting and spelling eat up all her working memory, leaving nothing for the story. This gap is nearly universal in first grade. Let her tell the whole story out loud first, then write it, or write while she dictates part of it. The oral version proves the skill is there; the writing catches up as the mechanics get automatic.
Does the story have to be true?
No. The standard covers real and imagined events equally, and schools use both. Many kids find personal stories (a scraped knee, a lost tooth) easier to sequence because they lived them, while others come alive with dragons. Follow whichever gets more words on the page.
Keep the sequence
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