After reading the story aloud, invite children to retell it in their own words before they begin sequencing. You might prompt them with: "What happened first? What happened next? How did it end?" Retelling helps children internalise the story structure and makes the sequencing task feel more manageable. For Junior Infants, a whole-class retelling works well. Senior Infants may be able to retell with a partner.

Before children cut out or number the picture cards, encourage them to look carefully at each one and say what they see. Ask questions like: "Who is in this picture? What are they doing? How does that person feel?" Describing the pictures builds vocabulary, supports oral language development, and helps children make connections to the story — all key goals for this age group. This works especially well as a paired or small group activity.

Once children have sequenced the events, bring the class together to discuss why the events happen in that order. Ask: "Could the seagulls steal the lunch before Mrs Grinling sends it? Why not?" or "What would happen if Mr Grinling ate his lunch before they made a plan?" This kind of cause-and-effect thinking develops early comprehension skills and encourages children to think beyond just recalling events. Keep discussions short, lively, and fun — even a five-minute chat can deepen understanding greatly!

Junior Infants: Focus on 3 key events rather than all 5. Use the cut-out cards with picture support and work as a whole class or in a small teacher-led group.

Senior Infants: Encourage children to write or copy the number into the box independently. Challenge early finishers to draw and label their own extra event from the story.

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