Writing About What Happened
A 35-minute Kindergarten lesson on narrating events in the order they happened and saying how you felt about them.
Writing About What Happened is a free 35-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard W.K.3 — draw and write about something that happened, in the order it happened. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten
- Length:
- 35 minutes
- Standard:
- W.K.3
Kindergarten · Writing
W.K.3
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
Objective
Students will be able to write about two events in the order they happened and give a reaction.
Students are successful when they can
- Writes two events.
- Puts them in the order they happened.
- Says how they felt about it.
What you need
- Two large word cards: FIRST and THEN
- A drawing-and-writing frame with two boxes
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — this morning
5 min- Ask two children what they did this morning, in two parts.
- Hold up FIRST and THEN as they say each part.
Teach — two boxes, two moments
11 min- Tell them about something that happened to you, in two events.
- Draw the first event in box one and the second in box two.
- Write one sentence under each, starting 'First' and 'Then'.
- Now add the reaction: 'I was so pleased.' Say that this is the part that makes it yours rather than a list.
- Swap the two boxes over and read it again. Let them hear that it no longer works.
“Two boxes, two moments, and then how you felt about it.”
Guided practice — tell it before you draw it
9 min- Pairs tell their two events aloud, using first and then.
- The listener asks 'and how did you feel?'
- Only then do they start drawing.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the narrative frame.
- Scribe the reaction sentence for anyone who is running out of time — it is the part most often lost.
Close
2 min- One child reads theirs out.
- The class says which word signalled the order.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Writes one event and stops.
Why: One event is a complete thought, and nothing about it feels unfinished.
Fix: Two boxes on the frame. An empty box is visible in a way that a missing sentence is not.
Writes the events out of order.
Why: They are recalled in order of how memorable they were, not of when they happened.
Fix: Have them say it aloud with FIRST and THEN before writing. Saying it wrong sounds wrong; writing it wrong does not.
Leaves out the reaction.
Why: The events feel like the whole task, and the reaction is not a thing that happened.
Fix: Make it a separate line on the frame with its own sentence starter. A blank line asks to be filled.
If they are not there yet
- Draw both boxes first, then write. The drawing holds the order while they write.
- Give the sentence starters printed on the frame.
If they finish early
- Add a third box and the word 'last'.
- Add a detail about what something looked or sounded like.
- Write about something that happened to somebody else.
Exit ticket
What happened first? What happened then? How did you feel?
What to look for: Two ordered events and a reaction. A missing reaction is the commonest gap and the easiest to fix with a printed starter.
Printable practice for W.K.3
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Something That HappenedDraw in the space, then write on the lines.
Questions about Writing About What Happened
How long does the Writing About What Happened lesson take?
35 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 11 min, guided practice 9 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Writing About What Happened teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.3 — W.K.3, Writing for Kindergarten: “Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.” In plain terms, draw and write about something that happened, in the order it happened.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Two large word cards: FIRST and THEN, a drawing-and-writing frame with two boxes and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: writes one event and stops; writes the events out of order and leaves out the reaction. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “What happened first? What happened then? How did you feel?.” Two ordered events and a reaction. A missing reaction is the commonest gap and the easiest to fix with a printed starter. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Writing About What Happened?
Yes — 1 printable W.K.3 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Writing About What Happened free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to W.K.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.