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Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
LEWIS CARROLL (18321898) ENGLISH AUTHOR, ALICES ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

In this lesson, youll discover that some authors write about things in the order in which they happened.

JUST EXACTLY WHAT does the word chronological mean? It helps to know that
the Greek root chron means time and logical means valid or true. So chronological means in true time order or sequence. We do everything in sequence, one step at a time. First, you wear your clothes, then you wash them, dry them, fold them or hang them up, and put them away. Authors often use words like rst, second, next, last, before, after, then, now, later, or nally as signals that the events in a story are being told in sequence. Example Before the concert, we were excited because we had awesome front row seats. Then the show began, and for awhile, it was great. But soon I couldnt even hear the music over the screams of the audience! After the concert, when we could hear again, we had pizza and listened to some quiet rock! But sometimes the author doesnt use signal words, and readers must gure out the sequence from details in the text.

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Example Im so glad to be home now, where its quiet! Yesterday I went to a concert and it was unbelievable . . . not in a good way. The music and the crowd were so-o-o loud! At the beginning, I thought I was lucky because I got front row seats. Boy was I wrong! The sequence of getting front row seats for a concert, suffering through the loudness of music and concertgoers, and coming home are the same, but they arent spelled out in step-by-step order. The ability to recognize chronological order can help you understand what you read. A sequence chain can help you organize the events in a selection and help you remember what you read. get front row seats go to concert music and crowd loud go home to quiet Besides using time order, an author may sequence things by ranking them in order of importance, speed, size, age, and so on.

P R AC T I C E 1 : M A K E - A- M U M M Y
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow. (1) At the museum today, we saw an ancient Egyptian mummy and watched a mummy-making video. You know, a mummy isnt like those scary things you see in horror movies; its just a dead body that was treated so it wouldnt rot away! The Egyptians were experts at wrapping their dead for the trip to the afterlife! Thats what the people called the place theyd go after they died, where they believed theyd enjoy pretty much all the comforts of life. So, they gured it was important to keep their bodies preserved for future use! Making a mummy was no easy job. It took about 70 days! Only special people were allowed to carry out the process. First, they cleaned the body. Then they removed most of the internal organs, including the brain. They pulled that out with a long hooked instrument inserted through the dead persons nose! The Egyptians didnt think the brain was important, so they threw it away. The lungs, stomach, and most other organs were removed through slits in the skin, then placed in special containers, called canopic jars, and buried with the mummy. Because the Egyptians believed the heart was the center of intelligence, only it was left inside the body.

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Next, the body was stuffed and covered with salt to slowly suck out all the uid. After 40 days, the shrunken body was rubbed with lotion to soften the skin. Then the body was wrapped in up to 20 layers of linen. (4) Gooey tree sap was spread on the linen to make the layers stick together. The workers placed a mask on the face that looked pretty much like the dead person. That was to help the persons spirit recognize him or her in the afterlife and reenter the body. Then, one last layer of tree sap and cloth was added and it was a mummy. Finally, it was ready to be put into a stone cofn and placed in a burial chamber, along with clothing, food, furniture, toys, jewelry, and any other things it might need in the afterlife. The mummy we saw was about 3,000 years old. I wonder if its heart is still in there?

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1. What was the rst thing the narrator said? a. Making a mummy was no easy job. b. The Egyptians didnt think the brain was important. . . . c. At the museum today, we saw an ancient Egyptian mummy. . . . d. The Egyptians were experts at wrapping their dead. . . . 2. What was the rst thing mummy-makers did to a body? a. pulled out the brain through the nose b. wrapped 20 layers of cloth around it c. put a mask on its face d. cleaned it 3. For 40 days, the body a. was put into a stone cofn. b. was covered with salt that sucked out any body uid. c. was on view at a funeral home. d. was wrapped in a single layer of silk. 4. After 40 days, the mummy-makers a. took off the layers of lines. b. made cuts and took out the stomach. c. rubbed the body to soften its shrunken skin. d. put the brain back inside the body.

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5. When was the mask put on the mummys face? a. before wrapping the body in one last layer of cloth b. after the body was put into the cofn c. before the heart was removed d. after the burial chamber was closed

P R AC T I C E 2 : G E T O N T R AC K !
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow. SPEED STATISTICS Horse Steam train Diesel train Electric train Maglev (1) 43 mph (70 km/h) 61 mph (98 km/h) 149 mph (238 km/h) 152 mph (245 km/h) 361 mph (581 km/h)

In ancient times, humans walked to get where they wanted to go. Later, they rode domesticated animals, like camels, horses, and mules. People had to carry their belongings themselves or on an animals back. Later, people dragged objects on a travois, a kind of platform tied between two long poles. Then came the discovery of the wheel, and new technology changed everything. People rode and carried goods in carts and wagons pulled by animals. The larger the wagon and the more animals, the more people and goods could be moved. By 1662, the rst horse-drawn buses were running regular routes through busy city streets. In 1814, the rst steam-powered engine was red up. Soon trains burned wood or coal to create steam that put the wheels in motion, rolling along tracks laid on the ground to create a road from place to place. The powerful engines pulled many cars full of people and goods. One engine did the work faster than a team of horses, so people called the machine the Iron Horse.

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Steam trains were crucial to the growth of America. People moved west and built towns near the train tracks. Railroad owners became rich as more people traveled and shipped goods by rail. Soon hundreds of locomotives chugged across America, spewing out clouds of thick, black smoke.

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In 1918, a train was rst powered by a diesel engine, which produces electricity to move a train. Diesels were faster and more powerful, and they didnt pollute the air. Before long, most steam engines were replaced by diesels. Next came even faster, quieter electric trains that were powered by overhead cables or electried rails. Those led to the growth of commuter and subway trains that are still used by millions every day. By the 1960s, there were new high-speed, electric trains, called bullet trains because of their shape and speed. They were the fastest until the 1980s, when the maglev, or magnetic levitation train, was introduced. It doesnt run on rails; it oats between them! Electromagnets imbedded in the train and the track repel, lifting the train and pushing it forward. Today maglevs continue to get faster and faster. Right now the Japanese maglev holds the speed record, 361 mph (581 km/h)!

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6. Before the discovery of the wheel, how did people travel? a. on foot b. riding camels c. riding mules d. all of the above 7. According to the article, by 1662 some cities had a. subways. b. steam trains. c. horse-drawn buses. d. commuter trains. 8. Steam trains were probably important to America in the 1800s because a. they made the sky dark with smoke. b. people moved west and built new cities that helped the country grow. c. they used wood or coal. d. people could tell time by a trains schedule. 9. Most steam engines were replaced by diesels that a. produced electricity to power the train. b. were not as powerful. c. produced even more smoke pollution. d. were rst available in 1603.

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10. Which was invented rst? a. the diesel engine b. the bullet train c. the maglev d. the travois 11. The chart lists train engine types in sequence by a. importance. b. year invented. c. speed. d. size.

P R AC T I C E 3 : T I M E O R D E R F O R F U N !
Sometimes you have to choose what you can do based on a sequence of events and what can be done at those times. Check out this camp schedule of activities, and then use the information to answer the questions and make a schedule. CAMP SCHEDULE 8:00 A.M. Buses arrive 8:30 A.M.12:30 P.M. Activities 12:301:00 P.M. Lunch is available. 1:001:30 P.M. Lunch is available. 1:304:00 P.M. Activities 4:15 P.M. Buses leave. Acting 9:0010:00 A.M. 11:00noon 12:301:30 P.M. 1:302:30 P.M. 3:004:00 P.M. Gymnastics 8:309:30 A.M. 10:0011:00 A.M. noon1:00 P.M. 1:302:30 P.M. 3:004:00 P.M.

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Boating 9:0010:30 A.M. 11:00 A.M.12:30 P.M. 2:003:30 P.M. Crafts 8:309:30 A.M. 9:3010:30 A.M. 10:3011:30 A.M. 2:303:30 P.M.

Horseback Riding 8:3010:30 A.M. 10:30 A.M.12:30 P.M. 1:003:00 P.M. 2:003:00 P.M. Swimming 9:0011:00 A.M. 11:00 A.M.1:00 P.M. 2:004:00 P.M.

12. A day for campers, from arrival to departure, is a. 7 hours and 15 minutes. b. 8 hours and 15 minutes. c. 6 hours and 30 minutes. d. 6 hours and 15 minutes. 13. Which are the rst activities available in the morning? a. acting and boating b. swimming and crafts c. crafts and gymnastics d. gymnastics and horseback riding 14. Make a schedule that allows you to take acting, gymnastics, and boating or horseback riding, crafts, and swimming . . . still have lunch, and time to just hang with friends! ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________