Order alphabetically: challenge

Key Notes:

What is Alphabetical Order?

Alphabetical order means arranging words based on the order of the letters in the alphabet (A, B, C, and so on).

It’s like lining up for lunch in the order of your names, but instead of people, we’re lining up words!

How to Order Words Alphabetically

Step 1: Look at the first letter of each word.

Arrange the words based on which letter comes first in the alphabet. For example: apple comes before banana because ‘a’ comes before ‘b’.

Step 2: If the first letters are the same, look at the second letter.

Continue comparing letters until you find one that is different. For example: ball comes before bat because, although both start with ‘b’, ‘a’ comes before ‘t’.

Step 3: If the first two letters are the same, look at the third letter, etc.

For example: Big comes before Bit because, although both start with ‘Bi’, ‘g’ comes before ‘t’.

Examples

Example 1:

Let’s put these words in alphabetical order:

• cat
• dog
• apple

The correct order is: apple, cat, dog

Example 2:

Let’s put these words in alphabetical order:

• sun
• sea
• sky

The correct order is: sea, sky, sun (because ‘ea’, ‘ky’, ‘un’ come in that order after ‘s’)

Alphabetical Order Challenge!

Now it’s your turn! Can you put these words in alphabetical order?

• book
• zebra
• pencil
• eraser
• notebook

Write your answers on a piece of paper. Good luck!

Summary

In this class notes document, we covered what alphabetical order is and how to arrange words in alphabetical order. Remember to look at the first letter, then the second, and so on, until you find a difference! Now, go practice and become an alphabetical order expert!

Let’s practice!