ELEMENTS: TIME 1 DAYS OF THE WEEK DAYS BEFORE & AFTER EVENTS
POSITION 1 POSITION OF OBJECT IN RELATION TO ANOTHER
TIME 2 POSITION 2 ORDINAL NUMBERS IN TIME, POSITION
Ordering time is intrinsically linked to ordering 2-dimensinal shapes and 3-dimensional objects through the use of ordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers simply means we are naming the order of things using numbers.
Ordering events in time using ordinal numbers and ordering shapes and objects using ordinal numbers is the same concept, so explicitly teaching and investigating them simultaneously will allow students to understand and explain the concept in multiple ways.
Describing position also involves using positional language, which includes ordinal numbers, and also above, between, next to, beside, below, etc, so explicitly teaching and investigating these ways of describing position simultaneously will allow students to expand their understanding and explanation of position seamlessly.