Choose a story map, a story mountain or a character chart, then print it blank for any book.
For a PDF, choose Save as PDF as the printer.
Press a line to type on it.
Story elements worksheet: characters, setting, problem, solutionFour ruled boxes headed Characters, Setting, Problem and Solution, under lines for the title and the author. The plain four-box story map, for grades 2 to 5 and any storybook.More options
Sample character chart, filled in: the HareTraits and evidence for the Hare in Aesop's The Tortoise and the Hare. Unkind: he ridicules the Tortoise for being slow. Fast: he soon leaves the Tortoise far behind. Overconfident: sure of winning, he naps halfway through the race.
Sample story map, filled in: The Lion and the MouseThe four-box story map done for Aesop's fable. Characters: a lion, a mouse and some hunters. Setting: the spot where the lion sleeps, then the hunters' net some time later. Problem: the lion is caught in a net and cannot get out. Solution: the mouse hears him roar and gnaws through the ropes.
Sample story mountain, filled in: The Lion and the MouseThe five plot points done for the same fable. Exposition: a mouse wakes a sleeping lion. Rising action: the lion threatens it, the mouse begs forgiveness, the lion sets it free, and later hunters net the lion. Climax: the mouse hears the roaring and remembers the lion's mercy. Falling action: it gnaws through the ropes. Resolution: the lion is free, and mercy has brought its reward.
Show all 36 worksheets (33 more)
Story maps 11
Elements of a narrative worksheet: seven boxesThe upper grade wording on one sheet: Characters, Setting, Point of view, Conflict, Key events, Resolution and Theme. Point of view asks who tells the story, in first person or third person, which is 4th grade work.
Problem and solution worksheetThree boxes in a row with arrows between them: Problem, What the characters try, Solution. The Common Core standards word this as how characters respond to major events and challenges, a 2nd grade skill.
Setting worksheet: where and whenA setting is the time and the place of a story, so this sheet has a Where box, a When box and a box for the words in the story that told you. A picture space heads the sheet.
Six-box story map: characters, setting, problem, events, solution, themeAdds Major events and Theme to the four-box map. Three rows of two ruled boxes, for grades 3 to 5.
Story elements worksheet to draw and writeFour boxes, each with open space for a picture over primary lines for a sentence. For children who can tell a story before they can write much of it.
Story elements worksheet with no labelsFour ruled boxes with empty heading bars, for a teacher's own words: another language, or other elements such as mood or narrator.
Story elements worksheet with primary linesThe same four boxes with a three-line primary rule inside: a solid top line, a dotted midline and a solid baseline. For kindergarten to grade 2 handwriting.
Story elements worksheet, two to a sheetThe four-box story map twice on one page with a cut line between, for a short book or to save paper. Each half keeps its own title line.
Story elements worksheet: characters, setting, problem, solutionFour ruled boxes headed Characters, Setting, Problem and Solution, under lines for the title and the author. The plain four-box story map, for grades 2 to 5 and any storybook.
Story map with title, author and illustratorCharacters and Setting boxes to draw in, under lines for the title, the author and the illustrator. Naming the author and the illustrator of a story is kindergarten work in the Common Core standards.
Story map: characters, settings and major eventsThree boxes in the words of the kindergarten and 1st grade Common Core standards: characters, settings and major events. Primary lines, with picture space in each box.
Story mountain and plot line 5
Blank story mountain, no labelsThe mountain and its five boxes with empty heading bars, for a class that uses other names such as introduction, build-up or turning point.
Story line worksheet: plot line with five pointsA plot line runs across the top of the sheet: flat, then up to a peak, then down, with the five points numbered on it. Five numbered ruled boxes below give more room to write than the mountain does.
Story mountain in plain wordsThe same mountain with labels a 2nd or 3rd grader can read: Beginning, Problem starts, Biggest moment, Problem gets solved, Ending.
Story mountain to drawFive open boxes up and down the mountain for pictures, with a line under each for a label. For kindergarten to grade 2, or for planning a story before writing it.
Story mountain with five plot pointsA mountain outline with a ruled box at each of five points: Exposition, Rising action, Climax, Falling action and Resolution. The five parts follow Gustav Freytag's 1863 outline of a drama. For grades 4 and 5.
Beginning, middle and end 5
Beginning, middle and end to draw and writeThree picture boxes across a landscape sheet, each with primary lines under it for a sentence.
Beginning, middle and end with primary linesThe same flow of three on a three-line primary rule, for kindergarten to grade 2.
Beginning, middle and end worksheetThree ruled boxes down the sheet with an arrow from each to the next. The 2nd grade standard asks how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
Major events in order: a flow of fiveFive numbered boxes joined by arrows, for the major events of a longer story or a chapter. The 3rd grade standard asks how characters' actions contribute to the sequence of events.
Retell worksheet: beginning, middle, end and lessonBeginning, Middle and End boxes with a fourth box for the central message or lesson. The 1st grade standard pairs the two: retell the story, then show you understand its lesson.
Character charts 7
Character change chart: beginning to endThree boxes in a row: the character at the beginning, what changes them, the character at the end. A page line under each box asks for the evidence.
Character chart with primary linesA picture box for the character over three short questions on primary lines: Who is it? What does the character do? How does the character feel? For kindergarten to grade 2.
Character chart: looks, says, does, feelsA name box in the middle with four ruled boxes round it: Looks like, Says, Does and Feels. The 4th grade standard asks for a character's thoughts, words or actions as the details.
Character chart: traits and evidenceA line for the character's name over a table: Trait on the left, Evidence from the story on the right, and a narrow Page column. The 3rd grade standard names traits, motivations and feelings.
Character tracking chart by chapterOne character, one row a chapter: Chapter, What the character does, How the character feels, What I learned about them. It shows a character changing across a novel.
Character tracking chart for a class novelA landscape table with one row a character: Character, Who they are, Traits, First seen in chapter, What changes. Keep it in a reading folder and add a row when someone new walks in.
Compare two characters chartThree columns: the first character, Both, the second character. Comparing two or more characters, settings or events is the 5th grade standard, and the same chart works for two settings.
Theme, lesson and favorite part 5
Central message or lesson worksheetTwo boxes: What the story teaches, and How I know. Central message, lesson or moral is the wording of the standards for grades 1 to 3, before the word theme comes in at grade 4.
Central message worksheet to draw and writeA picture box for the moment the character learns something, over primary lines headed What the story teaches. For grades 1 and 2.
My favorite part and whyThree ruled boxes: My favorite part, Why I chose it, and A line from the story I liked, with a page line. For grades 3 to 5.
My favorite part: draw and writeA large picture box over primary lines that start My favorite part was. For kindergarten to grade 2.
Theme worksheet: theme and three detailsA Theme box over three Detail boxes. From 4th grade the standard asks a reader to determine a theme from details in the text, so each detail box has a page line.
How this list was compiled: Laid out and written in-house. The element names and grade levels were checked against the Common Core reading standards for literature, kindergarten to grade 5. The three samples retell two of Aesop's fables in our own words, and no publisher's organizer is copied. Licence: own work
How it works
This elements of a story worksheet has four boxes: characters, setting, problem and solution. It works with any book. The Sheet menu adds a story mountain, beginning, middle and end, character charts and theme, on primary or plain lines.
Read the full guide
Pick the sheet by grade
For kindergarten and 1st grade, print a draw and write sheet: the standards ask for characters, settings and major events. From 2nd grade, use the four-box story map. For 4th and 5th, the elements of a narrative worksheet adds point of view, conflict and theme.
Plot the story line
A story line worksheet draws the plot as a line that climbs to a peak and comes down. The story mountain names five points on it: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
Follow the characters
For one character, print the traits and evidence chart. For a class novel, the character tracking chart keeps one row a character, or one row a chapter.
Problem and solution are classroom words. The Common Core standards say major events and challenges, and ask how characters respond to them.
A setting is when as well as where. Ask for the time of day, the season or the year too.
Fill in one map together from a story everyone knows before students work alone. The three filled-in samples use Aesop's fables.
Questions and answers
What are the elements of a story?
Characters, setting, plot and theme, with style often counted as a fifth. In the early grades the plot is taught as a problem and a solution, or as a beginning, a middle and an end.
Is an elements of a narrative worksheet different?
Only in its words. A narrative is a story, so it covers the same ground. Ours says Conflict and Resolution where the story map says Problem and Solution, and adds Point of view, Key events and Theme.
What goes on a story line worksheet?
The plot, in order, on a line that rises to a peak. Mark five points: how the story opens, the events that build, the climax or turning point, what follows from it, and how it ends.
How do I save a character chart PDF?
Choose a sheet under Character charts, press Print this worksheet and pick Save as PDF as the printer. The traits and evidence chart holds one character, so print one for each main character in the book.
How does a character tracking chart work?
It is a table kept through a whole novel. One version gives every character a row: who they are, their traits, what changes. The other follows one character, one row a chapter.