Thinking sheet · Stories and words

Story Mountain

Plan a story that climbs to an exciting top and slides down to a happy (or funny) ending.

Grades
2–5
Time
about 30 minutes
Kids practice
story structure, building tension, planning writing

What kids do

“Good stories climb a mountain. Plan yours from bottom to top and back down.”

  1. Main character:
  2. Setting:
  3. The top of the mountain: draw the most exciting moment
  4. Climb the story

How to run it

  • Draw a big mountain on the board and map a familiar fairy tale onto it.
  • The top is the moment readers hold their breath.
  • Use the sheet to plan, then write the story on lined paper.

Talk about it

  • What makes the top exciting?
  • How did the character fix the problem?
  • Which famous story has the best mountain?

Take it further

Turn the plan into a little folded book with a picture on each page.

Pairs well with

Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.

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