Grades 3–5
Small Moment: Slow It Down
A personal narrative planner for one small moment: four steps, what you saw, heard, felt and thought, then the draft.
Writing worksheet · Narrative writing organizers
Character, Setting, Problem, Solution
A four-square story planner: character, setting, problem and solution, each with room to draw and write.
- Grade level
- Grades 2–4
- Time
- About 30 minutes
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Narrative writing, Story planning, Sequence and transitions, Details and description
What kids do
“Plan the four big parts of a story. Draw and write in each box.”
Printed on the sheet:
- Character Who is the story about?
- Setting Where and when does it happen?
- Problem What goes wrong?
- Solution How is it fixed?
- My story’s title:
Teacher tip
Plan one silly class story together on chart paper so kids see all four squares filled.
How to use it
- Plan a class story together on the board using the same organizer.
- Retell a well-known picture book with the organizer before kids plan their own.
- Read the directions aloud so the sheet is about writing, not decoding the directions.
Watch for
Plans that list events without a problem. Ask what goes wrong.
Talk about it
- What is the problem in your story?
- Which sentence on your sheet are you proudest of? Why?
Take it further
Turn the plan into a draft in writing workshop the next day.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More narrative writing organizers
Grades 4–5
Personal Narrative: Hook and Ending
A planner for a true story: three kinds of hooks to try, the events in order and an ending with a feeling or a lesson.
Grades 2–3
Transition Words for Stories
A short pond story with six blanks for first, next, then, suddenly, after that and finally, then three sentences to write.
Grades 3–5
Dialogue Planner: Two Characters Talk
Plan a conversation between two characters, pick stronger words than said, then write the scene.
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