Grades 4–5
Write a Fable with a Lesson
Pick a lesson like “think before you act,” plan two animal characters and what happens, then write the fable.
Writing worksheet · Narrative writing organizers
Rule of Three Story Planner
A story plan built on three tries: two that fail and one that works, then the draft.
- 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
“In many stories, the character tries three times. The first two tries fail, and the third one works. Plan your story.”
Printed on the sheet:
- Who is the character?
- What do they want?
- Why does it fail?
- Try 3 What finally works?
- Write your story
- Once there was a
Teacher tip
Point out the rule of three in Goldilocks or The Three Little Pigs before kids plan.
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.
- Give a minute at the end to reread the work out loud to a partner.
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 2–3
Six-Sentence Story Planner
A whole story in six sentences: who and where, a want, a problem, a try, what works and the ending.
Grades 2–4
Story Spinner: Who, Where and Uh-Oh
Pick a character, a setting and a problem from three lists, then write the story they make.
Grades 2–4
Setting Senses: Describe the Place
A setting organizer: what you see, hear, smell and feel in a story’s place and time, then an opening paragraph.
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