This who what when where why graphic organizer worksheet helps 3rd graders record the five key details — who, what, when, where, and why — from any story or article. A clear, reusable note-taking template.
This Fictional Narrative Worksheet gives 3rd Grade students one page to plan a story from a book they love, with lines for the main idea, four events and a closing statement, so drafting starts easy.
This 3rd grade Story Map Graphic Organizer Worksheet has students record a story's characters, setting, problem, solution, and theme in one clear, reusable page that strengthens reading comprehension.
A Who What When Where Why Summary Graphic Organizer Worksheet that walks 3rd graders from a short story to the five W answers and on to a written summary. Answer key included, so students get quick feedback and real confidence.
This identifying theme activity helps 3rd to 5th grade students match short stories to their themes and back them up with text details. Answer key included.
This story map worksheet lets 3rd grade students record the characters, setting, problem, main events, and solution of any story they read, building stronger comprehension and retelling skills.
A Florida FAST 3rd grade reading practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 13 benchmarks, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
Students read 12 short fable cards in this determining theme activity for 3rd to 5th Grade, match each to a theme, and cite a detail. Answer key included.
This endings worksheet helps 3rd grade students compare how two stories they have read end, explaining each ending and how the two are alike and different to build strong reading skills.
The Fairy Tales Elements Worksheet gives 3rd Grade readers an original fairy tale, a six-row elements chart, and two written responses, with an answer key included, so a genre lesson is ready to hand out.
A Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 3rd grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 24 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
This beginnings worksheet helps 3rd grade readers describe how two stories they chose open, then explain how those beginnings are alike and different to strengthen story structure skills.
Read, retell and find the moral with this fables and folktales activity for 2nd and 3rd grade: story cards, moral cards, talk cards and a Story Map, with an answer key included.
This Fables Tall Tales Worksheet helps 3rd graders sort genre clues and read an original fable about a greedy crow. An answer key is included, so folklore practice takes no prep at all.
Kids sort story cards with this beginning middle end plot activity for 1st to 3rd grade, then retell the story on a roller coaster plot chart. An answer key is included for easy checking.
This Problem and Solutions Graphic Organizer Worksheet gives 3rd Grade readers a short story plus boxes for the problem, three solutions, and the best one. An answer key is included, so checking work takes seconds.
A NJSLA-A 3rd grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 19 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
This comparing themes of two stories activity for 3rd-5th grade turns story pairs into a fun matching game, with a graphic organizer, practice page, and answer key included.
In this describing characters beginning middle and end activity, 1st to 3rd Grade students order story cards and name feelings. Answer key included.
Using this Story Elements Song (MP3), your students learn about how to find examples of story elements in order to build comprehension as they read.
Who, where, what went wrong, and why it matters.
Third graders already know a story has characters, a setting and a plot. Now they dig deeper. They describe characters by their traits, feelings and motivations, and explain how a character's actions move the story along. They follow the plot from the problem to the solution and recount the events in order. They also read fables and folktales from different cultures and figure out the lesson or moral, like "slow and steady wins the race." The click moment is when kids stop saying "the character was nice" and start saying "she shared her lunch, so she is generous."
Story elements stick when kids can map them, act them and argue about them. These moves do all three.
After reading, have kids fill a story map with characters, setting, problem, key events and solution. Then they use only the map to retell the story to a partner. If the retell falls apart, the map is missing something.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withStory Map Graphic OrganizerGraphic OrganizersOpen it →Have kids describe a character at the beginning, middle and end of a story and note what changed and why. Seeing a character grow helps third graders connect actions to traits and motivations.
Why it works: kids understand an idea best when they touch it, then draw it, then write it, the order the U.S. Department of Education recommends for elementary math.
Try it withDescribing Characters Beginning Middle and End ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Read a short story aloud and pause when the problem appears: "Uh oh, here is the problem. I wonder how they will fix it." Then model finding the solution and how the character got there. Kids then try the next story with a problem and solution organizer.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withProblem and Solutions Graphic Organizer WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Fables, morals and a little friendly debate.
ActivitiesKids read a short fable and race to name its lesson. Then they debate whose moral fits best.
Open What's the Moral of the Story Activity →
ActivitiesKids compare fables and folktales from around the world and find the lessons they share.
Open Fables and Folktales Activity →
ActivitiesKids compare two stories by their characters, settings and plots on a simple chart.
Open How are They the Same Compare and Contrast Story Elements Activity →Teacher favorites right now: Who What When Where Why Graphic Organizer Worksheet, Fictional Narrative Worksheet and Story Map Graphic Organizer.
The main story elements are characters, setting, plot (with a problem and solution) and theme or moral. Third graders also describe character traits and explain how characters' actions affect the events.
A feeling changes during the story, like scared or happy. A trait describes who the character is most of the time, like brave or kind. Kids find traits by looking at what a character does again and again.
Start with fables, where the lesson is clear. Ask "What did the character learn?" and "What should we learn from this?" Then move to longer stories where kids have to figure out the lesson on their own.
After reading a bedtime story or watching a movie, ask who the main character was, where it happened, what the problem was and how it was solved. Five quick questions build the habit.
Loved by 2 million teachers & families
Printables, songs and games for every subject, Preschool through 6th. Ready to teach today, and kids beg for more.
