Story mountain planner: a 3rd grade narrative writing activity
What it is: a 3rd grade narrative writing activity where students plan a story on a mountain shape: the beginning at the bottom, rising events on the way up, the big problem at the top, and the solution and ending on the way down.
Time: about 40 minutes. Grade: 3rd grade.
Materials: a story mountain organizer, a short story the class knows to map first, and lined paper.
- Map a familiar story on the mountain together, naming each part.
- Students choose a character and a problem. Give a starter list if needed (a lost pet, a broken promise, a storm on the day of a game).
- They plan their own mountain with one or two sentences in each part.
- Partners check each other's mountain: "Is the top the most exciting part?"
- Students start drafting, one paragraph for each part of the mountain.
Differentiation: students who need support plan with pictures first and get a sentence starter for each part. Students who are ready add a second problem on the way up. English learners can tell their story aloud from the mountain before writing.
Quick check: ask a student to point to the top of their mountain and explain why it's the most exciting moment.
Save this activity to your library so it is ready when you need it.
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About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 30, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades 3–5
- Subject
- Writing
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.