Plan a Personal Narrative

3rd Grade ELAWriting2 pages

About this worksheet

Students plan a true story as if they were directing a short movie about it. This 2-page 3rd grade personal narrative planner starts with three brainstorm questions about the event, the setting, the characters, and what kicks the story off. A six-panel storyboard follows, with First, Next, Then, Later, After that, and Finally printed on the panels. The directions say stick figures are fine. It supports W.3.3.a, W.3.3.c, and the planning part of W.3.5. No answer key is needed.

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Plan a Personal Narrative: Writing - page 1

Plan a Personal Narrative: Writing - page 2

Curriculum objectives covered

W.3.3.a

“Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.”

Step 1 sets up the situation and the characters, and the six panels put the events in an order that unfolds naturally.

W.3.3.c

“Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.”

The temporal word printed on each panel, and the instruction to use such words in every caption.

W.3.5

“With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 3 on page 29.)”

The whole sheet is a planning step done before students write the full story.

What's inside this worksheet

My Life on Screen

A clapperboard picture and short directions. Students choose the six most important moments of a true event, sketch each one, and write captions with temporal words.

Step 1 Brainstorm the Details

Three questions ask for the true event and where it happens, who else is in the story, and what happens at the very beginning.

Step 2 Storyboard Your Narrative

Six panels in two rows, each with a caption line. The panels start "First...", "Next...", "Then...", "Later...", "After that...", and "Finally..."

How teachers use it

Before drafting

Tell a short true story of your own and sketch it into six panels on the board. Students copy the idea of one moment per panel, not one day per panel.

Oral rehearsal

Pairs tell their story aloud from the panels before writing captions. If a student cannot fit it into six moments, the event is usually too big, like a whole vacation.

Writing conference

Check Panel 1 during conferences. Many 3rd graders start with waking up that morning, so help them begin closer to the action.

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