Third Grade · Writing · week 28

Story Mountain Planning

Plan a true narrative using a story mountain (beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, ending).

This unit you write a NARRATIVE -- a true story about something that really happened to you, told with the shape of a STORY MOUNTAIN.

A story mountain has five parts: the BEGINNING (how things start), RISING ACTION (a problem builds), the CLIMAX (the most exciting or tense moment, at the top of the mountain), FALLING ACTION (things start to settle), and the ENDING (how it all wraps up).

Planning your story mountain before writing means you already know where your story is heading, so the actual writing flows more smoothly.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Draw an actual mountain shape on paper with your child and label the five parts, so the structure feels visual and concrete.
  • Help your child brainstorm two or three true story ideas before settling on one with a clear rising action and climax.
  • Keep the plan to short phrases for now -- full sentences come later when actually drafting.
  • If your child jumps straight to the climax, gently ask "but how did the story start, before that got exciting?"
Talk about it:
  • What are the five parts of a story mountain?
  • What is the climax of your planned story?
  • Why is it helpful to plan the whole mountain before writing any sentences?

Mastery looks like: They plan a true story with all five story mountain parts, with a clear problem that builds to a genuine climax.

Common stumbles: Skipping straight to the climax without planning a beginning; choosing a story with no real problem or rising action, which leaves nothing to climb toward.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Plot MountainClimb the story arc: exposition, rising action, climax, resolution.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Writing for this learner.
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