Story map template (3 levels, with a completed example)

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A story map is a graphic organizer with a box for each part of a story: characters, setting, problem, events and solution. Use the 4-box map for young or beginning students, the 6-box map for most elementary students and the full story grammar map for older students. Fill one together, then have the student fill one alone and score each box 0, 1 or 2.

A story map is a one-page organizer that lays out the parts of a story in boxes. It helps students see that stories have a shape: someone wants something, a problem gets in the way, things happen, and the problem is solved or not. Teachers use it to teach story structure, to plan retells and as a quick probe.

Below are three fill-in versions, a completed example from a fictional student, notes on what reviewers and parents look for, and tips for using the map as a data source. For goals that use story maps, see IEP goals for story elements. The pillar on reading comprehension strategies explains where story structure fits.

Fill-in story map: level 1 (4 boxes)

For preschool to grade 1, students with language needs or anyone new to story maps. Students can draw, dictate or point to pictures.

Box	Prompt	Student response
Who?	Who is the story about?
Where?	Where does it happen?
Problem	What goes wrong?
Solution	How is it fixed?

Fill-in story map: level 2 (6 boxes)

For most students in grades 1 to 5. The events box has three lines to push past "and then it was fixed."

Box	Prompt	Student response
Title and author
Characters	Who is the main character? Who else matters?
Setting	Where and when?
Problem	What does the main character want, and what gets in the way?
Events	What happens first, next and then? (3 events)	1. 2. 3.
Solution	How is the problem solved?

Fill-in story map: level 3 (full story grammar)

For grades 4 and up and for SLP narrative work. It adds the character's feelings, plan and the theme.

Box	Prompt	Student response
Characters and setting	Who, where and when?
Initiating event	What starts the trouble?
Internal response	How does the main character feel about it?
Goal or plan	What does the character decide to do?
Attempts	What does the character try? (1 or more)
Consequence	What happens because of each attempt?
Resolution and reaction	How does it end, and how does the character feel?
Theme	What lesson about life does the story suggest?

The What Works Clearinghouse guide on comprehension in kindergarten through grade 3 recommends teaching story structure as one way to improve comprehension.^[1] The National Reading Panel also reviewed graphic organizers, including story maps, among the strategy types it studied.^[2]

Completed example: level 2

Jamal is a fictional 2nd grader. After reading an unpracticed grade 2 story, he fills the 6-box map on his own. The story: Pip, a small turtle, wants to see the pond festival on the far side of the woods, but he is too slow to get there before dark. He tries walking all day, then asks a rabbit for a ride, which fails when the rabbit runs off. At last a heron offers to carry him, and he arrives just as the lanterns are lit.

Box	Jamal's response	Score (0 to 2)	Why
Title and author	"Pip Goes to the Pond"	Not scored	Recorded for the probe log
Characters	"Pip the turtle, a rabbit, a bird"	2	Main character by name plus others
Setting	"The woods"	1	Place only; misses "before dark," which matters
Problem	"He is slow"	1	Names the obstacle but not what he wants
Events	"1. He walked. 2. The rabbit ran away. 3. The bird took him."	2	3 key events in order
Solution	"He got there"	1	Does not say how
Total		7/10

The pattern tells the teacher what to teach next: the "wants" half of the problem box and the "how" in the solution. Both connect to cause and effect. A week later, after two lessons on "What does the character want?", Jamal's problem box reads "Pip wants to see the festival but he is too slow." That earns 2 points.

What reviewers and parents look for

Title, author and level. Reviewers want the passage level and date on every map used as a probe. Without them, the scores cannot be compared.

Characters. Parents can check this one at home with any bedtime story: "Who was the story about?"

Setting. Students often write a place and skip the time. Setting points rise quickly once you teach "where and when" as a pair.

Problem. This box carries the most weight. A strong answer names what the character wants and what blocks it. Reviewers look for both halves.

Events. Look for order and for key events, not small details. Three events is enough for most elementary stories.

Solution. A strong answer says how the problem was solved, not only that it was.

Total and score rule. Reviewers want a written rule for each box (0 missing, 1 partial, 2 complete) and the total with its denominator.

Using the story map as a probe

Pick unpracticed stories at one level, about 150 to 400 words for elementary students.
The student reads the story, then fills the map with the story put away. Allow it to stay out if the goal says so, and keep that the same every time.
Score each box 0, 1 or 2 with the written rule.
Record the total on the rubric scoring data sheet. Note which boxes lost points.

Probe every 2 weeks. When the student scores 9 of 10 or higher on 3 probes, fade the map: have them retell aloud with only the box names on a card, then with nothing. The retell rubric scores that final step.

Adapting the template

Need	Change
Emerging readers	Read the story aloud; student draws or points to picture choices
AAC users	Pre-load box prompts and answer choices on the device
Writing difficulty	Student dictates; adult scribes word for word
Longer novels	One map per chapter, then a whole-book map
Informational text	Use a text structure organizer instead; see text structure signal words

Goal templates

Goals that pair with this map include name the characters, setting, problem and solution, map a story's plot on a diagram and plan a story with a map and then tell it. For retell goals that build on the map, see IEP goals for retelling a story. The graphic organizer glossary entry explains organizers for families, and the comprehension goals page and reading comprehension strategies hub list the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What goes on a story map?

At minimum, the characters, setting, problem and solution. Most elementary maps add 3 key events in order. Maps for older students add the character's feelings, plan, attempts, the outcome and the theme.

Can a story map be used for IEP progress monitoring?

Yes. Use unpracticed stories at one level, score each box 0, 1 or 2 with a written rule, and record the total. Keep the conditions the same each time, including whether the story stays out while the student works.

When should a student stop using a story map?

Fade it once the student scores near the top of the map on several probes. Move to retelling aloud with only box names on a card, then with no support, and score the retell on a rubric.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.