A literature printable is a one-page worksheet that helps a child slow down and think about a book: a story map, a character chart or a set of response questions. Use one printable per book, filled in as the child reads or right after.
Printables work because they give a child something to do with a story besides finish it. A blank story map or character chart turns a vague feeling like “I liked it” into specific details the child has to find in the text.
How do you use a literature printable?
Pick one printable that matches what you want the child to notice, then fill it in during or right after reading. A story map suits plot. A character chart suits character. Response prompts suit a child’s own reaction.
Keep it short. One printable per book is usually enough. This section explains how to use the templates below. It does not cover grading or scoring. These are thinking tools, not tests.
Story map template
Copy this table, or draw six boxes with these labels on paper. Fill in one line or a short list for each box after reading.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Title and author | Book title and who wrote it |
| Setting | Where and when the story happens |
| Main characters | Names and one word to describe each |
| Problem | What the main character needs to solve or figure out |
| Key events | Three things that happen, in order |
| Solution or ending | How the problem gets solved |
This template covers a single, complete story. It does not fit a book with multiple unrelated plotlines well. For those, fill out a separate map for each plotline.
Character chart template
Use this chart for the one or two characters a child wants to understand better.
| Question | Notes |
|---|---|
| Character’s name | |
| What does this character look like? | |
| What does this character want? | |
| Name three words that describe this character’s personality | |
| Find one line the character says or does that shows one of those words | |
| Does this character change by the end of the book? How? |
This chart works best for a book’s main character, who usually gets the most page time and the clearest change. It is not built for tracking a large cast at once. For that, fill out one short chart per character.
Reading response prompts
Pick one or two prompts after each reading session instead of answering all of them.
- What is one question you would ask a character if you could talk to them?
- Did anything in this chapter remind you of something in your own life?
- What do you think will happen next, and why?
- If you could change one decision a character made, what would it be?
- What was the most surprising part so far?
- Pick one word to describe how this chapter made you feel, and explain why.
These prompts suit fiction with a plot and characters. They fit a chapter book or a single-sitting picture book equally well, but they are not built for nonfiction, which calls for different questions about facts and sources.
Where can you find more free literature printables?
These five sources were checked and confirmed live and free to use.
- Story Map, ReadWriteThink (National Council of Teachers of English). A printable interactive for mapping character, setting, conflict and resolution.
- Story Maps, Reading Rockets. Explains the strategy and how to use it with different age groups.
- Graphic Organizers for Reading, Understood.org. Free downloadable PDFs for summarizing, story elements and character traits, each with a filled-in example.
- Five-Minute Reading Responses, Scholastic. Four quick response formats, with printables, that work for almost any book.
- Character Traits Worksheets, K12Reader. Free printable character-analysis worksheets built around specific classic books.
This list is a starting point, not every free printable available online. Preview any worksheet before handing it to a child, since reading level and book choice vary by site.
For more practice pages, see LearningHaven’s language arts section and reading worksheets. Older readers working through longer books may also want the grades 9-12 book list.
Sources
- ReadWriteThink (NCTE). Story Map
- Reading Rockets. Story Maps
- Understood.org. Graphic Organizers for Reading
- Scholastic. Five-Minute Reading Responses
- K12Reader. Character Traits Worksheets