A storyboard worksheet is a blank grid of panels where students draw and write. It looks like a comic strip, but it works as a thinking tool — for reading, writing, science, social studies and math.
These ideas work for K–5. All use free layouts in Storyboard Creator or printable PDF templates.
Reading comprehension
Story map (beginning–middle–end)
Layout: Classic, 3 cells
After reading a story, students fill three panels:
This is the simplest storyboard activity and the foundation for everything else.
- Beginning — who, where, what is the situation?
- Middle — what happens? What is the problem?
- End — how is it resolved?
Character map
Layout: Classic, 4–6 cells
Pick a character. Each panel shows a different moment from the story. Below each panel, write: what does this tell you about the character?
Retelling
Layout: Classic, 5–6 cells
After reading, students retell the story in their own words, one panel per beat. This checks comprehension more reliably than a written summary, because students cannot copy text — they have to show what they understood.
Writing
Personal narrative
Layout: Classic, 4–6 cells
Topic: "Something that happened to me." Students storyboard a real event: waking up on a birthday, losing a tooth, the first day of school.
Fictional story
Layout: Classic, 6 cells
Students invent a story. Give them a prompt: "A character finds a door that was not there yesterday." They storyboard what happens next.
Frayer vocabulary model
Layout: Frayer (4 cells around a center)
Center: the word. Four cells: definition, characteristics, examples, non-examples.
See the character analysis lesson for a full plan using this layout.
Science
Life cycle
Layout: Cycle, 4 cells
Butterfly, frog, plant — any life cycle. Each panel is a stage. Arrows show the direction.
Water cycle
Layout: Cycle, 4–5 cells
Evaporation → condensation → precipitation → collection → repeat.
Food chain
Layout: Classic, 4 cells
Sun → producer → herbivore → carnivore. Each panel shows what eats what and where the energy goes.
See storyboards in science class for more.
Social studies
Timeline
Layout: Timeline, 4–6 cells
Topic: a historical event, a biography, or the history of a place. Each panel is a moment in time with a date and a caption.
Compare two things
Layout: T-Chart
Left column: one thing. Right column: another. Examples: land vs water, city vs country, past vs present, two historical figures.
Community helpers
Layout: Classic, 4–6 cells
Each panel: a different community helper (doctor, firefighter, teacher, mail carrier) with what they do.
Math
Word problem
Layout: Classic, 3–4 cells
Panel 1: the setup (draw the situation). Panel 2: the known quantities. Panel 3: the operation. Panel 4: the answer.
Fraction visual
Layout: Grid, 4 cells
Show the same fraction four ways: as a part of a whole, on a number line, as a decimal, as a percent.
How to use these
In Creator (browser)
- Open Storyboard Creator
- Pick a layout under LAYOUT
- Turn on Classroom in the library filter (hides weapons, monsters)
- Drop scenes or characters if needed
- Fill cells, print or download PNG
On paper
See how to print for all export options.
- Download a free storyboard template (PDF)
- Students draw and write by hand
Tips for elementary teachers
Model first
Draw one on the board with the class. Think out loud: "What goes in this panel? What do I draw? What do I write?"
Stick figures are fine
The goal is thinking, not art. If the story is clear from the pictures and captions, the storyboard works.
Use sentence starters
For younger students, provide caption starters:
- "First…"
- "Then…"
- "Finally…"
- "I see…"
- "This shows…"
Pair students
One draws, one writes. Then switch. This builds both visual and verbal skills.
Display the boards
Storyboards are visual — hang them. A wall of storyboards is a gallery of thinking.
What these are not
These are not art projects. They are thinking tools that happen to use pictures. Do not grade them on artistic quality. Grade them on clarity: can someone understand the story, the process, or the argument from the pictures and captions?
Resources
- Worksheet templates — all layouts used above
- Classroom resources — overview and library filter
- Free storyboard template — printable PDF
- Visual sequencing lesson — K–3 first/then/last
- How to print — export options