Free Printable Plot Diagram Templates

About these plot diagram handouts

A plot diagram draws a story as a shape that rises and falls: the problem builds to a high point and then settles. Classroom plot diagrams adapt the pyramid described by the German writer Gustav Freytag in 1863. The five parts are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

The standard version labels the five parts, adds a one-sentence definition for each, and leaves a ruled column under each part for events from the text. The blank version has no labels printed on the arc, so students must remember and write each part name themselves, which suits review or assessment. The lined version puts a small arc at the top with numbered points and five lined sections below, which is the best choice when students need more writing room, for example when they summarize a novel chapter by chapter.

Use it with short stories, novels or films. For a first attempt, try a familiar fairy tale where the climax is easy to find. Type the title in the Story title box to print it at the top of each page.

How to use them

1. Choose the standard version for teaching, the blank version for review, or the lined version for more writing.
2. Type the story title in the Story title box and print.
3. Students first mark the climax, the most tense or important moment.
4. Work backward to the rising action and forward to the falling action and resolution.
5. Write one or two events in each section, using words from the text.

Classroom tips

• Have students find the climax first; most plot disagreements come from where the story's turning point is.
• Accept different answers for the climax if students can defend them with evidence.
• Use the blank version as a quiz after teaching the standard one.
• Compare two plot diagrams of the same story from different students and discuss the differences.

Where the facts come from

• Wikipedia: Gustav Freytag published Die Technik des Dramas in 1863, the source of Freytag's Pyramid

Last reviewed 2026-10-03. Handout Hero designs are original and made for this site. They are general reference material; check your own school, district or tradition where it matters.