Alternate Endings Prompt

This worksheet supports students in Grades 5 and 6 as they explore how different choices lead to different story outcomes. After reading a narrative prompt about discovering a sealed wooden box with a warning note, learners write two distinct endings-each based on a different decision-strengthening understanding of cause and effect, plot development, and narrative structure.

Skills Reinforced

• Narrative Writing: Alternate Endings (Grades 5-6)
  Create multiple conclusions that grow logically from different character choices.
• Cause and Effect in Storytelling
  Show how decisions influence consequences and story direction.
• Plot Development and Structural Variation
  Experiment with branching narratives while maintaining coherence.
• Creative Thinking and Decision-Based Writing
  Explore imaginative possibilities rooted in purposeful choices.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Writing Challenge
  Designed to deepen understanding of narrative decision-making.
• Clear Organizational Structure
  Labeled endings help students separate and compare outcomes.
• Encourages Higher-Level Thinking
  Requires students to consider plausibility, consequences, and story logic.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Works well for writing workshops, assessment, or enrichment activities.

This activity helps students recognize that stories are shaped by choices and consequences. By crafting alternate endings, learners gain stronger control over plot logic, creativity, and narrative structure while developing insight into how authors design meaningful story paths. It fits naturally into classroom and homeschool language arts instruction focused on creative storytelling and analytical thinking.

This worksheet is part of our Narrative Writing Prompts collection.