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Who, what, when, where, why organizer (free printable)

Six rows, each with a labeled question and writing lines: who, what, when, where, why and how. Edit the questions and print for any story or news article.

Printed on the sheet. Leave it empty to write by hand.
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Who, What, When, Where, Why, page 1Who, What, When, Where, WhyText: ______________________________NameDateWhoWhatWhenWhereWhyHowFree at teach.peabody.kids

To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheet prints.

About this sheet

These are the questions of a reporter and of a careful reader. Who is it about? What happened? When and where? Why did it happen, and how? A student who can answer all six has understood the basic facts of a text. The page is a plain stack of labeled rows with writing lines, so the question comes first and the answer follows. The labels are editable: drop the last row for a five Ws page, rename it for a science observation, or write your own questions for a different text. Use it with a short story, a news article, a historical event or a student's own writing, where it works as a planning tool.

Grades: 1 to 8. Best in: September, October, January.

How to use it

  1. Edit the six labels if you like, up to eight lines. Remove any row you do not want by deleting its line.
  2. Read a text and ask students to answer each question in a short phrase, using words from the text.
  3. Ask students to use their answers to write a one-sentence summary that includes at least four of the six.

Five ideas for class

  1. Use a short news story, with the Ws of the event, and ask students to write a headline from their answers.
  2. Use it for planning a piece of writing: students answer the six questions about their story before they begin to draft.
  3. Put students in pairs to interview each other, and fill in the form about a classmate's weekend, with permission.
  4. Use it in history to capture a basic event: who was involved, what happened, when, where, why and with what result.
  5. Replace the questions with ones for a science observation: What did I see? What changed? What do I think caused it?

Related

Questions

Is there a difference between five Ws and six?

The five Ws are who, what, when, where and why. How is the sixth that many teachers add. Delete the last row for five.

Can younger students use it?

Yes. Cut the rows to three, who, what and where, and let students draw their answers.

How is it different from a story map?

The story map follows the plot of a story. This page asks the basic facts of any text, and works for news, history and nonfiction as well as stories.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Choose Print, then pick “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheet prints: the page around it is hidden. You can also save a sheet as a PNG image under the preview.

Can I print it in black and white?

Yes. Switch to Black and white beside the sheet: fills turn white and lines turn black, so it saves ink and photocopies cleanly.

Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?

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