Writing a story from an outline is like joining dots to make a picture. The outline gives you the events, and you fill in the details. This page has 10 stories for Class 5, from Panchatantra tales to clever stories of Birbal and Tenali Raman. Each story is about 150 to 200 words long and ends with a moral.
Simple Steps to Write a Story from an Outline
1. Break the outline into parts. Each dash in the outline shows a new event. Count them, so you do not miss any.
2. Decide the setting. Think about where and when the story happens. It could be a forest, a village or a king’s court.
3. Write an opening that catches attention. You can begin with a character, a place or even a line of dialogue.
4. Link the events smoothly. Use joining words like then, soon, the next day and at last, so the story flows nicely.
5. Give it a clear ending and a moral. Read the story once more to check the tense and spellings.
Stone Soup Story from Outline
Outline: A tired traveller reaches a village – asks for food – villagers say they have nothing – he says he will make stone soup – puts a stone in a pot of boiling water – villagers become curious – he says carrots would make it better – one villager brings carrots – others bring potatoes, onions and salt – the soup becomes tasty – everyone eats together
Stone Soup
A tired traveller reached a small village one evening. He was very hungry. He knocked on many doors and asked for food. But everyone said, “Sorry, we have nothing to give.”
The traveller did not lose hope. He set up a big pot of water over a fire in the middle of the village. Then he dropped a smooth stone into it. “What are you making?” asked a curious boy. “Stone soup,” said the traveller. “It is very tasty.”
Soon, a crowd gathered around the pot. The traveller tasted the water and said, “Hmm, it is good. But a few carrots would make it even better.” A woman ran home and brought some carrots.
“Some potatoes would be nice too,” he said. A man brought potatoes. Others brought onions, tomatoes and salt. The pot was soon full of vegetables, and the soup smelled wonderful.
That night, the whole village sat together and enjoyed the delicious stone soup. They laughed and talked for hours.
Moral: When everyone shares a little, there is enough for all.
The Three Fish Story from Outline
Outline: Three fish live in a pond – one is wise, one is clever, one is lazy – fishermen plan to come the next day – the wise fish leaves at once – the clever fish decides to stay – the lazy fish says nothing will happen – fishermen come and throw their net – the clever fish pretends to be dead and escapes – the lazy fish is caught
The Three Fish
Three fish lived in a pond. The first fish was wise and always planned ahead. The second fish was clever and could think quickly. The third fish was lazy and never worried about anything.
One evening, two fishermen walked by the pond. “This pond is full of fish. Let us come tomorrow with our nets,” said one of them. The three fish heard every word.
“We must leave this pond tonight through the stream,” said the wise fish, and she swam away at once.
“I will stay. If trouble comes, I will find a way out,” said the clever fish. The lazy fish yawned and said, “This is my home. Nothing will happen.”
The next morning, the fishermen came and threw their net. Both fish were caught. The clever fish quickly lay still and floated as if she were dead. The fishermen threw her back into the water, and she swam away to safety. But the lazy fish was taken away.
Moral: Plan ahead, and never ignore a warning.
The Brahmin and the Goat Story from Outline
Outline: A Brahmin gets a goat as a gift – carries it home on his shoulders – three thieves see him – plan to trick him – the first thief asks why he is carrying a dog – the second thief says the same – the third thief says it too – the Brahmin gets confused – throws the goat down and goes home – the thieves take the goat
The Brahmin and the Goat
A poor Brahmin lived in a village. One day, a rich man gave him a fat goat as a gift. The Brahmin was very happy. He put the goat on his shoulders and set off for home.
On the way, three thieves saw him. “Let us trick him and take that goat,” whispered one. They made a plan and went ahead of him on the road.
Soon, the first thief met the Brahmin. “Sir, why are you carrying a dog on your shoulders?” he asked. “This is not a dog. It is a goat,” said the Brahmin, and he walked on.
A little later, the second thief stopped him. “Why is a good man like you carrying a dirty dog?” The Brahmin felt a little worried.
Then the third thief came along and laughed. “Look! He is carrying a dog!”
Now the Brahmin was confused. “Three people cannot be wrong. Maybe this really is a dog,” he thought. He threw the goat down and hurried home. The three thieves happily took the goat away.
Moral: Do not believe everything people tell you.
The Talkative Tortoise Story from Outline
Outline: A tortoise lives in a lake with two geese friends – the lake dries up – the geese plan to fly to another lake – the tortoise wants to go too – the geese hold a stick in their beaks – the tortoise holds the middle with his mouth – the geese warn him not to speak – people below laugh at them – the tortoise opens his mouth to answer – he falls down
The Talkative Tortoise
A tortoise lived in a lake with his two best friends, a pair of geese. The tortoise was kind, but he loved to talk all the time.
One summer, there was no rain, and the lake began to dry up. “We must fly to a bigger lake far away,” said the geese. “But I cannot fly,” cried the tortoise. “Please take me with you.”
The geese thought of a plan. “We will hold a stick in our beaks. You hold the middle of the stick with your mouth. But remember, do not open your mouth, not even once.”
The tortoise agreed. Soon, they were flying high over villages and fields. The people below looked up and laughed. “Look! Two geese are carrying a tortoise!”
The tortoise felt angry. “Why are they laughing at me?” he thought. He opened his mouth to shout at them. At once, he lost his grip on the stick and fell down into a thorny bush. He was badly hurt.
Moral: Think before you speak.
Tenali Raman and the Cats Story from Outline
Outline: Rats trouble the city – King Krishnadevaraya gives a cat and a cow to each courtier – asks them to feed the cats with the cow’s milk – Tenali gives his cat very hot milk – the cat burns its tongue – it never drinks milk again – Tenali’s family drinks the milk – months later, the king checks the cats – other cats are fat and lazy – Tenali’s cat is thin but catches many rats – the king laughs and praises Tenali
Tenali Raman and the Cats
Once, the city of Vijayanagara was full of rats. So King Krishnadevaraya gave a cat and a cow to each of his courtiers. “Feed the cats with the cow’s milk, so they stay strong and catch the rats,” he said.
Tenali Raman took his cat home. On the first day, he gave it a bowl of very hot milk. The cat drank quickly and burnt its tongue. After that, it ran away whenever it saw milk.
So Tenali’s family drank the cow’s milk every day, and the cat hunted rats for its food.
After three months, the king asked everyone to bring their cats. The other cats were fat and lazy. But Tenali’s cat was thin. “Tenali, why is your cat so weak?” asked the king angrily.
Tenali put a bowl of milk in front of his cat. The cat ran away at once! “Your Majesty, my cat does not like milk,” said Tenali with a smile. “But it has caught more rats than any other cat.”
The king laughed loudly and praised Tenali for his clever thinking.
Moral: Good work matters more than good looks.
Birbal Finds the Thief Story from Outline
Outline: Money is stolen from a rich merchant’s house – the merchant suspects his servants – Akbar asks Birbal for help – Birbal gives each servant a stick of the same length – says the thief’s stick will grow one inch longer by morning – the thief cuts his stick at night – the next morning, Birbal checks the sticks – one stick is shorter – Birbal catches the thief
Birbal Finds the Thief
One day, a rich merchant came to Akbar’s court. “Your Majesty, someone has stolen money from my house. I think it is one of my servants, but I do not know who,” he said sadly.
Akbar asked Birbal to find the thief. Birbal went to the merchant’s house and called all the servants. He gave each of them a stick. All the sticks were of the same length.
“These are magic sticks,” said Birbal. “By tomorrow morning, the thief’s stick will grow one inch longer. Bring your sticks back to me tomorrow.”
That night, one servant could not sleep. He was very scared. “If my stick grows longer, everyone will know I am the thief,” he thought. So he quietly cut one inch off his stick.
The next morning, all the servants brought their sticks. Birbal checked them one by one. All the sticks were the same, except one. It was one inch shorter!
“Here is your thief,” said Birbal. The servant had to return the money, and the merchant thanked Birbal again and again.
Moral: A guilty person is always afraid.
The Bear and the Two Friends Story from Outline
Outline: Two friends walk through a forest – promise to help each other – a bear comes – one friend climbs a tree quickly – the other cannot climb – lies down and holds his breath – the bear sniffs him and goes away – the first friend comes down – asks what the bear said – the other says the bear told him not to trust a friend who leaves you in danger
The Bear and the Two Friends
Ramesh and Suresh were friends. One day, they were walking through a thick forest. “If any danger comes, we will help each other,” they promised.
Suddenly, a big bear came out from behind the bushes. Ramesh was quick. He ran to a tree and climbed up without even looking back. Suresh did not know how to climb trees. He was very scared.
Then he remembered hearing that bears do not touch dead bodies. So he lay down on the ground and held his breath.
The bear came near him. It sniffed his face, his ears and his hands. Suresh did not move at all. After some time, the bear walked away.
When the bear was gone, Ramesh came down from the tree. “What did the bear whisper in your ear?” he asked with a laugh.
Suresh stood up and said, “The bear told me never to trust a friend who leaves you alone in danger.” Ramesh felt ashamed.
Moral: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
The Miser and his Gold Story from Outline
Outline: A miser sells everything and buys gold – buries it in his garden – digs it up every day to look at it – a thief watches him – steals the gold at night – the miser finds the hole empty and cries – a neighbour asks what happened – tells him to bury a stone and look at it – says the stone is just as useful as the gold he never used
The Miser and his Gold
There was once a rich man who was a miser. He did not like spending money, not even on good food or clothes. He sold everything he had and bought a big lump of gold.
He buried the gold in a hole in his garden. Every morning, he dug it up, looked at it happily for a long time, and buried it again.
A thief noticed this. One night, when the miser was asleep, the thief dug up the gold and ran away with it.
The next morning, the miser went to look at his gold. The hole was empty! He sat down and cried loudly. His neighbour heard him and came running. “What happened?” he asked. The miser told him everything.
“Did you ever use the gold?” asked the neighbour. “No, I only looked at it,” said the miser.
“Then put a stone in the hole and look at it every day,” said the neighbour. “It will be just as useful to you as your gold was.”
Moral: Money is useful only when we use it well.
The Crow and the Snake Story from Outline
Outline: A crow couple lives on a tree – a snake lives in a hole at the bottom – the snake eats their eggs – the crows ask a wise fox for help – the fox gives them a plan – the crow picks up the princess’s necklace – drops it into the snake’s hole – the guards follow the crow – they find the snake near the necklace – drive the snake away – the crows live happily
The Crow and the Snake
A crow and his wife lived in a nest on a big tree. A black snake lived in a hole at the bottom of the tree. Every time the crows laid eggs, the snake climbed up and ate them.
The crows were very sad. They went to their friend, a wise fox, for help. The fox thought for a while and said, “Do not worry. I have a plan.”
The next day, the princess went to the river for a bath. She kept her pearl necklace on a rock. The crow flew down, picked up the necklace and flew off with it. The palace guards saw this and ran after the crow.
The crow flew straight to the tree and dropped the necklace into the snake’s hole. The guards reached the tree and looked inside. There they saw the snake, curled around the necklace!
The guards beat the ground with their sticks and drove the snake far away. Then they took the necklace back to the princess.
From that day, the crows lived happily, and their eggs were always safe.
Moral: A smart plan can solve a big problem.
The Mice and the Elephants Story from Outline
Outline: Mice live in an old village – elephants walk through it on their way to the lake – many mice get hurt – the mouse king asks the elephant king to take another path – the elephant king agrees – later, hunters trap the elephants in nets – the elephant king sends for the mice – the mice cut the nets – the elephants are free – they become friends
The Mice and the Elephants
Many mice lived in an old, empty village near a forest. On the other side of the village was a big lake. Every day, a herd of elephants walked through the village to drink water. Their heavy feet hurt many mice and broke their homes.
The mouse king went to the elephant king. “Great king, your herd is hurting my people. Please take another path to the lake,” he said politely. “One day, we may be able to help you too.”
The elephant king smiled at the tiny mouse, but he agreed. From that day, the elephants used a different path.
Some months later, hunters came to the forest. They set big nets and trapped many elephants. The elephants tried hard, but they could not break free.
The elephant king remembered the mice. He sent a young elephant to ask for help. At once, the mouse king came with hundreds of mice. They cut the thick ropes with their sharp teeth. Soon, all the elephants were free.
The elephants thanked the mice, and they stayed friends forever.
Moral: Be kind to everyone, big or small.
Your Turn: Practice Outlines
Choose any outline below and turn it into a full story. Do not forget a title and a moral.
1. A girl wants to win a running race – practises every morning – falls and hurts her knee a week before the race – does not give up – runs on race day – comes second – her coach is proud of her effort
2. A fox falls into a well – cannot climb out – a goat comes by – the fox says the water is sweet – the goat jumps in – the fox climbs on the goat’s back and gets out – the goat is left in the well – learns a lesson
3. Two brothers share a mango orchard – the elder brother takes more mangoes – the younger brother stays quiet – one year, a storm destroys the elder brother’s trees – the younger brother shares his mangoes – the elder brother feels ashamed
4. A king wants to test his people – places a big stone on the road – hides a bag of gold under it – many people walk around it and complain – a farmer moves the stone – finds the gold and a note from the king
5. A little girl finds an injured bird in her garden – takes care of it – feeds it grains and water – the bird gets well – she sets it free – the bird comes back to sing near her window every day
Frequently Asked Questions
How many words should a Class 5 story from an outline have?
Around 150 to 200 words is usually right for Class 5. Always check the word limit given in your question paper and stick to it.
Do I have to use every point of the outline?
Yes. Each point is an important part of the story. If you leave one out, the story may feel incomplete, and you may lose marks.
How can I make my story more interesting?
Add what the characters say and feel. Use describing words for places and people. A short surprise or a funny moment also makes the story fun to read.
What do teachers look for while checking?
Every school checks in its own way. In general, teachers see if all the outline points are used in order, the story is easy to follow, the grammar and spellings are correct, and there is a good title and moral.
More Story Writing Practice for Class 4, 5 and 6
Story Writing with Hints
Short Story Writing with Hints for Class 4
Story Writing with Hints for Class 5
Story Writing with Hints for Class 6
Story Writing from Outline
Story Writing from Outline for Class 4
