What if one of the most meaningful writing activities we could offer students started without a pencil, keyboard, or blank page?
Inspired by The Moth, an organization that celebrates true, personal stories told aloud, educators can create opportunities for students to discover their voices, develop ideas, and connect through storytelling.
The premise is simple: Everyone has a story worth telling.
Storytelling isn’t new, but the way we design learning around it can be. What happens when students develop ideas through conversation before writing, choose how to express themselves, and learn from experiences beyond their classrooms?
These shifts can make learning more accessible and strengthen student agency, while transforming writing into an opportunity to connect, reflect, and make meaning.
Rethinking the Writing Experience
Consider how a few changes to familiar practices might open new possibilities for learning.
Instead of…
- Students write first, then share their writing.
- Writing is primarily an individual activity.
- Students demonstrate learning through a written product.
- Families support learning by helping with assignments.
What if we…
- Invite students to tell, listen, and reflect before writing.
- Develop ideas through conversation, feedback, and connection.
- Offer multiple ways to develop and communicate thinking.
- Recognize families and communities as contributors of knowledge, experiences, and perspectives.
These aren’t new strategies; they are opportunities to be more intentional about how students develop ideas, engage with others, and communicate knowledge.
Two Ways to Get Started
1. Tell It Before You Write It
Time: 20–30 minutes
Focus: Oral storytelling, listening, reflection, and narrative writing
Invite students to think about a true moment from their lives. Give them a few minutes to prepare, then share with a partner or small group.
Try these prompts:
- K–5: “A time I tried something new.” Students draw three moments from their story, tell it to a partner, and then write or dictate it.
- Grades 6–8: “A time something didn’t go as planned.” Students share a 1–2-minute story, including a challenge and what happened next.
- Grades 9–12: “A moment that changed how I saw something.” Students develop a 2–3-minute narrative focused on the experience and why it mattered.
The innovative shift: What Did My Listener Hear?
After each story, listeners respond to two questions:
- What moment in the story do you remember most?
- What did this story help you understand?
Students use that feedback to decide what to emphasize, expand, or rethink in their writing.
Rather than simply rehearsing a story before writing, students develop meaning through interaction and make intentional decisions about how to communicate their ideas.
2. Stories Across Generations
Time: 15–20-minute conversation, plus classroom reflection
Focus: Interviewing, listening, perspective-taking, and community connections
Invite students to interview a family member, caregiver, trusted adult, or community member about an experience from their life.
Start with one question: “Can you tell me about a time when you were my age?”
Adapt by grade level:
- K–5: Ask about a favorite childhood memory. Draw or write about something interesting or surprising.
- Grades 6–8: Explore a challenge, friendship, or family tradition. Retell the story, capturing details that made it meaningful.
- Grades 9–12: Explore an experience related to belonging, change, or a significant event. Create a written narrative, audio story, or reflection connecting the experience to a broader theme.
The innovative shift: Who Contributes to Learning?
Invite families and community members to share their experiences and perspectives in the learning process. Students discover that knowledge and meaningful stories exist throughout their communities.
Design for choice from the beginning. Students can interview someone at school, explore a publicly shared story, or tell their own. Offer options for speaking, drawing, writing, or recording, and respect students’ choices about personal disclosure.
A Small Shift With Meaningful Possibilities
Innovation doesn’t always mean introducing something new. Sometimes it means looking differently at practices we already know have value.
By making space for authentic storytelling, educators can expand whose voices are heard, whose experiences contribute to learning, and how students develop and communicate their ideas.
The next time students are asked to write, consider beginning with a different invitation:
What story do you want to tell, and who might learn something from hearing it?
Explore More
- The Moth: Students and Educators — Storytelling inspiration and educator resources.
- StoryCorps: The Great Listen — Interview guides and classroom activities.
- 826 Digital — Free creative writing lessons, prompts, and student examples.