Moth Story Slam Learning Experience
Moth Story Slam Learning Experience
“Great stories tell us something about what it means to be human.” - Jenn Maer, Design Director at IDEO
Today, I want to share another learning experience I designed using student-centered design thinking. My Moth Story Slam Learning Experience intentionally fosters vulnerability in my classroom. This storytelling learning experience uses resources from Pixar, The Moth nonprofit group, improv theater, and IDEOU. I find that telling stories strengthens the culture in my classroom. Listening to each other’s stories builds empathy by expanding students’ perspectives. Telling great stories is what connects us as humans. Storytelling allows us to more easily digest information because it connects it to our emotions. Storytelling is important because it teaches in ways that people remember. When my students listen to their peers tell about their experiences in authentic and emotional ways, they are pulled into each story. They learn about love, loss, and resolving conflict; navigating first days of school and the lunchroom; getting new pets and bad haircuts and maybe even getting into trouble. They connect to each story and the storyteller. This connection strengthens our classroom community.
I begin each year introducing my students to the art of storytelling and character development from Pixar directors and story artists. Students analyze Pixar shorts and identify important plot structures. We look at character development, world creation and emotionality.
Using Pixar in a Box (a collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy) as our guide, our first story acts as an academic palate cleanser for my students. I want them to question their ideas of what it means to write a personal narrative for their teacher. Can they develop their characters (usually family members) in a way that makes them as memorable as Gerri from Geri’s Game? Can they communicate deep emotions (think Finding Nemo) to their audience? How might they use a personal experience to create a story that is as engaging as Toy Story or WALL-E?
After this introduction and initial narrative draft, I shift from storytelling as connection to storytelling as an act of agency, perspective and community. Every student, no matter their background, abilities, or identity, has a story. Every story has value. Using the Story Spine by playwright Kenn Adams, students structure their next stories into three acts: inciting incident, midpoint, climax. I then use the Moth Story Slam as the culminating backdrop of our storytelling learning experience. It’s time for students to get up on stage and tell their stories!
When students tell their stories in front of their peers, they learn how the narrative process helps them gain insight and agency. These stories are no longer just personal narratives that get turned in for feedback. When students tell their stories on stage behind a microphone, they expand their perspectives and better understand differing points of view. They feel how the telling their stories moves the audience. We don’t judge the stories. We listen. This is no longer just an assignment. When I film students telling their stories, they connect with one another and form a stronger classroom community.
Each year, I recreate the look and feel of a live storytelling event like The Moth Story Slam. I want my students to feel and think, and to see the connection between the two. Together, we spend weeks watching and analyzing Moth stories from high school students, taking notes on pacing, voice inflection, emotionality, and storytelling.
I have been doing our Moth Storytelling learning experience for a few years. I tweaked a few things after the first year in order to be more intentional about character development in our stories. During year two, the event was even more successful; I felt that our classroom community was stronger than ever! In fact, students are still talking about it as one of their favorites of the school year. Other teachers notice how closely knit my students are to each other. During lunch and recess, they stick together as a group. They play together and stick up for each other. It is incredible to see! This is due to the stories we shared in order to strengthen our classroom culture.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about using storytelling in your classroom, please reach out. I’m happy to collaborate.
Have a great week!
—Adrian
Resources
The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Since 1997, they have hosted thousands of theme-based storytelling events across the United States, as well as created amazing educational resources for teachers and students. The Moth Education Program works with young people and educators to build community through storytelling workshops, performances and innovative resources.
Here is my YouTube Moth Storytelling Playlist
Our Moth Story Slam Experience
Here is my YouTube Pixar Short Playlist
Storytelling for Influence - IDEOU
I took this IDEO U Learning Experience and loved it. I highly recommend!