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Story Circles

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Lesson Plan

Story Circles Lesson Plan

Students will participate in structured story circles to share personal narratives, practice active listening, and build empathy and peer connections by collaboratively telling and reflecting on stories.

This lesson fosters a supportive classroom community, strengthens communication skills, and helps students develop empathy by sharing and listening to diverse experiences.

Audience

Middle School Students (Grades 5–8)

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Guided peer storytelling and reflective group discussion.

Materials

Story Circles Slide Deck, Story Circle Prompts, Index Cards (1 per student), Sticky Notes, and Timer

Prep

Standards Alignment

5 minutes

  • Aligns with Common Core Speaking & Listening standards:
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1: Engage effectively in collaborative discussions.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C: Pose and respond to questions.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.D: Demonstrate understanding by summarizing others’ ideas.
  • Review Story Circles Slide Deck to familiarize yourself with prompts and slides.

Step 1

Setup

5 minutes

  • Arrange desks or chairs into small circles of 4–5 students.
  • Distribute index cards and sticky notes to each student.
  • Display Story Circles Slide Deck on the board.

Step 2

Introduction

5 minutes

  • Explain the purpose: sharing personal stories to build empathy and community.
  • Review circle norms (respect, no interruptions) shown on the slide deck.
  • Model active listening by having a volunteer share a short anecdote.

Step 3

Story Sharing

20 minutes

  • Students remain in their circles and receive Story Circle Prompts.
  • Each student selects a prompt and shares for 2–3 minutes.
  • Peers practice active listening, then ask one brief clarifying question.
  • Use the timer to keep each share to the allotted time.

Step 4

Reflection

10 minutes

  • Reconvene as a whole class and display reflection questions on the slide deck.
  • Students write one insight or feeling on a sticky note.
  • Invite volunteers to share their reflections aloud.

Step 5

Assessment

3 minutes

  • Collect one sticky note per student as an exit ticket summarizing their takeaway.
  • Note each student’s active listening and participation during the circles for formative feedback.

Step 6

Differentiation Strategies

2 minutes

  • Provide sentence starters on the prompt sheets for students needing writing support.
  • Encourage advanced students to ask deeper follow-up questions.
  • Pair English learners with supportive peers; offer bilingual dictionaries or translation tools as needed.
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Slide Deck

Story Circles: Building Community Through Shared Narratives

A collaborative storytelling activity for Grades 5–8 that fosters empathy, listening skills, and peer connections.

Welcome everyone! Introduce today’s activity: Story Circles. Explain that this collaborative storytelling experience will help us build empathy, listening skills, and stronger connections before the year ends.

Objectives

  • Share personal stories
  • Practice active listening
  • Build empathy and strengthen peer connections

Read each objective aloud and connect to student benefits. Emphasize that by the end of today, they’ll have practiced both sharing and listening.

Why Story Circles?

  • Creates a supportive classroom community
  • Empowers students to voice their experiences
  • Enhances communication and empathy skills

Explain why story circles matter: they create safe spaces, amplify diverse voices, and improve communication. Tie to real-world skills.

Circle Norms

  • Respect each speaker
  • No interruptions
  • Confidentiality: what’s shared stays here
  • One voice at a time

Go over each norm. Invite students to agree to respect these guidelines. Stress confidentiality and no interruptions.

How It Works

  1. Form groups of 4–5 students
  2. Choose a story prompt
  3. Each person shares for 2–3 minutes
  4. Peers ask one clarifying question
  5. Rotate until everyone has shared

Walk through the step-by-step process. Show how groups form, how prompts are chosen, and how timing works.

Story Prompts

  • A time I felt proud
  • A challenge I overcame
  • My favorite family tradition
  • A moment that made me laugh
  • A goal I achieved

Display the prompts and give students 1 minute to pick one. Encourage them to choose honestly.

Active Listening Tips

  • Maintain eye contact
  • Use affirming gestures (nods, smiles)
  • Summarize what you heard
  • Ask one clarifying question

Model active listening behaviors. Ask a volunteer to share briefly and demonstrate nodding, summarizing, and questioning.

Reflection

  • What did you learn about yourself?
  • How did it feel to share?
  • What did you learn about others?

Invite students to write quick reflections. Then ask for 2–3 volunteers to share responses aloud.

Timekeeper

Each speaker: 2–3 minutes
Listen for your turn
Use the timer to stay on track

Remind students each share is timed—2–3 minutes. Show how you’ll signal when to wrap up and rotate.

Next Steps & Thank You

  • Collect your exit ticket reflections
  • Plan another circle soon
  • Keep practicing empathy every day

Thank you for sharing!

Collect exit tickets and encourage continued practice of empathy. Thank the class for their trust and participation.

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Activity

Story Circle Prompts

Overview: This prompt sheet helps students spark personal narratives for their Story Circles. Each student chooses one prompt, jots down quick ideas, and then shares a 2–3 minute story. Peers use the follow-up questions to practice active listening and deepen the conversation.

Materials Needed:

  • One copy of this sheet per student
  • Pen or pencil

Instructions for Students

  1. Read through the list of prompts below.
  2. Circle the prompt that speaks to you most.
  3. On your index card, write a quick outline or key details (1–2 minutes).
  4. When it’s your turn, share your story for 2–3 minutes.
  5. After listening, classmates ask one follow-up question from the list below.

Personal Story Prompts

  • A time I felt proud of myself
  • A challenge I overcame and what I learned
  • My favorite family tradition
  • A moment that made me laugh out loud
  • A goal I worked hard to achieve
  • An act of kindness I experienced
  • A place where I feel calm and why
  • Someone who inspires me and the reason why

Follow-Up Question Starters

  • What surprised you most about that moment?
  • How did you feel when it was happening?
  • What did you learn from this experience?
  • If you could go back, would you do anything differently?

Sentence Starters (Optional)

  • “One thing I’ll never forget is…”
  • “I felt _____ when…”
  • “This was important to me because…”
  • “Something that surprised me was…”







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