The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate an instructional approach that combined strategy instruction with principles of dialogic pedagogy to improve the story writing of students in grades K-2 (n = 219). Specifically, drama, dialogic interactions, and oral retellings assisted learners with ideation, while strategies guided their planning and revising. Additionally, the study developed procedures for teachers' professional development (PD). The study followed the methodological principles of design based research (DRB) and employed a pretest-posttest design for one cycle of implementation that lasted for 30 days. The results showed statistically significant differences on students' writing quality. Teachers comments were positive for the lessons and the PD. Revisions and implications for practice and future research are further discussed.