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Stories Without End: 24 open-ended stories to engage students in reading, discussion, and creative writing
146Overview
Finalist, British Council ELTons Awards for Innovation in English Language Teaching, 2019.
Creative, intriguing short stories to make students think and wonder what if. . .
Stories Without End engages students with literature through intriguing short stories that make them think and wonder. What if we could teleport anywhere in the world whenever we wanted to? Will robots ever replace human teachers? Why are some people optimists while others are pessimists? Where does our personality come from?
Stories Without End also gets students creating with engaging projects. Because the stories have no end, students will have to create their own. They’ll also find themselves writing about one particular character, drawing a scene from the story, interviewing people about the theme of the story, or keeping a dream journal. Each story is also supported with questions and vocabulary activities to introduce the story and followed by discussion questions.
Perfect for teaching reading, creative writing, or discussion. And it’s a flexible resource. Use it as the main book for a month-long elective, as a regular supplement activity, or an occasional treat for the students!
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781948492119 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Alphabet Publishing |
| Publication date: | 04/17/2018 |
| Pages: | 146 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.31(d) |
About the Author
He has a BA in Creative Writing and Film from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and spent a few years toiling in the film and TV business.
He also has an MA in Education/TESOL from Concordia University in Portland, OR. He has spent over 10 years as an educator of ESL students across different universities and private schools in Japan and America.
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys, watching movies, doing yoga, and writing fiction and haiku. He eats blueberries every day to keep his mind sharp and young and suggests you do the same.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Choose a Path
Before You Read
1. If you could only choose to be one of the following, which would you choose?
a. rich
b. famous
c. beautiful
d. immortal (to live forever)
Vocabulary
Match the letter of the definition with the correct word.
1. wealth (n.)
2. casino (n.)
3. transformation (n.)
4. exquisite (adj.)
5. perfect (adj.)
a. a place used for gambling, including card games, slot machines, and other betting games
b. extremely beautiful
c. entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings
d. a change in form, appearance, nature, or character
e. a great amount of money, valuable possessions, or property
Answers
Choose a Path
164 words
Four young people stood at a road that split in four directions. There was a sign pointing each way with a single word.
The first sign said, "Wealth." The first young person took this road and followed it to a great casino. Here, the first young person turned a single dollar into many millions!
The second sign said, "Beauty." The second young person took this road and followed it to a huge beauty salon. Inside, they went through a transformation and when they came out, all would say they were the most exquisite person in the world!
The third sign said, "Love." The third young person took this road and followed it to a small café with delicious pastries and coffee. Here, the third young person met the most wonderful partner they could ever have imagined and had two perfect kids and a happy family.
The fourth sign said, "?" The fourth young person took this road and followed it to ...
The End?
After You Read
1. Which path would you choose?
2. Would you be willing to take the fourth sign? Why or why not?
3. What are some meanings you can think of for the fourth sign?
4. The characters in this story have no gender. Did you imagine them as male or female? Why?
Projects
1. Continue the story! Write about a page. Here are some questions to consider as you write: Where does the fourth sign lead?
What happened to the fourth person after they went there?
2. Interview 3 or more people and ask them the question from Before You Read above. Use the chart below. Or create your own (see Supplement 5:1for a model). Afterward, compare their answers. How are they the same or different? What do you think about the results?
Interview Question: If you could only choose to be one of the following, which would you choose?
a. rich
b. famous
c. beautiful
d. immortal
Family Matters
Before You Read
1. Which situation do you think is best for a married couple with children? Which is most similar to your family?
a. The wife stays at home with the children while the man goes to work.
b. The husband stays at home with the children while the wife goes to work.
c. Both the husband and wife work while the children go to daycare or have a babysitter.
Vocabulary
Match the letter of the definition with the correct word.
1. head of the table (n.)
2. housewife (n.)
3. househusband (n.)
4. elaborate (adj.)
5. daycare (n.)
a. supervised daytime care for preschool children
b. fancy or complicated
c. a married man who stays at home to take care of the children or home
d. a married woman who stays at home to take care of the children or home
e. the most important place at the table, at one of the short ends
Answers
Family Matters
237 words
Four families in the beautiful, quiet town of Englishville were having dinner. They were all very tired. All of their kids were thankfully playing together in the other room!
Akira and Sachie, seated at the head of the table, were the hosts of the dinner party. Akira had finished another long day selling Toyotas at a nearby dealership. Sachie, the housewife, had been cooking and cleaning all day, but was satisfied that all were enjoying her elaborate traditional Japanese dinner of white rice, breaded pork, and pickled vegetables.
Sarah and Sam were on the left side of the table. Sarah was exhausted from her busy day as boss of a large company. Her husband Sam was a househusband who was also tired from a busy day of running, playing soccer, and a little bit of video games with his three kids.
Gabriela and Juan sat on the right side of the table. They had both just gotten home from work and picked up their kids from daycare. They were happy to learn today that their children were a year ahead on their reading skills, thankful that the very expensive school was teaching them well. Someday Juan and Gabriela hoped to read a book with them together if they could find the time!
And sitting at the opposite end of the table was the newest family in town.
"So," Sachie began, "What can you tell us about yourselves?"
The End?
After You Read
1. What do you think about the different families in the story?
2. Why do you think it's traditional in many cultures for husbands to work and wives to stay home?
3. What is your family like, or what do you think you will do in the future?
4. Do you think it's more difficult to go out to work, or stay-at home with children? Why?
Projects
1. Continue the story! Write around a page. Here are some questions to consider as you write: Who works in the new family?
How are the children taken care of?
Is there anything unusual about their family situation?
2. Draw a picture of
a. Your family including your parents, brothers and sisters, and any pets.
b. Your current house or childhood family home. Describe as many details as you can about it to a partner or the class.
3. Interview 3 or more people about parents. Do both parents work or does one or both stay at home? (See Supplement 5:1 for a worksheet you can use)
4. Interview 2-3 peoples about their opinion on housewives or stay-at-home dads/house husbands. (See Supplement 5:1 for a worksheet you can use)
The Lunch of the Twelve
Before You Read
294 words
1. The picture above shows the names of the Western star signs, based on astrology. What do you know about star signs? Do you know any other sets of birth signs?
2. Do you know your star sign? If so, what do you know about it?
Vocabulary
Match the letter of the definition with the correct word.
1. pound (v.)
2. frantically (adv.)
3. weep (v.)
4. font (n.)
5. MIA (n.)
a. to express sadness or a powerful emotion by crying
b. stands for Missing in Action, originally used to describe soldiers who were not found after a battle, used informally to refer to someone whose whereabouts aren't known
c. the way a letter looks; a complete assortment of type of one style and size
d. to strike repeatedly with great force with a fist or something that is not sharp
e. desperately or wildly with excitement or fear
Answers
The Lunch of the Twelve
Around a large round table at a sandwich shop sat twelve friends. They each had a menu and were trying to make a decision about their lunch. The shop had a special deal that if they all ordered the same sandwich they would all be half price! But how would they decide?
The first, Aries, boldly declared, "A grilled chicken sandwich would be the best, and I'll fight any who disagree!" pounding the table hard with its fist.
The second, Taurus, calmly and politely smiled. "I believe egg salad is a good choice as well." No one was going to change Taurus's mind.
The third, Gemini, was looking back and forth frantically. "They all sound good! I can't decide!" he said.
The fourth, Cancer, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, started to weep.
The fifth, Leo, stated strongly, "We've waited far too long! I'll go to the counter and order for us all!" The sixth, Virgo, was too busy examining the font on the menu and dirt on the counter to focus on the order.
The seventh, Libra, insisted on taking a vote to decide which sandwich should be ordered.
The eighth, Scorpio, smiled and pretended to agree with Libra, but was still angry from a disagreement from the previous month and planned to vote against whatever Libra decided.
The ninth, Sagittarius, was MIA, having gone to the restroom and gotten busy wandering around the shop.
The tenth, Capricorn, insisted on ordering the club sandwich, the best value on the menu.
The eleventh, Aquarius, wanted to suggest asking for a pizza instead.
The twelfth and last, Pisces, busy daydreaming, asked, "Where do you think the word 'sandwich' comes from?" And was planning to write a poem about it.
In the end, they ordered . . .
The End?
After You Read
1. How would you describe the personalities of each star sign in the story?
2. Which one matches your personality?
3. Which character(s) have the best trait(s)?
4. Which have the worst traits?
5. None of the characters genders is indicated in the story. Did you assume any were male or female? Why?
Projects
1. Continue the story! Write around a page. Here are some questions to consider as you write:
What will they order?
Who will agree or disagree?
2. Look up your star sign on the Star Sign Personality Chart, downloadable from the Alphabet Publishing website. Does the description match your personality or not? Now look up your family. Write one page on what parts of the descriptions you agree and disagree about for you and your family.
3. Use the Star Sign Interview questions below to interview your classmates/friends/family about their star signs. Share the most interesting results with the class.
Star Sign Interview Questions 1. What is your star sign/Element/Personality?
2. Do you agree/disagree with your star sign?
3. Why do you think Star Signs are so popular?
Conclusions: Were any results surprising? Were any results similar to what you expected?
The Glass is Half ...
Before You Read
1. Do you think the glass in the picture is half-full or half-empty?
2. Do you know the meaning of the expression "The glass is halffull"? What about "The glass is half-empty"?
3. Which of those two expressions best describes you?
Vocabulary
Match the letter of the definition with the correct word.
1. optimist (n.)
2. pessimist (adj.)
3. grumble (v./n.)
4. terrible (adj.)
5. fortuitous (adj.)
a. extremely bad
b. a person who sees most things in a positive way
c. a person who sees most things in a negative way
d. lucky
e. to complain sullenly
Answers
The Glass is Half ...
243 words
Happy and Moody are best friends despite their differences.
Every day, like today, they both wake up at 6:00 am.
Happy always looks at the clock and says, "It's good to be up early. Now I have the full day to enjoy!"
However, in his house, Moody usually looks at his clock and grumbles, "I wish I could sleep longer."
After getting ready, both of them usually walk outside to meet at the nearby café.
Today it is raining, and unfortunately neither of them have umbrellas.
Happy just smiles and says, "Look, a free shower!" and pulls out a bar of soap.
Moody frowns and says to himself, "My hair will look strange and my clothes will be ruined!" He tries to cover his head with a newspaper.
Usually they meet every morning at the café around 6:30 am. But today there is a sign that reads, "Closed for Remodeling — Sorry!"
"Sorry? This is terrible!" Moody says, "There is nowhere to go! I might as well go home and back to sleep all day, for this is sure to be a sign of bad luck!"
"No, this is fortuitous!" Happy never stops smiling. "Now we have a chance to try that new café down the road!"
Moody shook his head. "No matter what, you're such an optimist. How annoying."
Happy just laughed. "No matter what, you're such a pessimist, but that's what makes you special!"
"So, what should we do next?" Moody asks.
The End?
After You Read
1. What does Happy do that makes Moody call him an optimist?
2. What does Moody do that makes Happy call him a pessimist?
3. Which character are you more similar to, Moody or Happy? Why?
4. What are some benefits of being an optimist? What are some drawbacks?
5. What are some benefits of being a pessimist? What are some drawbacks?
Projects
1. How does their day continue? Write about a page.
2. Try to think of the best and the worst days of your life. Write one page about your best day. Then write one page about your worst day.
3. Try to think of a bad event that happened in your life? Was there any good side to the situation?
4. Interview: Ask 3-5 people about the best and the worst things that happened in the past week.
Interview Question:
What is something good or bad that happened in the past week?
After the interviews, look over the responses and answer the following questions.
1. Who had the best experience this week? Why?
2. Who had the worst experience this week? Why?
3. What are some positive and negative comments you can make about each?
Answers
Pick a Pet
Before You Read
1. Do you have a pet? If so, describe him/her/them? If not, would you like to have one?
2. Which type of animal would make your ideal pet? Why?
3. Which type of animal would you not like to have as a pet? Why not?
4. Look up the following animals online:
Siberian husky python Russian blue Komodo dragon tarantula.
Which do you think would make a good or bad pet? Why?
Vocabulary
Match the letter of the definition with the correct word.
1. regret (v.)
2. fluffy (adj.)
3. clever (adj.)
4. shell (n.)
5. live (adj.)
6. fuzzy(adj.)
7. exotic (adj.)
a. having soft, light, long hair
b. smart or intelligent
c. covered with a small light layer of hair
d. something living or alive
e. a hard, outer covering of an animal
f. to feel sorry for something you did wrong
g. special or rare
Answers
Pick a Pet
302 words
Today was little Trevor's 10th birthday, and his dad had promised to take him to the local pet store to get him ANY animal he wanted! Dad was really hoping he wouldn't regret his promise.
As Trevor and his dad walked around the store, he couldn't believe all of the different animals that were there!
First, they looked at the dogs: big dogs such as German Shepherds and Bernese Mountain Dogs, and little dogs, like Chihuahuas and Pugs. A Siberian husky caught his eye with its wolf-like look.
But he wasn't sure if he wanted a dog, so Trevor continued to the cats. Black cats, white cats, orange, fluffy, hairless: he saw them all. He was especially taken with a gray-haired, blue-eyed Russian blue. It looked so clever!
But a cat or dog was so normal. Maybe he wanted something more exotic?
So he went to look at the turtles. They were cute with their shell, but maybe not very fun as a pet. The same went for the lizards, although the big Komodo dragon looked like a small dinosaur!
Then he saw a big snake, a really scary looking python. But it needed to eat live mice once a week. Trevor wasn't sure he could do that!
Next, he saw a huge tarantula. It was fuzzy, orange, and black. It was so scary looking and easy to take care of. Of course, his mother would never come in his room again if she saw it.
"What do you think, Trevor?" his dad asked, crossing his fingers and hoping for something easy, like a cat, small dog, or maybe a turtle.
"I'm not sure yet, Dad!" There were so many amazing pets to choose from! How to decide? Was there anything else? Trevor couldn't decide until he was finished looking. . .
The End?
After You Read
1. Which pet from the story would you choose? Why?
2. Which pets do you think are the easiest to take care of? Which do you think is the most difficult?
3. What pets are most popular in your home country or city? What are the least popular?
Projects
1. Continue the story! Write around a page. Here are some questions to consider as you write:
Which pet does Trevor choose?
What do his parents think of the pet?
Does he have any problems with his pet?
2. Write around one page about your favorite pet you have or had. If you've never had a pet, write about a friend or family who has or had a pet you really loved or hated!
3. Create your perfect pet! Say what kind of animal it is. Describe it in detail, including its name, gender, size, what it looks like, and its personality.
4. Draw a picture of your pet.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Stories Without End"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Taylor Sapp.
Excerpted by permission of Alphabet Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to use this Collection VIII
PART I:Short Takes (UNDER 500 WORDS)
1. Choose a Path 1
2. Family Matters 5
3. The Lunch of the Twelve 8
4. The Glass is Half . . . 13
5. Pick a Pet 17
6. Gifted 20
7. Joe and his Beans 24
8. The Eyes Have It 27
9. A Nice Bike it is! 30
10. T-Rex Window 33
11. The Long Line 37
12. Assassin 39
13. Bad Dog! 42
14. The Chase 46
15. The Spooky House 48
PART II:Medium Takes (500-2000 WORDS)
1. Lunch Break 54
2. Silvo 59
3. The Train Pusher 65
4. I Love Horse(s) 71
5. Weather the Storm 75
6. Texting vs. Calling 82
7. The Long Sleep 89
8. The Last Human Teacher 93
9. House Husbands 98
SUPPLEMENTS FOR EXPANSION ACTIVITIES
Supplements 1: Summaries 104
Supplements 2: Illustrations 109
Supplements 3: Writing 111
Supplements 4: Media 119
Supplements 5: Interviews 124
Supplements 6: Language Expansion 128
Customer Reviews
