Page 36 - ELG1911 Nov Issue 467

El•Gazette 467.qxp_El•Gazette 467 23/10/2019 13:10 Page 36

REVIEWS .

STORIES WITHOUT END
Taylor Sapp PIXABAY
Alphabet Publishing, 2018
978-1-948-49211-9

eachers of reading will be familiar with
classes that have grown tired of the
same hum-drum routine, where the
Tlesson in question consists of a rather
dull text followed by equally drab tests of
comprehension. Stories Without End addresses
such a Dickensian issue well.
This unique title engages students with
literature through twenty-four intriguing short
stories that will get even reluctant learners to
flex their mental muscle. How can it do this, do
I hear you ask? Well, as the stories have no end,
students have to create their own. They also
occasionally have to write about a character they
admire, interview people about a scene they
have drawn from a self-selected story, or even
keep a dream journal. If all that doesn’t sound
like pedagogical fun, I don’t know what does.
Student engagement is, of course, of the
utmost importance in a reading lesson. Stories Stories Without End asks students to create their own ending
Without End encourages this by presenting
learners with the unexpected, and getting
them to think outside the box. Their
assumptions will be challenged on topics as
far ranging as gender roles, relationships, the
meaning of success, and even reality itself. As
you’ve by now perhaps worked out, this
valuable material would be best used with A book that lets
teenagers at intermediate level and beyond.
Each story includes a ‘Before you Read’
and warm-up questions are aimed at getting students create
section of two activities that may be done
alone, in small groups or as a whole class. The
short vocabulary pre-teaching matching tasks

students to think about the topic of the text.
The stories themselves come in two
formats, differing in length and level of their own stories
difficulty. The fifteen in Part One, titled
‘Short Takes’, are each under 500 words and
usually one page long. These tend to be on
more general topics such as family matters Wayne Trotman reviews a book that helps
and horoscopes. They are all completely
open-ended with the aim of encouraging engage students
students to create what the authors term
‘flash fiction’ – fiction short in length.

Other topics in this section concern or a favourite character therein, or adding a
The reader is then whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, new beginning or ending to the story. ‘Make a
choosing the right pet, magic beans, and Movie’ in this section asks learners to adapt
asked to add one social media. Although several questions the story into a short film, then prepare
more sign and explain appear after each story, they tend to elicit costumes, props and settings before they start
opinions rather than check understanding. filming each other with their cellphones. I
what will happen if Each of the stories in this part ends with think you’ll agree this would be much more
that path is taken. projects such as searching the internet for fun than going around the room simply
information on star signs or interviewing
checking comprehension.
classmates about theirs. The nine short stories
The short text that begins this part, in Part Two are much longer, between 500
‘Choose a Path’, describes what happened and 2000 words, and introduce the learner to
when three young people at a crossroads each texts that are closer to literature than the Wayne Trotman is
followed one of the signs pointing to paths brief texts in the previous part. a teacher educator
towards wealth, beauty and love. The reader A large amount of photocopiable at Izmir Katip
is then asked to add one more sign and supplementary material is available at the end Çelebi University,
explain what will happen if that path is taken. of this book, all of which may be used with Izmir, Turkey.
My own personal choice was ‘success’; I any of the short stories. This includes writing
wonder what yours might be. short or longer summaries of either the story
36 November 2019