One of the challenges as an English teacher is to get students to engage with literature. So the stories in this collection venture a bit outside the box, with topics designed to get them thinking in new ways, and challenge their assumptions about gender roles, relationships, the meaning of success, and even reality itself. 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? Students will be driven to engage with the stories, whether they agree or disagree with some of the views in them.
This collection is also focused on also involving students with the creative process with projects following each story. These projects get students to connect to the stories through writing and discussion. Students will 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. And, as the title suggests, all the stories in this collection are left open-ended to help students engage directly with literature by writing their own ending.
Each story begins with a Before You Read section that preteaches some vocabulary and presents discussion questions to get students thinking about the topic of the story.
The stories themselves come in two formats. Appropriately, the two levels of length and difficulty are also meant to help achieve slightly different learning goals: The 15 Short Takes are under 500 words and usually one page long. They are also completely open-ended and introduce universal themes and meant to spark debate and discussion. The 9 Mid-Length Stories are between 500 and 2000 words long and engage the students on a more literary level, giving them a bit more to sink their teeth into.
All stories are followed by After You Read discussion questions that help students think more deeply about the plot and themes of the story. They also allow the student to reflect on what they liked or didn't like.
Finally, there are a series of creative Projects that ask students to engage more personally with the topic of the story including writing their own ending to the story. Each writing assignment is designed to take about one page, but you may want to specify a longer or shorter story. You can also decide whether to assign all the projects
or do just one or two. You can also do one in class and assign another one for homework or as a longer-term project. So the book is flexible enough to fit any curriculum.
In the Appendix, there are 17 supplements to help students find additional creative outlets with the stories whether through illustration, dramatic creation, or an interview. These supplements can work with any story in the collection to extend the lesson beyond the projects in the creative Projects section.
Your students will love the stories and projects in this book.
The End?
Industry Reviews
The different format and the inclusion of pre-reading motivation questions and post-reading discussion questions and activities really make this book stand out among the “writing prompt” books that I’ve encountered. I also appreciate the diversity in terms of reading levels and genres.— Brittany G., Teacher
This book is a wonderful jumping point for creative writing in the classroom. You could use this book for any age/grade and adapt the expectation of a creative response to suit.— Carmen M., Educator
Every classroom should own a copy of this book. . . I will add this one to my “to buy” list in the coming year.— Catherine H., Librarian
Fascinating book on teaching reluctant readers how to write. Contains stories meant to be expanded with vocabulary and intriguing questions on which ending they would prefer.— Chel S., Book Enthusiast
The creation of this book was extremely thoughtful. The prompts are interesting and fun. An absolute delight. I’ve even used a few as starting points for my personal (adult) creative writing exercises—Cass D., Writer and Creator
I loved the stories and ideas in this book, definitely will be found in our library for me or other teachers to use as a resource. I hope more editions like this come out for next year.—Diane K., Librarian
I cannot wait to use Taylor’s book with my students. His “Stories Without End” truly bring reading and writing together as a meaningful activity for lower- to intermediate-level learners in a way that few – if any – tasks do.—Verena Schäfers Sutherland, MATESOL PCC Newberb/Linfield College
With all of the prescribed five paragraph essay requirements for kids in school these days, it’s refreshing to see more organic teaching methods and prompts for kids to get their creativity flowing. I especially like the “After You Read” sections after each story.—Jamie M., Writer
The focus on engaging reading and writing materials is really what students need!—David Williams, English Professor, Dhofar University
