Storybuilding

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Jane Spiro

Oxford University Press 2006

ISBN 978-0-19-442193-5
Who doesn't like stories? Any age group I have been teaching has loved stories, I even used to finish off my lessons with a story - until I ran out of new ones suitable for that particular group. With this book by Jane Spiro on Storybuilding I have finally found a wonderful resource for more stories in my classrooms. And even better, now my learners can create their own stories, too.
Storybuilding is one of the OUP's Resource Books for Teachers. It is divided into 10 chapters and there's a great appendix on story archetypes, character types, and a glossary of story types - a simply wonderful resource for limitless story variations. Further there are 25 complete mini-stories to be used as a filler or with any of the activities listed in the book.
This book really takes you on a journey from the first story sparks to the development of characters, descriptions of their surroundings, the twists and turns of the plot, and ending with editing and performance (Spiro 2006:12). Readers will find an extremely interesting introduction to the book, in which the writer discusses the broad scope of ‘story' and the qualities that make them shared and enjoyed by people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds.
The book offers almost 100 classroom ideas, materials and techniques ... and helps to guide readers to write their own stories. There are three claims on the blurb a) it provides an incentive for learners to write, edit and reformulate their writing, b) it encourages learners to read more appreciatively and c) it encourages the development of critical, evaluative, and analytical abilities which can be transferred to other subjects. I haven't had time to check all three claims but would like to do a small survey with my students in the next semester.
Should you already own the book Creative Poetry Writing then you might want to buy Storybuilding as an ideal companion. The two books together are like a goldmine of stimulating practical ideas for classroom teachers.
Susanna Schwab