The Story Maker is a teaching device that allows children to create stories by choosing options from a set of already-written story segments. This device (1) provides an active language experience that allows children to construct stories easily; (2) demonstrates the consequences of choosing different ways for a story to proceed; (3) avoids the overemphasis on low-level characteristics of text such as spelling and handwriting; (4) provides a real audience for children's compositions; (5) creates a natural context for comparing and discussing stories with different high-level characteristics; (6) provides a social and cognitive context in which it is natural for children to work together on language activities; and (7) provides a motivating, nonthreatening, success-oriented context for language activities. The choices are structured so that the initial choices a child makes constrain choices that can be made later in the process. The Story Maker is implemented in such a way that the child cannot see a given set of alternatives until the time has come to choose among them. After children have had some experience with this technique, they can construct their own Story Makers. (HOD)