�� Science Fiction � Genre

�� Lesson Plan #1: Craft Example

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I. Summary:� Students will be introduced to the genre of Science Fiction Literature together with appropriate and real-life parallels for relating its study to future technological advances and corresponding ethical implications.� Critical analysis skills will be developed as young adolescents are empowered to choose readings that they find meaningful or relevant to either present or future realities.

II. Getting started/warm up:� �Yesterday�s science fiction could become today�s reality�.. � (written on board)

Students will begin this unit by discussing Science Fiction and working towards an operational definition of which there are many:

Sample:� �Science Fiction is a form of fiction which deals principally with the impact of imagined science and/or technology upon society or individuals.� Sometimes the characters involved are not even human, but are imagined aliens or other products of Earth evolution.� The term is more generally used to refer to any literary fantasy that includes a scientific factor as an essential orienting component, and even more generally used to refer to any fantasy at all.� Such literature may consist of a careful and informed extrapolation of scientific facts and principles, or it may range into far-fetched areas flatly contradictory of such facts and principles.�

Using the following passage as a springboard, discuss as a class, examples of science fiction predictions that have in time come into existence through the advancement of science.�� 15 min

The plotlines of the last decade's SF is the stuff of headlines today. Genomes are deciphered, lifespans of 130 years promised, sheep (and cats and mice and dogs and cows) are cloned (and does anyone expect the first cloned baby to be far off?). Schoolkids trundle off to class with notebooks running ten times the computational power it took to put a man on the Moon. Wireless Internet is common enough to become grist for stand-up comics. Engineers use virtual worlds to evolve new tool designs through a sort of artificial Darwinism. "Napster fabbers," machines which can turn out simple models of three-dimensional objects using lasers and gels, promise to do for simple material goods what their namesake did for music. Globalization is so pervasive that college students from Seattle to Genoa protest for trade reform, fundamentalist wackos of all stripes launch terror campaigns and somewhere in Kuala Lumpur or Helsinki a pimple-faced hacker is preparing the next virus to crash your computer. And it all shows no sign of slacking off. Quite the opposite, actually; change shows every sign of accelerating. Advances in computation, biotechnology and artificial intelligence are colliding to produce breakthrough after breakthrough, tumbling one after another. While politicians may make disapproving noises about stem cell research, and venture capitalists have grown wary, no one seems really to doubt that the overall trend is up, up and away.

III. Review from previous day:� �Yesterday, I asked you to go home and think of all the books and/or movies that you would consider to be classified as science fiction.� You were encouraged to discuss this with other students/family members and bring in a list today.� Let�s go over what you came up with.� Who wants to start?�� 15 min

IV. Lesson Plan:� �Let�s brainstorm about all of the significant recurring issues/themes that fall into the general science fiction category.�

o �First let�s read the handout together discussing the main types of science fiction. As we go along if you think of any examples from your lists that would fit into each category, raise your hand and we will discuss them within each context.�� 20 min

List all the themes/issues that come up during this discussion on the board.

o ��What do you think the criteria would be for good vs. bad science fiction stories?�� 15 min

o �Here are two handouts; the first is a general presentation of ideas to consider when deciding what makes a science fiction text good.� The second is a list of short stories that fall into the general science fiction genre.�� break

o �Your assignment for the remainder of the class period (which will be in the computer lab or the resource files) is to research and explore more about each story and pick one to read and review.� Each of you will then next week do an oral 5 minute presentation to the class discussing:

- Why did you pick this selection?

- Did you think it was good or bad?� Why?

- How does this selection rate in terms of the handout about what makes for a good piece of science fiction?� 30 min

V. Points/Objectives of lesson:

To expose students to concepts of future and change.
To encourage students to think about their own futures and the effects of change upon their lives.
To encourage students to predict possible alternatives for the future.
To expose students to a wide range of science fiction literature and learn how to critique individual selections.
To examine themes of adventure, family, relationships, and technology and our responsibility to technology and change.
To prepare and deliver an individual oral book review presentation as a summative assessment at the end of the whole unit.

NCSCS � Language Arts

�Competency Goal 4.02 Develop and apply appropriate criteria to evaluate the quality of communication/text.

Competency Goal 4.03 Recognize and develop a stance of a critic by: i) considering alternative points of view or reasons, ii) remaining fair-minded and open to other interpretations.

Competency Goal 5.01� Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive reading program by i) using effective reading strategies to match type of text, ii) reading self-selected literature, and iii) recognizing underlying messages in order to identity recurring themes across works.

Competency Goal 5.02 Study the characteristics of literary genres.

NCTE/IRA Standards

1.� Students read a wide range of print to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world and to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace.

2.� Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build and understand many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

4.� Students adjust their use of spoken language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes (summative assessment � oral reports/critiques).

8.� Students use a variety of technological and informational resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

11.� Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literary communities.

Evaluation- No specific formal assessment on this day other than that each student is expected to participate in the discussion and to genuinely research the short stories during the classroom/lab time allotted.� The summative assessment for this unit will be the individual student oral presentations based on a critique of their unique selections from a provided list of Science Fiction short stories.

VI.� �� Materials needed:

� Types of Science Fiction - Handout

� What Makes for Good Science Fiction? - Handout

� Access to Internet and other in-class background resources pertaining to readings.

� Selected List of Science Fiction Short Stories - Handout

VII.�� Guided Practice (teacher/student):� �The category I think I would enjoy most is soft science fiction with an emphasis on how technological developments are now current social-ethical realities or soon will be.� For example, I like reading fiction about genetic selection.� This is an example of a topic I am interested in exploring because, as a society, we are struggling with collective technological vs. ethical questions and health care decisions today that we hopefully will not regret later.�

VIII. Independent Practice (student):� �Using the provided list of science fiction short stories, we will now go into the computer lab to explore more about these selections so that each of you will be able to select one to read and critique later during our unit.� Keep notes as to why you are choosing a particular selection to review.� Are there any questions?�

IX. Closure/Expectations (tomorrow�s class):� �Tomorrow we will start reading together in book groups one of my favorite science fiction short books, The Green Book.� I think you will find it a relatively easy read, but very enjoyable.� If you are having problems choosing your short story selection, please let me know and I will make an appointment with you tomorrow to speak with you individually.�

References

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=True+science+fiction+predictions&page=1&offset=1&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D5227a00826c4bd78%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3DTrue%2Bscience%2Bfiction%2Bpredictions%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.worldchanging.com%252Farchives%252F001065.html%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3Dnsnewssearch%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldchanging.com%2Farchives%2F001065.html

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/sciencefiction.htm

http://www.mcfly.org/en/Science_fiction

http://phobos.ramapo.edu/%7Ekfowler/sftorals

http://orion.ramapo.edu/%7Ekfowler/sftorals.html

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1987/2/87.02.04.x.html

Kay, A.L. and Michael Golden, �Science Fiction across the Curriculum�, Learning, v20, n4, pp40-43, Nov-Dec, 1991.

* The remaining two lessons include more student scripting, but for this introductory lesson the questions are very open-ended and the student responses could vary widely.