Curated OER
The Martian Chronicles: Concept Analysis
If you're planning on including Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles in your science fiction unit, use a concept analysis guide to frame your instruction. It covers literary elements such as setting, narrative voice, and theme, as...
Curated OER
The Martian Chronicles: Anticipation Guide
Begin your unit on Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles with an anticipation guide about literary themes. Class members read six statements about time, rules, and mortality, and note they believe each statement is...
Novelinks
The House of the Scorpion: Problematic Situations
What should Matt do? Readers of The House of the Scorpion are offered several possible actions Matt could take when he first sees the children outside the house. They rate the options and then meet in groups to discuss the reasons for...
Novelinks
The House of the Scorpion: Anticipation Guide
Introduce Nancy Farmer's award-winning science fiction novel, The House of the Scorpion, with an anticipation guide that asks readers to agree or disagree with a series of statements that reflect the major concepts in the story. Follow...
Sundance
Teaching Strategies: The Giver
Can utopia be achieved? Included here are three literature worksheets to pair with Lois Lowry's The Giver. Pupils work in groups to come up with solutions to society's issues, individuals back up a statement related to a topic in the...
Film Foundation
The Day The Earth Stood Still: Film Language And Elements Of Style
In this, the third in a series of four resources that use Robert Wise's 1951 version of The Day The Earth Stood Still as the core text, young film makers examine the language of film including shot composition, camera angle, lighting,...
Film Foundation
The Day The Earth Stood Still: The Filmmaking Process
How are films made? As part of their study of film, middle schoolers investigate the pre-production, production, and post-production process and consider the role of the director, the screenwriter, production designer, cinematographer,...
Curated OER
Journeys: A Common Core State Standards Unit for A Wrinkle in Time and Companion Texts
You won't find any wrinkles in your instruction with this unit guide on Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. The 34-page document includes everything from instructional questions and learning tasks aligned to Common Core...
Curated OER
Analyzing a Plot Conflict
Sixth graders analyze plot conflict with science fiction and TV programs. After discussing the conflict, they identify solutions for the programs selected. They examine Only You Can Save Mankind for conflict, and consider ways the...
Media Smarts
Media Awareness Network: Hate or Debate?
Discuss the difference between legitimate debate on a political issue and arguments that are based on hate through a science-fiction scenario that shows how a controversial issue can be discussed in both ways. Then learn how purveyors of...
Curated OER
Discovering Language Arts-Intermediate Fiction
Explore the elements of science fiction. Young scholars investigate the literary elements present in science fiction and write their own science fiction stories.
Curated OER
Space and Science Fiction
Use the Franklin Institute's exhibition "An Inquirer's Guide to the Universe" to have students research ideas for a science fiction story. After completing their research, writers will compose science fiction stories that incorporate...
Curated OER
Creating a Science Fiction Story
As the culminating activity in a unit study of science fiction, young writers demonstrate their understanding of the genre by producing their own graphic novel. After deciding on the main elements of their story, individuals use a comic...
Curated OER
Time Capsule Survey
Here's a fun way to incorporate technology into your curriculum. E-mail each of your class members a picture and 10 questions about the photo. Individuals then imagine the story behind the image and e-mail back their responses. Although...
Curated OER
Assignment # 1: Merry-Go-Round Story
Class members use e-mail and the merry-go-round story format to create a science fiction story. Each writer begins by selecting one of three prompts, crafting the introductory paragraph and sending the paragraph to the next person on the...
Curated OER
Thinking about Theme
Sixth graders explore theme in science fiction texts by examining how plot conflicts are resolved. This resource focuses on Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, but the approach and guiding questions could apply to a variety of texts.
Curated OER
Predictions: Technologies of the Future
Visit the world of science fiction with this graphic organizer focusing on predictions. Complete the chart to determine the possible positive and negative side effects for two examples of future technology. Then, have writers choose one...
Curated OER
1984 - Part Two
Focus on the second half of George Orwell's 1984 with this reading comprehension quiz. All multiple-choice, the questions center on major events in the novel.
Curated OER
Back to the Past
What was the Untied States like in 1938? What were the concerns of Americans in the post World War I era? What were their fears? What were their sources of news and entertainment? To understand the reaction to Orson Welles' radio...
Curated OER
Genre Lesson: Science Fiction
Sixth graders explore the components of science fiction in a science and literacy lesson. As they define and record definitions of the term on the board, learners identify a text as science fiction using the terms they have...
Curated OER
The Similarities and Differences of Setting
Sixth graders compare science fiction to reality. For this setting lesson students use Chapter 6 of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Students record detailed descriptions from the text that are different of similar to real life.
Curated OER
The Similarities and Differences of Setting
Sixth graders identify components of the setting in science fiction text. In this compare and contrast settings instructional activity, 6th graders read Only You Can Save Mankind and identify similarities and differences between...
Curated OER
Science Fiction
Do your sixth graders like science fiction? Learn to identify elements of the science fiction genre with a literature lesson. They read from Only You Can Save Mankind and identify the objects, words, and characters from the...
Curated OER
Science Fiction Stories
Learners write a story. In this genre lesson, students read a science fiction story and discuss its characteristics. Learners brainstorm a list of things that if scientifically changed would alter the way we live our lives. Students...