Transcript Document

What if………………….?
Authors chose to write in the science
fiction genre because it allows them to
reflect upon different scenarios in the
future, based on what’s happening
today.
Science fiction allows us to investigate
our society’s fears, dilemmas and
concerns if we take a certain course of
action, or if we keep doing things the
way that we are.
Science Fiction Unit Details
• You will have your choice of book, but can only read
here at school;
• You will have daily activities, but may read at your own
pace;
• As you are reading, mark: golden lines, sections that
make you think, and you will write down a what if
question or a question about the story;
• You will be expected to read, do the daily work and
participate in small group discussions.
• Your two major projects will be: creation of a utopian
school and a heroes project.
Why Science Fiction?
Makes us consider the emotional,
psychological, and physical effects of
futuristic ideas, conflict and change.
Encourages us to keep an open mind to
consider unlimited possibilities.
Provokes questions regarding other forms of
life, thereby bringing our own into
perspective.
Stimulates curiosity and the capacity for
invention.
Presents the reader with moral and ethical
dilemmas that correspond to the real world.
Discussion Details
Golden Lines
Each person chooses one line to share (interesting,
agree/disagree, made you think…)
Each person shares their line and says WHY they chose
it (no discussion yet, share only)
Post-its/Interactive Discussion
Someone shares a post-it thought. Group members
discuss their thoughts/comments until that point is
exhausted or everyone has shared.
Group What if…? Question to write/post
As a group, come up with a question to share based on
that day’s discussion.
Time Machine
 Challenging
 A time traveler travels
way into the future and
realizes that humans have
created amazing
technology, but begins to
understand it may mean
the extinction of
humanity.
The Giver
Jonas lives in a "perfect" world
where war, disease, and suffering
have all been eradicated.
Everything is in order; everything
is under control. The people have
no worries or cares. The
Community strives for
"sameness," in which everyone
and everything are the same and
equal.
The Invisible Man
When a stranger arrives in the small
English town of Iping, the owners of a
local inn bless their good fortune at
having a customer in the off-season—
even if he appears to be a bit odd. With
his head covered in bandages and his
hands constantly gloved, the inn’s
mistress assumes this stranger has
some kind of terrible disfigurement. The
truth, however, is even more shocking.
The Phantom Tollbooth
For Milo, everything is a bore.
When a tollbooth mysteriously
appears in his room, he drives
through only because he’s got
nothing better to do. But on the
other side, things seem different
and Milo realizes something
astonishing: life is far from dull. In
fact, it’s exciting beyond his
wildest dreams…
Among the Hidden
-Born third at a time when having more than two children per
family is illegal and subject to seizure and punishment by the
Population Police, Luke has spent all of his 12 years in hiding.
His parents disobeyed once by having him and are
determined not to do anything unlawful again. At first the
woods around his family's farm are thick enough to conceal
him when he plays and works outdoors, but when the
government develops some of that land for housing, his world
narrows to just the attic. Gazing through an air vent at new
homes, he spies a child's face at a window after the family of
four has already left for the day. Is it possible that he is not the
only hidden child? Answering this question brings Luke
greater danger than he has ever faced before, but also
greater possibilities for some kind of life outside of the attic.
Divergent
Tris Prior lives in a futuristic world in
which society is divided into five
factions. As each person enters
adulthood, he or she must choose a
faction and commit to it for life. Tris
chooses Dauntless -- those who
pursue bravery above all else.
However, her initiation leads to the
discovery that she is a Divergent
and will never be able to fit into just
one faction. Warned that she must
conceal her status, Tris uncovers a
looming war which threatens
everyone she loves.
*Dystopia: a society
characterized by
human misery, as
squalor, oppression,
disease, and
overcrowding.
Legends
June is a prodigy being groomed for
success in the Republic's highest
military circles. Born into the slums,
fifteen-year-old Day is the country's
most wanted criminal. But his motives
may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and
Day have no reason to cross paths—
until the day June's brother, Metias, is
murdered and Day becomes the prime
suspect. Caught in the ultimate game
of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for
his family's survival, while June seeks
to avenge Metias's death.
The White Mountains
 Mid-Level/Easier
 Will Parker makes a
difficult journey to
escape from the
ruling Tripods who
capture human
beings.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
 Mid-Level
 Both a thrilling page-turner and a
moral allegory, The Strange Case of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde depicts the
struggle between good and evil,
vying for the soul of one man.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic
endures as one of the most
engrossing and thought-provoking
novels of all time.
Frankenstein
 Difficult
 Frankenstein, obsessed with
scientific theories focused on
natural wonders, watches lightning
strike an oak tree and is inspired to
harness its power. He develops a
technique to bring inanimate bodies
to life, including that of a monster
creature eight feet tall. But Victor is
upset by his creation and what he
perceives to be his failure. He rejects
the monster, who is left despondent
and vowing revenge.
Fahrenheit 451
CHALLENGING
Guy Montag starts out as a
politically correct fireman who
loves doing his job, which is
burning books. He’s married and
lives a normal lifestyle in a
society where reading is illegal,
and being intellectual is frowned
upon. Guy meets up with an
unusual neighbor who begins to
change his thinking and soon
he’s running for his life from an
oversized mechanical hound.