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THE SCIENCE FICTION PAGE

OCTOBER 8TH, 1920 It was on this day that famed Dune author and science fiction writer Frank Herbert was born in Tacoma, Washington. Herbert worked in various media as a journalist and then as a photographer for the U.S. Navy Seabees before turning to fiction. "Dune" won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, while Herbert has been lauded for exploring themes of politics, philosophy, ecology, and human psychology within his works.

SCIENCE FICTION GENRE POSTER:
What is science fiction? Here's a poster with colorful visuals - book covers, actually - for your bulletin board when you're studying the genre.

SCIENCE FICTION QUESTIONS:
By way of answering these guiding questions while reading a science fiction story, students will gain a better understanding of the leading elements of the genre. Further, the questions will help students to comprehend, retain, and respond to the reading selection.

DESIGN A SPACE STATION:
Try "Strange Matter" above, to see why aluminum is such a valuable building material, then start with an aluminum can to build your own space station. Students will make choices regarding living in space, eating and drinking, finding fuel sources, working, and what to bring along to a new home in space.

SPACE, THE FAMILIAR FRONTIER:
Harking back to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and then zooming forward at warp speed to Star Trek's latest movie, students will compare and contrast the two pieces to compile a definition of the science fiction genre. Two New York Times articles are attached for discussion questions, with additional articles and related lesson plans also available for your high school classes.

BRINGING FACTS INTO SCIENCE FICTION:
Here's a great idea for a creative writing lesson plan, one which incorporates current events into the drama of the story. Students will assess a favorite sci-fi character (from film, books, or television), analyze George Lucas' "Star Wars", and then develop their own science fiction pieces using current media news themes.

STRANGE MATTER:
This interactive site is truly spectacular! Your students can crush objects to see which one is stronger in competitions, while learning about the components, what they're used for, and why they work the way they do. Take a close-up look, get closer still... right down to the molecular level, and see what's in everyday "stuff". Try some wicked experiments, and learn how common sand is turned into semiconductors and cell phones.

COMIC STRIPS WITH GIFTED STUDENTS:
In one literature response strategy, this teacher employs comic strips with her gifted and talented students, where they rewrite text into the comic strip format. Student examples are included.