In today’s episode of the Teaching ELA Podcast, I discuss science fiction short stories for middle school and high school: “The Fun They Had,” “All Summer in a Day, “Examination Day,” “They’re Made out of Meat,” “Harrison Bergeron,” “There Will Come Soft Rains,” “The Machine that Won the War,” “The Machine Stops,” and whatever else comes to mind
I’ve got an emergency lesson plan you can get on the board right now.
And the One Thing you can teach with any of these stories is in the show title. It’s the elements of Science Fiction. By teaching students to analyze the elements of Science Fiction, you’ll be hitting standards that involve theme, characterization, setting, and all those other things we discuss when we get all literary up in this mug.
Elements of Science Fiction
How deep you go into the elements of science fiction depends on the story and the class. Here are the main characteristics of a science fiction short story.
- Alternative world setting. Whether its outer space, Earth in the future, or an alternate universe, science fiction stories take place in a different world.
- Non-human characters. Aliens are the most famous science fiction characters. Other non-human characters include robots, monsters, and robot monsters.
- Allegory and symbolism. Although set in other worlds with non-human characters, science fiction stories comment on events and problems in modern times through allegory and symbolism.
- Science and technology. As the title of the genre suggests, science and technology play a critical role in science fiction short stories. Many of these stories exist to comment on science and technology and its role in shaping society.
- Journey. As with most fiction, science fiction involves a journey. Unlike most fiction, this journey involves long voyages to alien worlds and fantastic places.
- Dystopia. Science fiction settings may combine an alternative world with negative elements to comment on modern society.
A story does not have to include every single element of science fiction to be considered science fiction.
2-Minute Lesson Plan
If you listened to podcast episode 8, Teaching Fun with “The Fun They Had” you’ve done this lesson before. But don’t worry, you can do it again!
Draw a 2-column chart. In the left column, students will write specific examples from the story. In the right column students will relate this example to something in their own life. Since what makes science fiction great is taking futuristic possibilities and making characters and events relatable to modern readers, this is a great lesson plan.
So if you have 2 minutes and you need a quick lesson –
- Make a 2-column chart on the board.
- Read.
- Fill out the aforementioned chart relating story details to things they are familiar with (see blocked text above).
- Discuss or write.
Don’t forget to write your lesson objective on the board to help you and your students focus on what we want them to be doing. And it’s also nice to have up there when your admin walks in.
Takeaways
- Science Fiction isn’t just for nerds. You’ll get a higher percentage of students who enjoy science fiction short stories than just about any other type.
- What makes good science fiction stories so good is their ability to connect with readers despite futuristic settings and characters.
- Teaching the Elements of Science Fiction will make teaching many of the elements of literature easy.
Links and Resources
- SFLesson Plans Collection
- Science Fiction Short Stories
- “Harrison Bergeron” lesson plans can be found here.
- “There Will Come Soft Rains” lesson plans can be found here.
- “A Sound of Thunder” lesson plans can be found here.
- Rappacinni’s Daughter
- “The Fun They Had” lesson plans can be found here.
- “All Summer in a Day” lesson plans can be found here.
- “The Veldt” Lesson Plans can be found here.
