Unit 5 – sci-fi Gone Awry
Start Date: March 27 End Date: May 25
Essential Questions
· Is there truth in science fiction?
· Does science ever cross the line?
· Should there be a limit to man’s ambitions?
· What can fear lead people to do?
· How should people respond to fear?
Big Ideas
· Scientific Progress
· Ambition
· Ethical Dilemmas
· Fear of the Unknown
Mini-Lessons
· Vocabulary
· Quotation Marks
· Analogies
· Punctuating Titles
· Science Fiction in Film
Readings
· The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
· “Monsters are Due on Maple Street” by Rod Serling
· “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury
· Excerpts and overviews of Sci-Fi classics – Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mary Shelley, etc.
· Non-fiction articles on scientific dilemmas
Evidence of Learning
Daily Grades / Due Dates to NoteBellringers / House of the Scorpion Test – April 25
In-Class Discussions / Grammar Mini-Test – May 12
In-Class Activities / Extra Credit – May 22
Reading Quizzes / Nine-Weeks Exam – May 23-25 (?)
Unit 5 Extra Credit
Science Fiction in Film
Due May 22
For extra credit, you will choose a movie from the list below to analyze.
The Absent-Minded Professor
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Iron Man
Jurassic Park
Meet the Robinsons
Star Wars
Star Trek
The Time Machine
X-Men
Wall-E
After watching it or while watching it, make notes on the following questions:
1. What characteristics of science fiction (from our notes) do you see in the movie? Use specific examples.
a. For example, our book The House of the Scorpion had the characteristic of a futuristic setting. It was specifically set one hundred years into our future, after a “drug war” had divided the United States and Mexico.
2. What are the “what if” questions that this movie asks? Think about what questions your film asks, and tell how they answer the questions.
a. For example, our book The House of the Scorpion explored the question “what if cloning humans were legal?” Our book answered that question by saying that maybe clones would not be treated equally as humans and would be used only for organ transplants.
3. What is the view of science in the movie? Is science shown in a positive or negative light? Is it used for good, evil, or both? Give specific examples from the film that support your answer.
4. If you were placed into the setting of the movie, what would your life be like? Would it change very much? How would you like to be in that setting?
For each question, answer using 6-10 sentences. After answering these questions, write a short summary of the film, telling me its main plot (5-7 sentences).