How do you get kids to enjoy reading? Make them dream about the possibilities of tomorrow with science fiction!
My students are seniors in high school taking the English selective: Parallel Dimensions (a literary study of science-fiction and fantasy).
The students who choose this selective tend to be going into the fields of science, engineering, and the arts. I like that I have the freedom to tie English in with all of these other popular subjects. While our central focus is on reading and writing, these incredibly intelligent kids bring in their vast knowledge of our world to really make this class outstanding. This English selective has become so popular at our school that it has expanded to three sections!
My Project
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell has been on our district's approved reading list for years but with only 20 copies of the novel at our disposal (which are at another school), it has been impossible to teach because not all of the students can afford their own copies. I plan to use this novel to dive into the subjects that seniors--about to venture off into the world-- care about. At its core, The Sparrow asks the essential question--what does it mean to be human? The novel is a character study that looks at humanity's struggles to co-exist with one another (and later-alien species). While reading this novel, students will engage in philosophical discussions and Socratic seminars. They will also create business proposals and design rocket ships. This is the type of novel that will engage even my most reluctant readers--and hopefully make them fall in love with reading science-fiction.
By having enough copies of this novel in our school library- I will be able to teach it for years to come.
It will become a core text that students will talk about with each other and come into my class excited to read. With The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell has created an engaging text that will expand my students' imaginations and get them talking about topics that are relevant to all of us.
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