Reading Enrichment Plan - Science Fiction

8/3/2019 Reading Enrichment Plan - Science Fiction

1/5

Mac Barron - Reading Enrichment Unit

Reading Enrichment Unit - Science FictionMac BarronFRIT 7737

Dr. Lucilia Green

This unit is designed to enrich students understanding, interest, and enjoyment of thescience fiction genre. It is meant to occupy four 30-45 minute segments of an ELA class.Although designed with 7th graders in mind, it could easily be adjusted for younger or olderstudents. It is also intended to be taught in classrooms with LCD projectors and netbooks forevery student, but it could just as easily be implemented with simple overhead transparenciesand paper forms.


2/5


Supplies needed:Day 1 -

ActiveInspire Flipcart with several movie posters and several scratch pages. Book talk instruction cards (at least 5)

Day 2 - N/A

Day 3 - Character cards Facebook Word document template sent to students through class Edmodo

group.Day 4 -

Instructions for using the online catalog, Pines network, and GALILEO sent out toclass through Edmodo and posted at the Media Centers wiki.

Day 1 - Introduction to the Genre

Begin with showing students several movie posters (using LCD projector andPromethean Board) and asking students if they can tell me what kind of movie it is (no posters

should be of the science fiction genre). Write the suggestions on board as theyre given. Thenexplain that these kinds are genres. Ask if anyone can give a basic definition of the termgenre without using the word kind. Help students to develop that definition and write it on theboard. Now show them the poster for Star Wars. Surely someone will answer science fiction.

Explain that over the next few days, they will be learning more about the science fictiongenre. First though, we need to determine the shared characteristics of works consideredscience fiction.

Have students think, pair, share to come up with aspects of science fiction (examplescould include having to do with space, aliens, time travel, etc...). If needed, get the conversationgoing with an example that they would be familiar with, like Real Steel. Each pair should comeup with at least three examples of science fiction content. Use a large circle drawn on board tohelp students visually understand if a suggestion lies within the genre, crosses genres, or is

outside the science fiction genre.Next, Ill give students examples of movies and see if they can tell me aspects of those

movies that make them science fiction.Finally, Ill deliver a book talk over the book Enders Game by Orson Scott Card. After

the book talk, Ill ask if any of them has ever read a science fiction book or short story. I will thenchallenge the class to deliver five book talks like the one I did. Prior to this, I will have discussedwith their regular teacher an apt reward for the five students for delivering the book talks. Forthe five willing to accept the challenge, Ill give them small cards with a simple list of rules tofollow for a good book talk.

Day 2 - Book Talks

Begin with making sure the students who are delivering book talks dont have anyquestions before they begin.

Next show the class how to use the Student Response System on their netbooks. I willhave a preloaded questionnaire with five questions, each related to their interest in particularbooks based on the booktalks.

All students will have a chance to rate their level of interest in the book before eachbooktalk.


3/5


Then, each student with a booktalk will deliver it and I will give a few moments for allstudents to rate their level of interest in the book after the book talk (this will be repeated foreach booktalk.

Then, as a class, we will look at the results for each book to see which the class as awhole found most interesting.

To finish the activity, using the LCD projector, Ill quickly (with the intention that I will

show them in detail in a later activity) show them my search for that title using our onlinecatalog. If no results are found, I will search the Pines system for the title.

Day 3 - Characters You Should Know

Based on consultation with the regular classroom teacher, I will have this activity in pairsor individual or mixed. I will begin asking students to brainstorm as to why they like certainstories. I will write suggestions on board and attempt to steer the discussion to characters,noting that no matter the genre, one must care about the characters for a reader to be engaged.

I will then layout the stages of todays activity:1 - Search online for assigned character.2 - Create fake Facebook profile using the template from the Media Centers wiki.

3 - Then post their work to the Edmodo assignment.Throughout this activity, Ill be helping them find the characters, use the template, and

make sure they know how to post to Edmodo. Tomorrow we will look at their work as a class.

Day 4 - SciFi Quest

Today is all about looking at each others work and going out to find books or stories thestudents are interested in.

We will begin by looking as a class at a several facebook profiles, since one of therequirements of that assignment was to include the book, story, or series in which that charactercan be found, students are to be on the lookout for books they might be interested in. To helpthem rate their interest, I will have already created a questionnaire for the student response

system.After showing a few of the profiles, I will give them about 10 minutes to dig through the

rest of them, rating their interest in the Student Response System.After this time I will direct them to use the instructions at Edmodo and their memory of

what I did a few days ago to try and find a book that interests them first on our online catalog,and then at Pines if we dont have that title. If we do have the title, they are to write down thecall number for the book so they can get it. Of course, the regular teacher and I will circulatethrough the class helping students when needed.

Lastly I will show them how to find short stories and articles about science fiction atGALILEO.

Any students who were able to find their books of interest in our catalog will thenaccompany me to the Media Center to get their book. Students who were not are to stay in the

room with their regular teacher and search GALILEO for science fiction stories and beginreading one.


4/5



5/5


Reading Enrichment Plan - Science Fiction

Documents

Transcript of Reading Enrichment Plan - Science Fiction