Science Fiction
Trish McCoy
Room 203
MMS
What is science fiction?
There are a multitude of
definitions and explanations.
Science fiction is one of those
things that we know when we
see or experience it.
COMMON TRAITS OF SCIENCE FICTION
(Not all science fiction stories will have all of these
qualities.)
 A setting in the future, in alternative timelines, or in a
historical past that contradicts known facts or history.
 A setting in outer space, on other worlds, or involving
aliens.
 Stories that involve technology or scientific principles
that contradict known laws of nature.
 Stories that involve discovery or application of new
scientific principles (time travel, nanotechnology, fasterthan-light travel, robots)
 Stories in which organized society has collapsed.
What is a literature circle?
A literature circle is a group of students reading the same book. All
groups in the class will be reading the same genre.
The groups will meet to read and understand sections, to review for
presentations, to discuss the book, to encourage and motivate.
Groups are NOT to enable a student to NOT read the book and just
gather information from others in the group. This helps no one
and will reflect in everyone’s grade!
At the end of the section, groups will work together to prepare and
present a PowerPoint on their book.
The grades for the students will be recorded from the PowerPoint
presentation, student participation in the group exercises, and
various worksheets and assignments given by the teacher.
You MUST read the book in order to achieve passing scores on
these assignments.
Once you choose a book, it is yours. There will be no switching
groups!
Only five students per group. Do NOT choose a group simply
because your friends are in it. You will be stuck with this book for
five to six weeks, and you will have to read it; choose a group by
book.
COULD YOU SURVIVE ON YOUR OWN, IN THE WILD, WITH EVERYONE
FIGHTING AGAINST YOU?
Twenty- four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a
shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are
forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve
and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to
the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to
feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the
fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the
Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she
must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Suzanne Collins reads excerpt.
Seven book series
Readers will be
required to read two
or three of the books.
Imagine living in the shadows, hiding
your existence from almost everyone in
the world. This is the plight of Jen, Trey,
Nina, and all other third-born children.
With their nation plagued by drought and
food shortages, their government has
made it illegal for families to have more
than two children. Yet thousands of
thirds exist without identification cards
or rights of any kind. As these shadow
children begin to discover and
communicate with each other, their
worldviews broaden. They begin to
wonder why their government claims that
they are the cause of all of their nation's
ills, and they question the worth of their
leaders themselves. Fearfully,
unwittingly, or angrily, these secret
children emerge from the shadows to
fight for change.
"Mother? " There was no reply. She
hadn't expected one. Her mother had
been dead, now, for four days, and Kira
could tell that the last of the spirit was
drifting away ... Now she was all alone.
Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives
in a world where the weak are cast
aside. She fears for her future until she
is spared by the all-powerful Council of
Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and
is given a task that no other
community member can do. While her
talent keeps her alive and brings
certain privileges, Kira soon realizes
she is surrounded by many mysteries
and secrets. No one must know of her
plans to uncover the truth about her
world and see what places exist
beyond.
Living in a future where sixteenyear-olds are surgically transformed
from "uglies" to "pretties," Tally
Youngblood struggles with a choice:
to become beautiful and content
forever, or to leave the world she
knows and keep her own face.
Tally's decisions bring her to both
locations as well as others she'd
never dreamed of, but they also get
her in and out of trouble, and force
her to grow and change and learn.
This trilogy follows the high-tech
adventures of Tally Youngblood. As
an ugly, then a pretty, and finally a
special, Tally works to take down a
society created to function with
perfect-looking people who never
have a chance to think for
themselves.
Three young teens witness a total
solar eclipse and are changed forever
in this novel, told in alternating
narratives, that weaves exciting
astronomy facts into the teens’
personal lives. Ally, 13, is fascinated
by the scientific event, as are 1,000
other people from all over the world
who come to view the Great Eclipse at
her family’s wilderness site.
Glamorous teen Bree has an opposite
view and is appalled that her parents,
both physics scholars, want to move
to the site: how can she manage
without the mall? Then there is Jack,
who loves art and science fiction but
is a failure at science and is brought to
the site by his teacher. The
anticipation building up to the great
event brings thrilling changes in all
three young lives.