Word Wall
Science Fiction
A Webquest by Julius Zuke, Librarian at the Lake
2801 Saint Lo Drive
Baltimore, MD 21213
May, 2011
Learning Target: I can create a Power
Point slide show which shows how
authors can predict and influence future
advances in science and technology.
Introduction
Refer to page 718 of your textbook (Technology, by R. Thomas Wright
[2008]):
Technology continues to be developed at a very rapid
pace…Many ideas that seem impossible now will be
commonplace in the near future. This is not new. In the 1800’s,
Jules Verne wrote a fictional story called 20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea. It dealt with the then-impossible feat of
traveling under the ocean in a submarine. In the 1940s and
1950s, people read a fictional comic strip in which the
characters used the then-ridiculous means of rocket ships to
travel in space. What is fiction today might become an
everyday part of life for your children and grandchildren.
In completing this project, you will see how this is so.
Task
You are a part of a committee which is trying to decide if “silly”
books of science fiction should be purchased for the school
library, since money is in short supply. To do that, you are
going to create a Power Point slide presentation which shows
what science fiction does to children’s minds, and whether
science fiction serves an educational purpose.
Process and Resources
 Work individually to produce the slide show for the school CEO.
 There are six modules (parts). Do one module (part) per day. All six
modules go into the same Power Point presentation. Do not create a
separate Power Point presentation for each module.
 Use the questions and web URLs within each module to take notes and
create slides for your module. Remember, it is not necessary to read
everything in detail; skim for information that will answer your
question, and then let it go.
 Be sure to create MLA citations for each web site or book that you use.
This is part six of the project. A handout for doing this is available from
the librarian.
 At the end of each work period, save your work to MY DOCUMENTS
and then email your work to jzuke@bcps.k12.md.us as an attachment.
This allows teachers to see your day-to-day progress. This procedure also
preserves your work in case someone trashes it off the computer.
The Modules
Part I: Buck Rogers and Space Travel
Resources
http://www.google.com/search?q=buck+rogers&hl=en&sa=X&rl
z=1R2ADFA_enUS396&tbs=tl:1,tl_num:20&prmd=ivnso&ei=u
me5TZ5Gqry0gHk2KwC&ved=0CHYQywEoAg&biw=1003&bih=547
http://www.nasa.gov/50th/timeline.html
http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/about/news/pressres/exhspace.html
http://www.vmoptions.com/martoys.com/history.html
http://vintage-spacetoys.com/
Questions
 Who was Buck Rogers? Create a timeline showing how and
when Buck Rogers was presented to the public through
books, comics, radio, tv, movies, and toys. Pictures are
welcomed!
 Explain how and when space travel changed from fantasy to
reality. Which discoveries and technologies triggered the space
travel from fantasy to reality?
Part II: Dick Tracy and the Police
Resources
http://www.dicktracymuseum.com/
http://antique-tin-toys.com/marx-tin-dick-tracy-squad-car-largefriction-19/
http://www.lycos.com/info/dick-tracy--cartoons.html
http://www.toontracker.com/tracy/dicktracy.htm
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/d/diktracy.htm
http://www.forensicdna.com/Timeline020702.pdf
http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventions/a/forensic_4.htm
http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventions/a/forensic_5.htm
Questions:
 Who was Dick Tracy? Create a timeline showing how and
when Dick Tracy was presented to the public through books,
comics, radio, tv, movies, and toys.
 Explain how and when criminal forensics changed from
fantasy to reality. Which discoveries and technologies
triggered that transition from fantasy to reality?
Part III:
The Jetsons and the City of
the Future
Resources
 http://www.cns.ucsb.edu/events/jetsons-fallacy-science-fiction
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biotechnology-and-future-human-species
http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=204
http://blog.zeemp.com/40-awesome-futuristic-city-illustrations/
http://www.thevenusproject.com/
http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/city-systems
http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/cities-in-the-sea
http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/energy
http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/transportation
http://www.thevenusproject.com/en/technology/housing
http://www.google.com/search?q=space+station+timeline&hl=en&rlz=1T4
ADFA_enUS396US396&prmd=ivns&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=w4a5TY6BDca2tge
a7rTeBA&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11&ved=0CEMQ5wI
wCg&biw=779&bih=379
Questions
 Who were the Jetsons? Create a timeline showing how and
when the futuristic Jetson family was presented to the public
through books, comics, radio, tv, movies, and toys.
 Explain how predictions of how cities will look in the future
has changed from fantasy to reality. Which discoveries and
technologies triggered that transition from fantasy to reality?
How do you envision the city of Baltimore 200 years from
now?
Part IV: Robots, Industry, and Medicine
Resources
 http://freestoriesforkids.com/tales-for-kids/characters-and-situations/stories-about
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robots
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1106687
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/jules-verne/
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/H._G._Wells
http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html
http://www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Asimov-Isaac.html
http://www.wegrokit.com/bio.htm
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002009/bio
http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=911
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/technology/historyofrobotics.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2001/artificial_intelligence/1531432
.stm
http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2005_Groups/04/timeline.html
Questions
 Create a timeline showing how and when robots were
presented to the public through books, comics, radio, tv,
movies, and toys. In clued names of books, stories, and
movies. Also include authors’ names. Who were the biggest
names in science fiction?
 Explain how robots became reality, but in a way much
different from what science fiction writers predicted.
Part V. The Big Picture
 Why do people like to read and view science fiction?
 Why do people like science fiction toys?
 How does the popularity of science fiction prove that
Western society trusts science?
 What is the author’s purpose for writing science fiction--to
inform, to persuade, or to entertain? Explain your answer,
using evidence you have gathered for this project.
Part VI. List of Works Cited
 (see http://www.bibme.org)
Evaluation
 Evaluation
 Your work will be evaluated using the attached scoring
rubric.
National Standards Addressed by This Webquest
3.3.2 Respect the differing interests and experiences of others, and seek a variety of viewpoints.
 3.3.4 Create products that apply to authentic, real-world contexts.
 4.3.4 Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.
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Assessment Limits
2.h Use peer to peer and instructor feedback to guide the inquiry process.
 3.b Follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering, using, and sharing information.
 4.d Use creative and artistic formats to express personal response to information and ideas.
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Source: ("Standards for the 21st-Century Learner." American Association of School Librarians. N.p., n.d.
Web. 5 Apr. 2011
<www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningSt
andards.pdf>. )
Typical Accommodations Provided During This Webquest Include:
 Clearly defined limits
 Frequent breaks
 Seating to reduce distractions
 Tutoring assistance (peer, pal, teacher, etc.)
 A variety of materials and reading levels
 Assistance with note taking
 Proofreading to refine grammatical conventions
 Proofreading to refine spelling conventions
 Proofreading to refine writing structure.
 Proofreading to refine citations
 Using technology to enhance the finished product
 Using technology to submit the finished product
 Using technology to communicate with the instructor.