Describes how the science fiction novel "Jurassic Park" has been used to provide the focus for summate discussions among gifted high school students participating in a state-sponsored, science-intensive summer program. Discusses adaptations of this approach for use in chemistry classes from the high school to intermediate college level. (JRH)

Columbus (Georgia) College's Challenge Squared program consists of three 2-week enrichment day camps for gifted students in grades 5 through 10. In past years, students have worked with an artist to create local history murals and have written and produced video plays in cooperation with a media specialist. Most recently, students were involved in…

General semantics and science fiction are disciplines that can be incorporated in lectures for public speaking and other speech communication classes. Alfred Korzybski's theories of general semantics lend themselves to researching, preparing, delivering interpersonal communication messages, and establishing student interest in foreign languages,…

A rationale and suggestions for teaching 12th grade sociology using Ray Bradbury's novel "The Martian Chronicles" are presented. The conceptual material found in a high school sociology textbook is not always exciting and stimulating to read, but with a science fiction work that supplements this conceptual material, the motivation for learning can…

Presents ideas on integrating science fiction into language arts, science, social studies, and math. Suggestions include an interstellar journey, imaginative language lessons, futuristic social studies, extraterrestrial life studies, intergalactic math, and science fiction story writing. (SM)

Focuses on the uses of science fiction to teach sociology and develop critical and creative thinking. Maintains that in the last 20 years science fiction has become concerned increasingly with social themes. Concludes with a detailed description of the use of "The Handmaid's Tale" in an introductory sociology course. (MJP)

Fourteen science fiction stories are collected and arranged under the themes, MarsAmerica, Progress, Machine, Society, and Weapons. These stories make statements about the present as well as the future and allow students to confront that future before it overtakes them. The purpose of the anthology is to prepare students for the different…

Originally designed for gifted students, these reproducible units on science fiction emphasize the use of higher order thinking skills and are appropriate for use in any classroom. Interdisciplinary in content, the units provide a broad view of science fiction. Included are two complete units, one created for the upper elementary gifted student…

This teacher's guide was developed for the last of four courses in Valencia Community College's Interdisciplinary Studies program, a 2-year core general education curriculum which chronologically examines the major developments in the evolution of human knowledge. The guide provides an introductory overview of the semester's content (i.e., the…

This filmstrip study guide dramatizes several stories from Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" concerning basic issues of human nature: the need to respect cultural differences and the importance of preserving the environment. A collection of 26 short stories, "The Martian Chronicles" describes the colonization of Mars. The…

Continues an article that began in the summer 1995 "Interdisciplinary Humanities." Examines ethical concerns about nuclear power, societal control, and prejudice articulated in science fiction literature. Authors studied include Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Damon Knight. The earlier article covered literature concerned with ecology…

A theoretical framework and suggestions for teaching about the future at the secondary level are presented. Seven chapters comprise the document. Chapter I examines the nature of and approach to futurism and explores ideas of European and American futurists. Chapter II presents a rationale, characteristics of futures education, outlines of courses…

This multi-age integrated teaching unit on outer space was developed by 19 rural teachers (grades K-8) from 12 Gallatin County (Montana) districts to associate all school subjects with a common theme, promote teaching efficiency by focusing on more than one subject at the same time, and increase student excitement. Topics explored by each grade…

Thirty-six nontraditional undergraduate courses in linguistics are described. Course topics include: animal communication, bilingualism, sociolinguistics, introductory linguistics, language and formal reasoning, language and human conflict, language and power, language and sex, language and the brain, language planning, language typology and…