Science Fiction Word Wall

A Webquest by Julius Zuke, Librarian at the Lake 2801 Saint Lo Drive Baltimore, MD 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 your work to 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

The Modules

Part I: Buck Rogers and Space Travel Resources z=1R2ADFA_enUS396&tbs=tl:1,tl_num:20&prmd=ivnso&ei=u me5TZ- 5Gqry0gHk2KwC&ved=0CHYQywEoAg&biw=1003&bih= space.html

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 friction-19/

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 biotechnology-and-future-human-species biotechnology-and-future-human-species 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 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 robots robots

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

Evaluation Your work will be evaluated using the attached scoring rubric.

National Standards Addressed by This Webquest Respect the differing interests and experiences of others, and seek a variety of viewpoints Create products that apply to authentic, real-world contexts Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction. 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. Source: ("Standards for the 21st-Century Learner." American Association of School Librarians. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr )

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.