Teaching Science Fact with Science Fiction

The literature of science fiction packs up the facts and discoveries of science and runs off to futures filled with both wonders and warnings. Kids love to take the journeys it offers for the thrill of the ride, but they can learn as they travel, too. This book will provide you with: an overview of the past 500 years of scientific thought and the literature of science fiction which it inspired; suggestions for finding and adapting the kind of science fiction that will work best for your classroom; detailed ideas and resources for teaching concepts in the physical, earth, space, and life sciences, as well in history and mathematics; and suggested activities for a variety of grade levels. Appendices provide: science references to help you keep the facts and the fictions straight; national science content standards; and detailed lesson plans for an earth science unit where students travel the depths of time and create their own time travelers' diaries.