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In Early Adolescence:
Learning and teaching programs should
assist students to develop a broader and more comprehensive
understanding of the context of their lives and the world
in which they live. They should, for example, lead to
an increased understanding of the complexity of the natural
environment, society and technology; an awareness of the
potential and problems of increased knowledge and technology;
and an understanding of the relationship between knowledge,
technology and values. |
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While students in Middle Childhood can
be introduced to science fiction, Early Adolescence is the ideal
time to promote a deeper interest in the genre. A wealth of
science fiction aimed at young adults is available and many
recent titles provide excellent support for The Future
theme.
Click on the approach listed below
for learning ideas and fiction titles to get you started.
- Science Fiction
- Search Future
- Fiction in the CMIS Resource Bank
for a complete list of related stories. [Use the Early
Adolescence restrictor to just see titles appropriate
for this phase]
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The Edge of Tomorrow theme
invites readers to reflect upon the nature of our present society
and the future of the world. Teachers looking for a means of
generating interest in the topic and thoughtful debate on the
issues, will find that science fiction is the ideal stimulus.
Once introduced to the genre most adolescent students will be
hooked. As much science fiction deals with space technology,
space travel, life on other planets, or wars, and is often action-packed
and exciting, it appeals to reluctant male readers.
Science fiction can also be very amusing and entertaining, presenting
a tongue-in-cheek viewpoint. Mature and reflective readers of
both genders relate to the ethical and moral dilemmas incorporated
in the stories. Issues such as organ transplants, genetic engineering,
cloning and environmental disasters are common themes to explore.
Prayer For the Twenty-First
Century by John Marsden is an excellent
introductory text to stimulate thought and discussion about
the future prior to reading science fiction.
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Students can:
- Discuss how the future is presented
in current sci-fi novels.
- Determine whether there is a
common theme in science fiction novels written
by different contemporary authors.
- Compare science fiction written
10, 20 or more years ago with more recent titles.
- Identify common elements in science
fiction writing.
- Debate the ethical or moral issues
raised in the novels.
- Investigate how young people
today envisage the future of the world.
- Research current scientific,
medical and technological developments and discuss
the feasibility of the future scenarios depicted
in novels.
- Examine classic science fiction,
by writers such as Isaac Asimov, George Orwell,
Aldous Huxley, H.G. Wells, John Christopher,
Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein and John Wyndham.
Identify the extent to which their predictions
in terms of scientific and technological advancements
have been realised in the modern world.
- Study one author who has written
over a long time span and compare their early
visions of the future with later ones.
- Write their own science fiction
story.
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ANDERSON, Rachel. The
Scavenger's Tale
Oxford
University Press, 1998
Age 13+ it is 2015, after a war known as the Great Conflagration.
London has become a tourist destination, but a destination with
a difference. Tourists arrive ill but leave healthy. London's
new industry is donor organs. Unfortunately there are not enough
donors around, so they start classifying people into categories
such as Dysfunc and Low and High Caste.
As the need for organs increases, the Community Street Wardens
start taking away the Dysfuncs, after all, nobody is going to
miss them and they serve no useful purpose in society.
BARNES, Rory. Horsehead
Boy
Angus&Robertson, 1998
Age 12+ Adolescence is hard enough, falling in love,
being the best BMX rider, hanging out with friends, dealing
with parents! Imagine having to deal with all that while just
being a brain in a vat!
When Spud Wilson was dared to do a backflip off the tabletop
on his BMX, what could he do but rise to the challenge? Little
did he know that this was a decision that would change his life
forever.
Sequels:
Horsehead
Man
Horsehead
Soup
CARMICHAEL, Claire. Originator
Random
House, 1998
Age 14+ This science fiction novel is set in our possible
future where cloning and genetic engineering make the manufacture
of perfect humans possible. The society it portrays is one that
perhaps we should start thinking about now.
There are links to current cloning research and the concerns
of present-day scientists. It gives a chilling view of a world
where a caste system is in force depending on your genetic code,
where unless you are identified with a computer ID, you are
condemned to live outside society.
Sequel:
Fabricant
CATRAN, Ken. Running
Dogs
HarperCollins, 1998
Age 12+ Running Dogs is a science fiction novel
set in the twenty-first century in a time when the breakdown,
decay and level of societal violence has continued to increase.
Computer games and the world of virtual reality continue to
be a major attraction for young people. using the games as a
vehicle for risk taking, they are transported through time to
take part in historical events such as World War II battles
and the French Revolution. The pirating of these games by an
unscrupulous organisation has resulted in personalised games
which if allowed to run their course are likely to result in
the death of the player.
GOODMAN, Alison. Singing
the Dogstar Blues
HarperCollins, 1998
Age 13+ Free-spirited Joss is late for the Partnering
ceremony. Camden-Stone may just use this against her, to have
her removed from the exclusive Time-travel program, that is
until the alien, Mavkel, chooses her as his Time Jump partner.
Accepting the partnership throws Joss into a world of hi-tech
security, death treats and protests from the Anti-Alien Lobby.
JINKS, Catherine. The
Future Trap
Puffin, 1999
Age 12+ First published in 1993 this science fiction
novel will suit readers from Years 7 -9. The story is set in
the future when genetic engineering is commonplace and used
to adapt humans to life on other planets and in other environments.
All this genetic engineering is causing genetic instability
and breakdown, so a human is needed from the past who has a
pure gene pool so that the source of the instability can be
identified.
LAWRENCE, Louise. The
Crowlings
Collins,
1999
Age 11+ The Crowlings is an allegorical story
in a futuristic setting on the planet, Gamma Centauri. As the
Earth has become uninhabitable, the aliens the Starpeople, have
brought their cities and civilisation to Gamma Centuri using
names such as Jasper Creek, Kennedy Spaceport, the South Sierras
and the Arizona River.
MARSDEN, John. Prayer
for the Twenty-first Century
Lothian, 1997
This is an engaging book with a thoughtful message for people
of all ages. It is an elegantly-crafted prayer in which the
sentiments are immediately recognised and strike a chord in
the heart of the reader.
The first stanza uses the symbol of travel to explore the idea
of life choices and of the endurance of traditional values.
The second stanza is devoted to matters
of life - the conservation of nature, the endurance of the human
spirit, the need for understanding of others, and the desire
to see our children lead fulfilled lives.
Adding to the text are the visual images which have been carefully
designed to provoke further thought. These images range from
black on cream line drawings through black and white photography
to highly-coloured reproductions of prints, photographs and
paintings.
In combination, the images of the text make thought-provoking
points of departure for discussion. The poem as a whole is an
excellent opener for class exploration of the key issues and
shared values of our times.
NIX, Garth. Shades Children
Allen
& Unwin, 1997
Age 13+ In this future, when Earth goes through the 'Change',
all adults and children over the age of sixteen disappear. All
remaining children are rounded up by 'creatures' and herded
into dormitories where they are housed, fed and educated until
they reach the age of fourteen.
Through the sacrifice of his brother Petar, Gold-Eye escapes
from the dormitories and joins a group called Shades Children.
ROGERS-DAVIDSON, Sally. Spare
Parts
Penguin, 1999
Age 13+ Kelty is a C-grade citizen of Greater Melbourne
metropolis, the city of the future, dominated by the skywalkers,
A- and B-grade citizens who have all the power and privileges.
To escape her dreary, futureless life, Kelty donates her perfect
body for transplant. Kelty thus becomes a cybermorph; her brain
transplanted into a top-of-the-range artificial body while her
human body goes to a recipient who needs a replacement.
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