This course is for students who enjoy reading stories and watching movies from the sci-fi genre.
Students will choose a range of books and movies (which will be approved by the LAs) and read or view them independently. They will then choose from a variety of projects across Terms 1 and 2 to demonstrate their understanding. Such projects include:
- writing reviews and/or responses for each text
- creative writing (you could: explore what happened after the story ended; write an alternative or bonus movie scene; or write a story about the same sci-fi premise in the context of your own life, among many options)
- formal writing (you could research and write a piece on, for instance, the ethics of cloning if you were to read/watch Jurassic Park)
In addition to the "english/media studies" components of this course, there will be some critiquing of the science concepts (for instance, is "weightlessness" portrayed accurately in space movies?), and the ethics and social acceptability of those concepts, as we see them portrayed in these stories and movies. We'll ask ourselves: is the science realistic? If it's futuristic, is it plausible that it could become reality in the near-future? What advice or message about the science might the stories have for us?
NCEA assessment opportunities
This is a curriculum level 5 class, but some students may want to submit their work towards NCEA Level 1 assessments.
Students have the freedom to choose the opportunities they wish to complete.
Term 3 options:
Option 1: Form personal responses to independently read texts, supported by evidence (AS90854)
Student must have written six responses in total, responding as follows to:
- two longer texts (novels)
- two short stories
- two films
Option 2: Show understanding of visual and/or oral text(s) through close viewing and/or listening, using supporting evidence (AS90856)
Do you like sci-fi movies? Write a review of one of them!
Option 3: Create a visual text (AS90855)
Create a visual text after watching a sci-fi movie.