In this unit I introduce students to dystopian literature. Designed to supplement a reading program that I run at my school, the unit focuses on helping students understand the genre through the study of terminology, texts and writing. At the end of the unit students are invited to write their own dystopian stories in a group project meant to mimic the style of one of America’s finest science fiction writers, Isaac Asimov. The unit begins with an examination of vocabulary associated with the genre and an attempt to clarify our understanding through music lyrics and music videos. We then turn to several definitive dystopian texts, including Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and Isaac Asimov’s I Robot. Utilizing journal writing, writer workshop, and the creative arts, students culminating group project allows them to become the creators of their own dystopian work.
(Developed for Read180, grade 8; recommended for Language Arts, grades 7-8, and English, grades 9-12)
