Fantasy and Science Fiction

~ These genres spring from folklore but differ in that they were not handed down by word of mouth over time but rather written by an individual author.

The two defined… True Science Fiction explores

scientific possibilities; asks…”If this, then what?”

Fantasy suspends scientific explanations and natural laws; contains some elements not found in the natural world

How they differ... Both are set in worlds not like

our present reality but science fiction settings are created based on scientific principles; in other words, they could become reality based on the knowledge we have and how our technology advances

This genres role in our students’ lives... Opens the doors to the worlds

of imagination Covers important aspects of

life like…the relativity of time, size and space, good versus evil, self integrity, etc.

Types of Fantasy Animal Fantasy (Charlotte’s

Web) Miniature Worlds (elves,

trolls…) Time Slips, Unreal Worlds and

Magic (Harry Potter) Literary Lore (Stinky Cheese Man P; Ella Enchanted I)

Quest Tales (The Lord of the Ring; The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe)

Types of Science Fiction Mind Control (The Giver) Life in the Future Survival (The City of Ember,

Among the Hidden)

Using these genres in the classroom... Start the children out with the

wonderful fantasy picture books and this will set the stage for them moving more naturally, into the longer, more complex novels.

Share the various books through read aloud, storytelling, readers theater, literature circles, etc. to expand their interests.

Some may never experience these genres if knowledgeable teachers do not expose them to them