Kōkiri Learn

Week 1 of 5

What is science fiction, and who reads it?

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Session 1 · AUTHOR: Audience

Future Night launch

  1. 10 minHook: show the Europa photo. Scientists think there's an ocean under that ice. What might live there? Quick-write for three minutes.
  2. 15 minReader survey: which films, games and books you love are science fiction? What do sci-fi fans enjoy most (ideas, action, mystery, heroes)?
  3. 15 minMeet the brief: the 'Worlds Beyond' anthology and Future Night. Who will be in the audience? What will they need to follow a story set somewhere strange?
  4. 10 minStart a 'What if…?' page in your writer's notebook with at least ten ideas.

Session 2 · AUTHOR: Understand

The big 'What if?'

  1. 10 minRead 'What if? How science fiction works'. List the kinds of sci-fi.
  2. 20 minBlurb detective: read back-cover blurbs from the book box. Sort them by kind (space, future Earth, robots and AI, time travel, dystopia) and find each one's 'what if'.
  3. 15 minReal issue hunt: for three blurbs, what real-world issue might the story be exploring?
  4. 5 minExit card: your favourite 'what if' so far, and the real issue behind it.

Getting started

Pick a 'what if' card from the class deck instead of inventing one.

Stretch

Find a real invention (such as the satellite or the video call) that appeared in science fiction before it existed.

Checkpoint

Each student can name two kinds of sci-fi and has a 'what if' linked to a real issue.

Activities for this week

  • What-if generator: How do you find a story idea that is new but still connects to real life?

Useful this week