Science Fiction: Why you should be using it with your students!

On December 17, 1969, Project Blue Book ended. What was Project Blue Book? It was the United States Air Forces’ investigation into UFOs. From 1952 to the end of 1969, if you wanted a UFO sighting investigated, you could fill out a questionnaire with the US Air Force, and they would investigate it for you. The History Channel is about to start season 3 of a television series about it. Watch the trailer below.

People have long been fascinated with the idea of space travel, extraterrestrials, and the like. What better way to hook your students into reading than with Science Fiction?!?

Whether you are interested in teaching science fiction in the classroom or using science fiction to teach STEM and Innovation, science fiction is being used in classrooms around the world. There are many ways to use science fiction in the classroom. Whether you start with sci-fi books or films in the classroom, science fiction can inspire students, help them examine human interaction (with others, environment, technology, etc), and more. A variety of lesson plans are available online to get you started.

Science fiction books range in age and interest level, just like any other genre. Many lists of sci-fi books for kids exist. Here are a few worth checking out:

Science fiction can open up a whole new world for your students and your classroom! An interest in Sci-fi can spark an interest in STEM, teach students to look at society in different ways, and help them to be more creative! It may even pull in some of your reluctant readers. And it can also just be plain old fun. So pick up a science fiction book for yourself today and encourage your students to do the same!