Eventually, I’ll go into more detail, but here’s a list to start with:
- Because every kid in your English class deserves to have one book that they absolutely loved that year – and literary fiction won’t get you there alone.
- And in a related point, because good science fiction can be a great way to engage reluctant readers, without bringing in material that’s simply too easy and boring for the more eager readers. I’ve had especially good luck using SF with ESL/ELL students.
- Because SF can be a great starting point for discussions (and essays!) about all sorts of social issues — discrimination, belonging, ethics, class hierarchy, etc.
- For the science teachers out there, SF can be fodder for some great (and easy to grade) extra credit projects — it’s amazing how much kids can learn about science by diving through a SF novel and trying to tease out what’s real science, what might be real but isn’t yet, and what’s just entirely fiction.
- And in the end, because SF is about the future, which is where all of your kids are headed.
