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This resource consists of a speech,
which could be read in an assembly,
or used as the basis for pupils to
develop their own assembly, considering
science fiction versus science fact.
Guidelines to help pupils produce
their assembly and some suggested
websites to stimulate further work
are also included.
Head teacher or head of year:
- Use images or video clips from
television or film, perhaps old
rocket ships in the original Flash
Gordon, or clips from old Star
Trek or Doctor Who episodes
etc., to introduce the assembly.
To locate images on the Internet
go to www.google.co.uk,
select 'Images' and search using
film titles. These could be printed
onto OHTs or presented through a
digital projector/interactive whiteboard.
- Alternatively, read a short extract
from a science fiction novel describing
a fictional technology.
- During the assembly ask pupils
to suggest what were predictions
of the future at the time, and which
of these have come true.
- Ask pupils to think about why
certain predictions have not come
true.
- Read selected sections from the
prepared Assembly text.
- Summarise by asking pupils what
factors they think determines whether
science fiction becomes reality,
drawing out the key factors in the
Assembly summary section. Ask them
which science fiction ideas they
would like to see becoming reality
and why, and emphasise the need
for everyone to have a basic scientific
understanding, in order to enter
into the debates regarding the impact
of science on society.
For pupils preparing an assembly:
- Provide Pupils guidelines
for organising the assembly and
a copy of the Assembly speech
to each group.
- Pupils could include some research
done at home, asking older members
of their families which scientific
developments have changed their
lives the most since they were children,
and the areas that seem to have
changed the least? Pupils can also
make their own predictions as to
what changes they expect to take
place in the next 20 years.
- Using information from the Assembly
speech and perhaps further research,
pupils can collect examples of science
fiction predictions that have/have
not become scientific reality. For
example, are we really running out
of oil? Science fiction in the 1930s
focused heavily on nuclear power
because it was predicted that we
would quickly run out of oil. Why
has this not happened?
- Genetic screening is used as
an example of a scientific debate
that may have a considerable effect
on society. Pupils could substitute
this with another issue, for example,
cloning, nuclear power or space
exploration.
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