Lesson 2: The Science and Fiction of Interstellar Travel

A dystopian story shows an imagined world where life is harsh, unfair, and often controlled by strict rules or powerful leaders. Science fiction is a genre that explores the impact of real or imagined science and technology on individuals and society. Science fiction texts are often set in the future and may be called speculative fiction.

• Have you read any science fiction or dystopian stories? If so, which ones and what were they about?

The novel The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera is a dystopian science fiction story about a girl named Petra. The word cuentista means “storyteller.”

Essential Questions:

• Investigation 1 EQ: How does memory help us understand who we are, and what is lost when memory disappears?

• Investigation 2 EQ: How do stories help communities survive change and imagine a future worth building?

Turn-and-Talk

Directions: Turn and talk with a partner. What makes these questions interesting to you, and what do you think you will explore in this unit?

For your final performance task, you will write a narrative that looks forward, showing how memory and identity help people find their way. Your story may be true, fictional, or blended, but it must show how remembering the past shapes what comes next. Your story can be science fiction, but it does not have to be; you will have several pathways to choose from when it comes to writing your final narrative.

Part A: Analyzing Informational Text About Interstellar Travel

Think-Pair-Share

Directions: Read the question and think quietly about what you would want to take and why. Then share your idea with your partner. Provide a reason for your choice.

• If humans had to leave Earth permanently, what would matter most to take with us, and why?

Directions: Next, we will reread the article to help us think about whether leaving Earth is possible. Reread key sections of the article with your partner. As you read, annotate for key ideas about the challenges of interstellar travel, including the length of time and human limits.

Annotation Directions

• Highlight major challenges like distance, time, or energy.

• Underline human limits such as aging or survival.

• Circle words or phrases that show time and distance, like years, miles, and astronomical units.

Directions: Discuss the following questions with your partner.

• According to the NASA article, what is one major challenge of interstellar travel?

• What detail from the article shows how far humans would have to travel?

• What makes interstellar travel different from other types of space exploration humans have done? Which challenges are physical? Which are psychological or social?

Directions: With your partner, reread the article “These Sci-Fi Visions for Interstellar Travel Just Might Work.” As you reread, annotate the following:

• Proposed solutions for interstellar travel

• What scientists can and cannot currently do

• Language that shows uncertainty or possibility

Directions: Discuss the following questions with your partner.

• According to the WIRED article, how do scientists imagine solving the problem of long-distance space travel?

• What does the article suggest about the limits of current technology?

• In the WIRED article, how do scientists and writers imagine solving problems that do not yet have final answers?

Part B: Considering Life Outside of Earth

Group Accountability Share

Directions: With your group, discuss the question assigned to you. Use evidence from both the NASA and WIRED articles to support your ideas. Be prepared to share your group’s thinking with the class.

• Group 1: Why might humans need to leave Earth?

• Group 2: Who should get to decide what is preserved or taken?

• Group 3: What responsibilities do interstellar travelers have toward future generations?

• Group 4: What could be lost if survival becomes the only priority?

Based on your discussion, how would you respond to the conflict between practical needs and preserving history, tradition, or cultural memory?

Quick Write

Directions: Read the prompt below and write a brief response (two to three sentences) in your journal. Use at least one detail from each article. Focus on your ideas rather than grammar or mechanics.

• Earth can no longer support human life. A generation ship will carry a small group into the future. What three stories, traditions, or forms of knowledge should be brought, and what is one scientific limitation that shapes your choice?