t modern fantasy can be used to support and expand upon other areas of the curriculum such as science and even math. Finally, Yolen (2000) states that reading this genre is simply fun for young children and for young adults and this in and of itself is important because it concretely demonstrates to students the great enjoyment books provide.
As a result of participating in this unit, it is expected that students shall:
1. Develop an appreciation for the genre
2. Understand the value of this mode of literature in terms of promoting and supporting not only the use of language but also cognition, personality and social/emotional well being.
3. Identify the factors within readers and books that foster a responsiveness to this particular genre.
4. Learn the criteria associated with classifying a book/story within the genre and apply this to their selection of future literature.
5. Appreciate the contribution of the genre to English literature generally.
6. Enhance critical thinking skills.
Specific Unit Activities and Assessment Methods
Students will be required to read, study, and participate in classroom discussions of several short stories and novels in the fantasy genre as these methods are well established as powerful techniques for instruction in literature generally (Hadaway, Vardell & Young, 2001). In terms of teaching the art of literature and its appreciation, several short stories by Cordwainer Smith are included in the unit.
Almost all of Cordwainer Smith's stories take place approximately 16,000 years in the future of earth and are an elegant mixture of science fiction and fantasy flawlessly intermingled. Cordwainer Smith's universe of the Instrumentality is one of the most complex, beautiful and fascinating every created. Moreover, Smith (who spent most of h
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