Spec-Fic

**Driving Question(s):**
How do we, as writers, write fiction that adequately addresses real-life issues and problems? The following are some examples of how other creators have answered this question. What real-life problems do these videos address? Are these videos effective in doing so? How will you answer this question? How will you contribute? media type="youtube" key="u57JDVJVDWU?fs=1" height="349" width="425" align="right" media type="youtube" key="0qEbkQKq1TM" height="349" width="425" align="right" media type="youtube" key="v3yJomUhs0g" height="349" width="425" align="right"

Overview:
Writers, artists, movie and film makers, political cartoonists, television writers - all of them use fiction to address real life issues and real life problems. The purpose of art, at least according to Hamlet, is to hold a mirror up to nature and reflect what is there. Often, it appears that this is also the purpose of literature.

I am looking to create a speculative fiction compilation that I can use to not only help future students think about and talk about current issues in a different way, but that can also educate, entertain, and provoke thought and discussion in our community. You and your group members will work together to create, contribute to, and help edit and publish this book.

**Steps**

 * 1) Study speculative fiction in groups
 * 2) Choose a work of speculative fiction to read as a group
 * 3) Create a literature circle to read and study the book
 * 4) Read, discuss, learn from, reflect on, and apply knowledge gained from the book to your own writing.
 * 5) Decide, as a group, how you will show that you have read, discussed, reflected upon and applied the knowledge gained and present to class by May 16, 2011.
 * 6) Decide upon a topic or cohesive unit theme
 * 7) Brainstorm: What are some pressing cultural/societal issues that you feel like taking on?
 * 8) Brainstorm: What would be the best ways to address these issues?
 * 9) Create project deadlines. How will you hold each other accountable for meeting these deadlines?
 * 10) Work together to read, edit, and revise each other's work. Your community of writers should help make this work the best that it will be. How will you all discuss work? How will you all share or edit work? What standards will you have for your contribution?
 * 11) Individually create literature to address issue
 * 12) What genre will you use?
 * 13) What is your role? Who is your audience?
 * 14) Compile, edit, and organize for publication by May 26, 2011.

Assessment:

 * Group Assessment Rubric: book study, literature circles, and publication
 * Individual Assessment Rubric: individual contribution to group project

Documents:
[|Current Events Issues.docx] - Check out a list of hot topics! [|Creative Know.docx] - What do we know? What do we wanna know?