Speculative Fiction Begins

Overview

Lesson 1 of 30 in Exploring Speculative Perspectives. Students define speculative fiction, distinguish it from realistic fiction, and identify how authors use imagined changes to explore human choices, issues and perspectives.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• define speculative fiction in their own words
• identify common features and subgenres of speculative fiction
• distinguish between realistic and speculative scenarios
• explain how an imagined change can represent a real-world concern
• contribute to collaborative discussion using evidence from examples

Success criteria

• I can explain what speculative fiction is.
• I can identify at least three features of speculative fiction.
• I can classify examples as realistic or speculative and justify my decision.
• I can explain what a speculative scenario might help readers think about.

Curriculum links

• Exploring how texts represent experiences, ideas, perspectives and issues.
• Analysing how imaginative texts use language features, structures and literary devices to create meaning.
• Comparing texts and explaining similarities, differences and connections.
• Creating and contributing to spoken discussions, building on others’ ideas and using appropriate language for purpose and audience.

Lesson structure (70 minutes)

1. 0–8 minutes – Hook: Imagine the change

Open with the speculative-fiction hook slides. Display three prompts: “What if nobody could lie?”, “What if animals could vote?” and “What if the ocean covered most cities?” Students silently choose one and write a two-sentence response on the speculative fiction discovery worksheet. Invite several students to share; accept different interpretations and emphasise that each prompt changes an aspect of the familiar world.

2. 8–18 minutes – Build a definition

Ask students what the examples have in common. Introduce the working definition: speculative fiction imagines a world that differs from our own in a significant way, then explores what might happen and what this reveals about people, society or the future. Use the definition and visual examples in the speculative-fiction hook slides. Students suggest important words, such as “imagined”, “possibility”, “change”, “consequences” and “perspective”.

3. 18–30 minutes – Identify key features

Teach the following features: an altered reality or imagined possibility; recognisable characters, conflicts or emotions; cause-and-effect consequences; questions about values, power, technology, society or the environment; and a connection to concerns in the real world. Briefly introduce accessible subgenres: science fiction, dystopian fiction, fantasy, utopian fiction and alternate history. Students record definitions and one example for each on the speculative fiction discovery worksheet.

4. 30–43 minutes – Example sort and justify

Place students in five pairs. Display the scenario set in the speculative-fiction hook slides and read each example aloud. Examples may include a realistic school disagreement, a city where memories can be traded, a dragon living in a local park, a future where algorithms assign jobs, and a historical event with a different outcome. Pairs classify each as realistic or speculative and write a reason. They must identify the imagined change rather than simply label the genre.

5. 43–55 minutes – Discussion: Why imagine this?

Each pair selects one speculative example and answers: “What real-world issue or human question could this story explore?” and “Whose perspective might be important?” Model one response, such as: “A future where algorithms assign jobs could explore fairness, choice and the power of technology.” Pairs share responses while listeners record one idea they had not considered on the speculative fiction discovery worksheet.

6. 55–64 minutes – Apply the concept

Students create their own speculative premise using the formula: “In a world where _____, people must _____.” They add one likely consequence and one question the story could explore. Encourage premises connected to school, friendship, technology, identity, fairness or the environment. Students exchange premises with a partner, who checks whether the imagined change and consequence are clear.

7. 64–70 minutes – Plenary and exit response

Return to the speculative-fiction hook slides for the final recap. Students complete the exit section of the speculative fiction discovery worksheet: define speculative fiction, list two features, and explain one real-world issue a speculative story might explore. Collect responses to inform the next lesson.

Resources

• the speculative-fiction hook slides
• the speculative fiction discovery worksheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pens or pencils
• Timer
• Optional copies of age-appropriate speculative fiction covers or extracts for teacher display

Assessment

• Listen to pair explanations during the classification task, checking whether students can identify the altered reality and justify their decisions.
• Review students’ original premises for a clear imagined change, plausible consequence and meaningful question or issue.
• Use the exit response to assess understanding of the definition and key features, and to identify students needing further support.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank on the worksheet with terms such as “imagined world”, “consequence”, “perspective”, “technology”, “power” and “environment”.
• Allow students to explain ideas orally before writing; pair students strategically and provide sentence starters: “This is speculative because…” and “It could explore…”.
• For EAL learners and students requiring support, use the visual examples, read scenarios aloud, and offer a partially completed model.
• Extend confident students by asking them to identify the likely perspective, values or assumptions represented in a scenario and to explain how changing one detail would alter its meaning.