Science Fiction Book Clubs

Below are rough examples of the paragraphs to be written in the 14 sections of your sci-fi novel.

#1 Summary Paragraph

Questions:
What happens?  Who, what, when, where, how and why?
What events take place?
What important decisions do characters make?
How do events create a cause-and-effect chain?  This event causes this to happen, and therefore this person now has to do this…

Grading Guide:
- Demonstrates knowledge of the events of the story
- Names specific important characters, places, and story ideas
- Captures the overall plot without going into too much detail
- Does not leave gaps that create confusion for the reader.  In other words, an average person could understand.
- Uses correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar.

Example:
Flowers for Algernon pages 220 - 223
A cognitively impaired 38-year-old man named Charlie Gordon keeps a journal about the events happening to him.  He enrolled in an adult learning course to improve his reading with a teacher named Ms. Kinnian.  She recommended him to participate in a study  where he takes Rorschach tests in order to qualify for an experimental surgery that could increase his intelligence.  He also competes with a mouse named Algernon to solve maze puzzles.


#2 Science Fiction Elements Paragraph

Questions:
What specific elements of science fiction are introduced or at play in this narrative?
How are the science fiction elements first introduced to the reader? (early chapters)
How do the science fiction elements affect the main character or characters?
How do the science fiction elements affect the world or society?
How do the science fiction elements affect the plot events?

Grading Guide:
- Names the science fiction elements as concepts
- Explores how the science fictions elements play out in the world
- Does not leave gaps that create confusion for the reader.  In other words, an average person could understand.
- Uses correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar.

Example:
Flowers for Algernon, pages 220 – 223
The short story examines the idea of what would happen if a surgery could be performed that would increase a human being’s intelligence.  This affects how Charlie sees himself.  In the beginning, Charlie sees himself as “dumb” and in the text of his journal his writing is full of many errors.  His relationship with Algernon, the mouse, is one of rivalry, as the mouse appears “smarter” to him.  He also misunderstands the concepts of the experiments he is undergoing, calling the maze tests “amazes” and missing the concepts about abstract thinking connected to the ink blot tests. In other words, Charlie feels confused often and has low self-esteem.