Lesson 2: The Science and Fiction of Interstellar Travel

Teach: Genre Study: Dystopian Science Fiction

Display and introduce the anchor text, The Last Cuentista, by Donna Barba Higuera. Tell students that in this unit, they will soon begin reading a contemporary dystopian science fiction novel.

Explain the genres: dystopian and science fiction.

• Say: 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.

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

  • Yes, I have read some science fiction and dystopian stories, such as The Giver by Lois Lowry and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I enjoyed these stories because they show interesting ideas about the future and different kinds of worlds. I have also read The Hunger Games, and it is dystopian in that kids have to fight each other to survive.

• Say: 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.”

Transition students to exploring the two investigation questions for the unit.

Display and read aloud the unit 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

Instruct students to discuss the essential questions with a partner.

Say these 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?

• I think we will explore storytelling and how memories are a part of storytelling. I am interested in learning more about why memories might disappear and how we can erase people’s memories. What would that even look like to erase people’s memories?

• Say: 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.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: In the previous lesson, we explored how stories encompass wisdom, memory, and identity across time. Today, we explore that idea further by asking what humans would carry into the future if Earth could no longer support life.

Part A: Analyzing Informational Text About Interstellar Travel (RI.8.3) (15 minutes)

Think-Pair-Share

Have students remain in pairs. Tell students to take out their annotated NASA article, “10 Things: Going Interstellar.”

Display the following question, have students read and think about it, and then have them share their responses with their partners.

Say these 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?

  • (Student responses may vary.) I think the most important things to take with us would be language and stories. These matter most because they form who we are. If we only take tools and machines, people might stay alive but lose their history and identity.

Say these 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.

Display the annotation directions on the board.

• 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.

Provide time for students to reread and annotate. Circulate to ensure students are identifying key ideas and supporting details. Next, have partners discuss the following questions about the article.

Say these Directions: Discuss the following questions with your partner.

Display the following questions.

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

  • One major challenge is how long it takes to travel such large distances. Voyager 1 took 35 years just to reach interstellar space, and even then, it is still not close to another star.

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

  • The article explains that Voyager 1 traveled about 11 billion miles to reach interstellar space, and even after that, it will take tens of thousands of years to get close to another star.

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

  • Interstellar travel means entering space beyond our solar system. The article mentions that “In the year 40,272 CE (more than 38,200 years from now), Voyager 1 will come within 1.7 light-years of an obscure star now in the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Bear or Little Dipper) called Gliese 445.” Humans would need systems for food, energy, safety, and community over generations because the distance is so extreme that the trip lasts longer than one human lifetime. These are physical challenges they have to face, while psychological or social challenges include isolation, living in a closed group for a long time, and deciding how people will live together across generations.

Invite a few students to volunteer responses to the questions.

Tell students to take out the WIRED article, “These Sci-Fi Visions for Interstellar Travel Just Might Work.”

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

Display the following annotation criteria:

• Proposed solutions for interstellar travel

• What scientists can and cannot currently do

• Language that shows uncertainty or possibility

Provide time for partners to reread and annotate. Circulate to support comprehension, and prompt students to notice how the author describes both possibilities and limitations. Then transitions students back together for a whole-class discussion.

Say these Directions: Discuss the following questions with your partner.

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

  • Scientists imagine using new propulsion systems like solar sails, fusion, or antimatter. The article explains that these ideas could make travel faster, but also says “we don’t know how to do that... but nature says it’s possible,” which shows the technology is still being developed.

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

  • The article suggests that current technology is not advanced enough for interstellar travel. For example, scientists say they don’t yet know how to build the materials or systems needed, even though the ideas follow the laws of physics.

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

  • Scientists and writers imagine solving problems that do not yet have final answers by exploring what is possible with current knowledge while imagining future breakthroughs. For example, Les Johnson talks about using an imaginative material called “unobtainium” to make solar sails. “Then in 2004, graphene was found…. We’ve gone from a material that doesn’t exist to one that does exist in the last two decades.” He also discusses speculative propulsion like fusion and antimatter, saying, “We don’t know how to do that, but nature says it’s possible.” This shows that although some solutions are not available yet, both scientists and writers use creativity, imagination, and science to think beyond what has already been achieved.

Part B: Considering Life Outside of Earth (RI.8.3) (15 minutes)

Group Accountability Share

Divide students into four groups. Assign each group one of the following questions.

Say these 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.

Display the following questions.

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

  • Humans might need to leave Earth if the planet can no longer support life because of environmental collapse, lack of resources, or other disasters. If Earth becomes unsafe, survival may depend on finding another place to live. According to Johnson, we “should strive to use space resources,” which could help in such a situation.

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

  • This is a hard decision because scientists, leaders, and communities might all have different priorities. I think the decision should not belong to one powerful group only because culture, language, and identity belong to many people.

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

  • The WIRED article says that interstellar travel “would be a voyage of hundreds of years, in a ship where there would be generations that are born and die, before you ever reach the nearest star.” While travelers have a responsibility to keep people alive, they also need to preserve knowledge, stories, and values for people who are born during the journey.

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

  • If survival becomes the only priority, people could lose languages, family stories, traditions, art, and even a sense of identity. They might stay alive physically but forget where they came from.

Provide time for groups to discuss. Circulate to ensure students are using evidence from both texts and building on one another’s ideas. Then bring the class back together. Have each group share their responses to their assigned question. Then, pose the following question:

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

  • I do not think humans can choose only one side of the conflict. The WIRED article states that interstellar travel “would be a voyage of hundreds of years, in a ship where there would be generations that are born and die.” A generation ship would need food, energy, and protection, but it would also need stories, language, and shared memory so people still know who they are and what kind of future they want to build when they reach a new place.

Reflection

Check for Understanding

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Quick Write

Transition students to reflect on their learning from the lesson by completing a Quick Write response.

Say these 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?

  • (Student responses may vary.) In the WIRED article, the author says, “Nobody knows how to build these things, but we will! We’ll figure it out.” This shows that some solutions are still imaginary rather than in existence, which means travelers would need both scientific knowledge and cultural memory to adapt to the unknown. In the NASA article, we read that “Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 “haven’t truly left the solar system… It could take the probes 300 years to reach the inner edge of [Oort Cloud].” This shows that interstellar travel could last for decades or even generations. Based on this, I would bring oral histories and medical knowledge into the future with me. Oral histories matter because they preserve identity and help people remember who they are and why they left Earth. Medical knowledge matters because a long journey would create health problems, and humans would need expert ways to survive in an isolated environment.

Provide students with the article “Your Brain Forms Memories Differently Based on How Stories Are Told.” Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

As you read, annotate the text for the following:

• What does the scientific study reveal about how our brains remember stories?