In this activity, students practice their creative writing skills and learn about the concept of climate fiction (cli-fi) by writing a short cli-fi story.
Students select one of five prompts to spur their writing, and optional extension activities for each prompt are included in the teacher guide.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Writing fiction can help reduce the overwhelming feelings that sometimes can come with learning about climate change problems.
The prompts are fun and encourage creativity.
Additional Prerequisites
This can be used as a class activity or homework.
Differentiation
Teachers can expand on this by having students write a longer piece or create artwork to accompany their writing.
Students can read their stories aloud to the class or swap stories with a classmate to read.
Teachers can publish some of the pieces in the school's newspaper, on the school's website, in the yearbook, or on climate change platforms online.
Your students can read and analyze the first chapter of Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry for the Future, which is a cli-fi book about a deadly heatwave in India in the future.
Scientist Notes
Students can learn skills on climate storytelling to be able to lead climate conversations in their environment. The resource is recommended.
Standards
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Writing (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
