1. Literary Circles
Journal Questions

2. Journal 1: Introduction to The Time Machine
Read the excerpt from Orson Scott Card, and annotate it.
Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper:
What does it mean to “long for greatness,” and why does Card argue that the longing is stronger for adolescents?
Card argues that “science fiction, then, presents the future – not by predicting it, but by preparing us to have the mental, emotional, and social skills to cope with change, with strangeness.” Think about a dystopian society that you have read about, or seen in a movie. Did that society prepare you for change? How/why, or why not?

3. Journal 2: Harrison Bergeron
Read and annotate “Harrison Bergeron,” then answer the following questions in a journal.
By what rules does this society operate?
How is this society a dystopia? In other words, what was done to try to create a utopia, and how did this ultimately fail? Where did the dream society become a nightmare?
What happened at the end of the short story? Why didn’t George and Hazel feel sad or remember what happened?
TLAD Practice

4. Journal 3: Utopia vs. Dystopia
Answer the following on a separate sheet of paper:
Side one:
Describe a “Utopian Society” in your own words. Draw a picture of what this looks like.
What “Sacrifices” would our society have to make in order to reach this “utopian” state?
Side two:
Now describe a “Dystopian Society” in your own words. Draw another picture of what this might look like.

5. Journal 4: Wall-E
After watching the clip from Wall-E, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper:
How is the society shown in Wall-E a dystopian society?
How does the clip connect to the society in your literature circle novel?
How does the clip connect to our world today? To our future?
Write a theme statement that represents the lesson presented in the clip

6. Journal 5: The Dark Side
Read/Re-read the article thoroughly, and answer the following on a separate sheet of paper.
Summarize each of the five author’s main point or stance on the issue (about one sentence each).
Do you agree that young people nowadays seem to be attracted to dark themes in literature? Why or why not?
What is your stance/opinion on the matter? What is behind this dystopian trend, and why is there so much demand for it?

7. Journal 6: Divergent Interview
Read the article and answer the following on a separate sheet of paper:
Why do you think dystopian novels are popular with today’s society, and teens in particular?
How can a fictional dystopian society be used as a mirror to evaluate our own society?
How can the society in your literature circle book help you to see our world in a new light?