Jurassic Park

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Jurassic Park is more than just a novel about living dinosaurs; it is also an exploration of The Dangers of Unchecked and Profit-Driven Scientific Advancement. Which scientific fields of inquiry are considered controversial in the modern age and why? What potentially hazardous or morally questionable consequences are sometimes debated in conjunction with the exploration of technologies?

Teaching Suggestion: Many students will be familiar with the story of Jurassic Park, especially through its film adaptation and several sequels; it may be beneficial to encourage students to speculate on the deeper intentions of the author. It might also help to remind students to focus their thoughts not on what they remember from the movie, but from what they know about real-world conversations surrounding the controversy of certain sciences such as genetics, artificial intelligence, and climate change.

• “Genetic Engineering of Animals: Ethical Issues, Including Welfare Concerns” – This scholarly article explores potential ethical dilemmas related to cultural values, the welfare of engineered animals, and the increasing use of these technologies.
• “Climate Change Controversies: A Simple Guide” – This overview offers a current understanding of climate change, common debates and misconceptions, and why these misconceptions are incorrect.

Short Activity

Using software or poster paper, create an infographic that outlines a chosen controversial scientific field of inquiry or technology and its potential impacts, surrounding debates, and possible benefits. Refer to and cite scholarly sources in the creation of your infographic.

Teaching Suggestion: The purpose of this activity is to allow students to examine the possible positive and negative consequences of certain sciences and how debates surrounding these issues are formed. Students might share their infographics with the class or display them throughout the unit.

• “How to Make an Infographic” – This guide can be used by both the teacher and students if they are unsure how to approach the creation of an infographic or what should be included.
• “Imagining the Thinking Machine: Technological Myths and the Rise of Artificial Intelligence” – This scholarly article is an example of how debates around controversial sciences are explored and myths are debunked.

Differentiation Suggestion: Developing readers might benefit from the chance to pair up with a partner or work in a small group to combine resources, share the load of reading and summarizing scholarly articles, and write out the infographic.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

If you could make any technology a reality, what would it be and why? What would be the benefits and possible downfalls of this technology?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt provides a way for students to access their creative thinking and bridge this creativity with science. In this way, students can come to see how science fiction novels are born and how creativity and scientific inquiry in the real world often go hand-in-hand.

• Art of “Howl’s Moving Castle” – This article explores the Hayao Miyazaki film, “Howl’s Moving Castle,” and provides a unique example of a potential technology and its consequences.

Differentiation Suggestion: Visual learners might be allowed to illustrate their technology and then verbally explain their reasoning for choosing it, as well as the benefits and downsides of the technology.