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It is really too bad that education has become goal oriented to having the district make good proficiency scores rather than educating the students.

Our district has put more and more burden on the teachers involving mandated tests (thank the feds) and mandated tests for the teachers.  I know of one substitute that even though she is a member of Mensa and has taught for several years was not allowed to teach until she passed a state test which has to be done every few years. All this really accomplishes is to make teachers leave for a better work environment or decide not to teach in the first place.

Science Fiction was for far too many years "that awful trash that will destroy your mind"..an actual quote by the way and it was looked on for a long time by mainstream literati as not worthy of study. As the people grew up and went into teaching literature, the same people who were readers of it,it began working into the mainstream of literature where I think it may have finally taken its rightful place.

I would rather be teaching about Isaac Asimov and Heinlein's works than Shakespeare. They certainly have more relevance to the world of today. Not that the social implications of William's works aren't as applicable today as they were then.

Sci-fi and Fantasy are crucial to the classroom and can be taken in so many different directions.  I teach middle school gifted and I see where it could be a curriculum issue in the regular classroom, BUT if you use it to teach across the curriculum it can be amazing!  While subbing for a 9 weeks, I used the basis of Harry Potter to delve into language origins (the spells are Latin derivatives), geography (Hogwarts is supposedly in Scotland), architecture (castle-building), and several more venues. Unfortunately time restraints kept us from actually covering novels of that magnitude in class, but it set the class up to study Macbeth in the next part of the semester.  Last year I taught the 1st Sisters Grimm book as well in conjunction with a unit on Fairy Tales and excerpts from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardobe as part of a Leadership and Group Dynamics study--both were amazing!  Please look at everything you can do with this genre!!

As a high school English teacher, I have incorporated Science Fiction into my curriculum. In block scheduling, it is easier to bring in "non-traditional" texts. I teach Fahrenheit 451 in 10th grade American Literature, Brave New World in 11th grade British Literature, and Childhood's End in English 9. I also try and use several short stories by Ray Bradbury and offer students Science fiction novels as independant reading options. When I teach my Comparative Mythology class (an elective open to 10, 11, & 12) I use the Matrix, Harry Potter and Lady in the Water to teach the Hero Circle and to compare the Tragic Hero and the Epic Hero to Joseph Campbell's Definition.

I think the best place to use Sci-Fi literature is in the area of comparitive literature. Shakespeare and Isaac Asimov have much in common. And, Brave New World uses a number of quotes from Shakespeare.

The main thing is that young people need to read. The Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer are useful to compare with Bram Stoker's Dracula.

To develop critical thinking skills, it is important for students to compare and contrast different literary works.

Harry Potter or Neo (from the Matrix) is a hero in the classic sense and could easily be compared to Hercules or Odesseus.

I teach a unit within my Advanced Placement Literature Class that focuses on dystopian literature that is truly enjoyable.  In this unit I love to incorporate some of my favorite SciFi.

Brave New World

1984

Never Let Me Go

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

I also teach a selection of short SciFi fiction by Kurt Vonnegut

Apart from this specific unit I teach a unit on the hero's journey and Campbell's Monomyth that focuses on Star Wars and The Matrix.

When I taught 10th Grade, we reviewed science fiction as a genre study.  The lesson I designed for this unit can be found at this link: http://www.asu.edu/gpawp/diaryfrancis.html.

Students would also learn the four motifs of science fiction - space, time, the destruction and recreation of society, technology - and its common themes: Man's destiny lies in space.  Our actions today influence time.  Technology will either save society or bring about its downfall.

I also showed students how many science fiction stories are based on historical events or sociological issues.  I used the comic book and films about The X-Men to show how society's prejudice toward people who were genetically different is a parable to racism and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.  We then would construct a story together based on the Revolutionary War in which a lunar or Martian colony secedes from the Earth-based nation that governed the colony.  Students would then have to write an original science fiction story that incorporate one of the motifs or common themes of science fiction.

This unit usually lasted one acdemic quarter.

In reply to #1:  I've been teaching a course in science fiction at the high school since the mid 80s.  I almost always have a split room with two or three big fans, a group of kids who are vaguely interested, and then a group that the counseling department tossed in because they hate reading, hate literature and have had no success in English classes. 

It's that last group that interests me most and shows why teaching science fiction is so valuable.  The material is of such high interest that by the end of the class I almost always have a new group of fans, and some of the kids who never read before are reading a lot. 

I teach H.G. Wells' The Time Machine as our class novel and a whole slew of short stories and films.  For The Time Machine, I created a web site for teachers at http://www.sff.net/people/james.van.pelt/wells/teachwells.htm

Another great resource for teachers of science fiction is at http://www.aboutsf.com/

When I'm not teaching SF, I'm writing it, which helps, I think, for me to connect to kids.  When we write SF stories in class, I can talk to them quite a bit about the process and give them some help in coming up with ideas and developing them.

I agree that Sci-fi should be taught in the classroom , it is such a valid genre not to mention it really is some of the best social critiques we have from certain time periods, but I also wonder about speculative fiction. It is similar to the Sci-fi genre, but instead of being heavy with physics and actual "science-ness" it focuses on being "extra-human." It focuses on humanity, and all the "-isms" (sexism, racism, heternormatism). I find that within some districts where I work, the book selection seems to be geared more towards books boys like, to improve their reading. I have scene several science fiction novels used this way. I applaud the schools for incorporating them, however what about the girls?  I would argue that sci-fi (as well as speculative fiction) should be used in the classroom, however I believe that one reason it is not in school is due to the fact it can alienate (no pun intended) groups of students within the classroom when dealing with the content.

In reply to #18:  You're right that a science fiction title might alienate some groups of students, but I've found that true of any other book too.  Some boys hate Romeo and Juliet because it is a love story.  Some girls hate Of Mice and Men because the women in the story are portrayed so poorly.  Every novel is a gamble, and none of them will please everyone.

I don't see any difference between speculative fiction and science fiction.  Some SF tends more to the science side, like Kim Stanley Robinson's RED MARS, while some is more character oriented, like just about anything by Ray Bradbury, but they're just part of a continuum.  That is why I like teaching short stories as much or more than novels.  A short story is like the old top 40 A.M. radio stations.  You might not like the song, but it won't last more than three minutes.

Science fiction definitely has its place in the classroom.  I have taught many sci-fi short stories including titles by Ray Bradbury, and Kurt Vonnegut.  I also use many science fiction titles with my gifted students to help them answer questions about themselves.  "Flowers for Algernon" sparks great discussions about IQ and Ender's Game helps many of my socially awkward gifted and talented process their differences.  I have also used Fahrenheit 451 and  Brave New World in order to discuss various social issues.  All of these works also have wonderful literary devices that can be brought in for discussion and review.  Science fiction is a great way to mix up your curriculum and keep students interested.  Many of my reluctant readers find it to a be a genre they can truly sink their teeth into.