I’m going to share with you a little secret. Sometimes I think my best instructional content comes in the eleventh hour. That was certainly the case with HG Wells The Star.
Let me tell you more.
A Summary of HG Wells The Star
First, if you haven’t read “The Star” by HG Wells, I highly recommend it. It’s a relatively short science fiction story. It details a potentially-apocalyptic astrological event in a creative way.
HG Wells’ The Star opens with the observation of a strange star-like body in the sky. What seems to be a new star in the celestial sky is at first exciting and celebrated. However, it quickly becomes serious as the star has a devastating pull on the planets in its path of destruction.
Soon, Earth is one of those planets. The gravitational pull of the new celestial body has devastating consequences on earth, ranging from a rise in temperature, earthquakes, and catastrophic floods.
When you are on the edge of your seat wondering, “Where is HG Wells The Star” going?” Earth narrowly escapes. The story concludes with a creative narrative viewpoint from Martians as the reader realizes how insignificant humans — and our supposed tragedies — really are in the grand scheme of the universe.
Teaching HG Wells The Star to my Students
I teach HG Wells The Star to my seniors in our British Literature elective. But I could see this story working in any secondary English (or Science!) classroom. As long as you have the proper scaffolding.
For my seniors, I assign HG Wells The Star first as an independent reading task. I also incorporate comprehension questions and open-ended questions as well. Since these are seniors, we dive right into more complex questions. For example, “how would you summarize the central theme of the text?” “Which piece of textual evidence best exemplifies the narrator’s sarcasm?” “How does the author use juxtaposition to develop his overall theme?”
Once students have finished reading the text, we progress into a small group discussion. We primarily target those open-ended questions I mentioned. Here are a few of them we typically cover:
- How does each “character” respond to the impending apocalyptic event?
- How does the “from Earth” narrative point of view compare and contrast with the Martian point of view at the end of the text?
- What role does religion play in our understanding of the universe? What about our role within the universe?
You could do so much with this text! I love that it’s relatively short but still morally complex. That sets the stage for rich discussion to follow.
The Creative Poster Project for HG Wells The Star
What I love most about teaching HG Wells the Star, though, is the creative poster project at the heart of the lesson.
It can be really tempting to assess students in a traditional format, whether that be through multiple choice questions or open-ended responses. While such assessment has its place, I try to find creative alternatives to assessing my students’ understanding.
Usher in the creative poster project with HG Wells The Star.
Basically, you can have students first exercise voice and choice by choosing one of the four project options that best suits their interests and strengths. It’s up to you how they complete this. Maybe you have them work independently. Perhaps it’s with a partner. Or, like me, maybe you’ll have students work in small groups (think three or four).
Poster 1: Assess the Scientific Validity of the story
I do find it pretty wild that HG Wells wrote a scientifically-sound astronomical short story before 1900. Notice I said “scientifically-sound” and not “irrefutable” or “perfect.”
That’s at the heart of this poster project.
Scientifically-minded students will love the opportunity to explore exactly what scientific details hold true in HG Wells The Star. And which don’t. Have them investigate centrifugal and centripetal force. Encourage them to consider the plausibility of a celestial body “grabbing hold” of planets as it hurtles through the solar system. Oh, and don’t forget about those Martians at the end: is it possible they existed?
Students will present their findings in a creative way via their poster.
Poster 2: Write an Alternate Ending for the story
For your creative writers in the room, this is the perfect project for them. Students will write their own, original alternate ending to the story. They have to be sure they’re paying attention. The new ending should seamlessly flow with what already exists. That means your students will have to pay careful attention to narrative voice, themes, and other intricate details.
I suggest a one-page minimum for their ending. And the poster should include not only the ending itself but insight into their thought process. If there’s time, encourage students to also offer illustrations or character portraits.
Poster 3: Curate the Perfect Playlist for the story
I’m sure you, like me, have students so invested in music it’s like another language to them. So play on those strengths by offering this project option!
Here, students will curate the perfect playlist to accompany the short story. Their playlist should include at least five songs spanning a variety of musical genres. Encourage them to follow the narrative arc of the story (think: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution), which not only suits their project but helps you assess their understanding.
And require students to defend their choices so you know they weren’t chosen haphazardly. I suggest at least two sentences per song choice. The poster can then artistically represent the playlist (maybe it’s designed to look like an actual Spotify playlist). Bonus points if they play the songs for the class!
Poster 4: Design a Movie Poster for the story
Imagine the short story was transformed into a feature-length blockbuster set to be released this summer. Or maybe it’s released as a melodrama right in time for awards season in January. What if Jordan Peele picked it up and delivered his next horror film.
Essentially, this is where your students can take their creative line of thinking as they design a movie poster for the story.
Students will include not only the title and director (maybe HG Wells himself) but also include actors’ names and a tagline. Encourage students to have fun with the genre, casting, and script.
The heart of the poster, though, should speak for itself visually. This is really the most artistic project option. You want your budding artists to really pull out the creative stops as they mess around with different genres and media. They’ll love the creative freedom you offer.
Concluding Thoughts
When I first designed this lesson plan, I didn’t quite know where it was going to go. I knew I wanted to include something by Wells. And the length of this story seemed right. But how could I give it that extra “oomph” that defines my educational content?
Truly, it was the day before I taught this lesson — the night before after my children had gone to bed, to be exact — that I came up with the poster idea. And I couldn’t be happier about this last-minute inspiration!
If you’ve stuck around this far into the post, stick with me a little longer and check out the exact project I reference on my Teachers Pay Teachers page. It’s ready-to-go, cheap, and perfect for your lesson on HG Wells The Star.
