All Summer in a Day Ray Bradbury Speculative Fiction and Science Fiction

PowerPoint containing notes, points of discussion, comprehension activities and creative writing activities.

1. All Summer in a Day By Ray Bradbury Speculative Fiction and Science Fiction

2. What if it never stopped raining? . . . for seven years? What if it had been raining . . . All Summer in a Day Introducing the Story

3. How would you describe the sun to people who had never seen it? What if they didn’t believe you? a penny? a fire? a lemon? All Summer in a Day Introducing the Story

4. Ray Bradbury attempts to do this in his Short Science Fiction Story “All Summer in a Day”. He speculates what life would be like on another planet. All Summer in a Day Introducing the Story

5. Due to the sudden increased interest in outer space, people started to question what life would be like on other planets. Therefore writers, like Bradbury wrote about what they imagined life would be like on other planets like V enus or Mars.

6. All Summer in A Day – Audio Book Listen and follow along to the Audio Book “All Summer in A Day”. https :// www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaLzm3B1ewY After listening to this Audio book, brainstorm all the elements that allow this short story to be classed as a Science Fiction text or a Speculative Fiction Text.

7. What we know about Venus today!

8. So why is Bradbury’s speculation so far removed from what is actually possible ?

9. Early Images of Venus This is an antique engraving of the Zodiacal Light. Printed in Paris (France) in 1891, and published by Librairie de Firmin-Didot et Cie , Paris From: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/233967974/1891-antique-print-of-venus-planet?ref=market last viewed 07.10.2015

10. Frist Coloured Photograph of Venus Mariner 10 launched on November 3, 1973 on a mission to research the atmosphere and solar winds on Earth’s neighbour . After some trajectory issues, Mariner 10 passed within 3,584 miles of Venus, and used ultraviolet filters to capture the complexity of Venus’s clouds . From: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122308/first-photos-taken-every-planet-our-solar-system last viewed 07.10.2015

11. Bradbury’s Speculations If all you knew about a world or planet, was that it was covered in thick swirling clouds that resembled storm clouds on Earth, what would you assume the surface of the planet would be like? Make a list in your English Workbook.

12. Bradbury’s Speculations – Early Observation of Venus Pre- 1959 Venus is sometimes regarded as Earth's sister planet. In some ways they are very similar: Venus is only slightly smaller than Earth (95% of Earth's diameter, 80% of Earth's mass). Both have few craters indicating relatively young surfaces. Their densities and chemical compositions are similar .

13. Bradbury’s Speculations – Early Observation of Venus Pre- 1959 Because of these similarities, it was once thought that below its dense clouds Venus might be very Earth like and might even have life. The clouds surrounding Venus are its defining characteristic. We can see the surface of Mars and Mercury, but the surface of Venus is shrouded by thick clouds. For most of history, astronomers had no idea what was beneath those swirling storm like clouds , and they imagined a tropical world with overgrown vegetation and constant rainfall.  Bradbury built his Speculative World around this information available during the 1950’s. So is his speculation about life on Venus possible based on what he knew?

14. Vocabulary Activity Look up the meaning of the following vocabulary words: Frail Vital Consequence Surged Tumultuously Resilient Savoured

15. Comprehension Questions Write the heading All Summer in a Day Write out the questions neatly in your workbook. Write all your answers in full sentences . Where and when does the story take place? What event is to occur that day? Why are the children excited about this event? Give reasons why the other children do not like Margot. How do the children bully Margot? What do the children do outside? Why does the girl cry at the sight of the raindrop? How does the reader know that the children will miss the sunshine? How does the reader know that the children feel guilty for what they did to Margot? What do you think is the message or theme of this story ?

16. The Importance of Description/ Word Choice in a Short Story Good writers don’t say that it is raining, they create the feeling of being rained upon for the reader …

17. BORING!!! It was raining …. Julia stood in the rain… This fails to really capture the readers imaginations. Therefore it is important to write around the concept / word rain ”…

18. Close you ideas and listen to the sound of the rain. Consider the many different layers of sounds. Imagine what it would be like. Now write 2-3 sentences describing the rain and how it feels without using the words: Rain Raining All Summer in a Day Introducing the Story

19. Bradbury’s Description of the rain… “ A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and mouths. The sun faded behind a stir of mist…” “A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon each other and ran. Lightening struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile, a half mile. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash.” We know it is raining without Bradbury using the word rain in these paragraphs. In your English workbook explain why you know that it is raining at this point in the story.

20. The Power of Words Margot is described as frail, list everything you learn about her from this one word choice. “ She was a very frail girl…” The word frail is often used to describe lack of strength due to illness or age.

21. The Power of Words Vital is a word used to describe something that is absolutely necessary. Which one of these is vital to survival?

22. The Power of Words Bradbury narrates that “ There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to earth next year; it seemed vital to her that they do so…” What does this one word “Vital” therefore suggest about Margot and her family’s decision.

23. The Power of Similes and Metaphors Bradbury uses many similes and metaphors to enhance the power of his descriptions.

24. Complete the simile and metaphor table. Example Simile or Metaphor Meaning/ What is Bradbury trying to convey? She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost. It’s like a fire It was as if, in the midst of a film… …feeling the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron… ..and heard the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches… They stood as if someone had driven the , like so many stakes, into the floor…

25. It is now your turn to speculate… Imagine you are the first Human to land on the planet Venus. Based on our current knowledge of Venus, write a first person paragraph describing your surroundings and observations. Remember to paint a clear picture with words for the people back on Earth. Consider: The colour of the landscape The temperature What you see The Weather What you can hear Getting Started: Use the handout facts about Venus to inform your creative or speculative response. Read and highlight key information you may be able to use Brainstorm: The colour of the landscape The temperature What you see The Weather What you can hear

26. Venus Factsheet Venus is the second planet from the  Sun  and is the second brightest object in the night sky after the  Moon . Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Venus is the second largest  terrestrial planet  and is sometimes referred to as the Earth’s sister planet due the their similar size and mass. The surface of the planet is obscured by an opaque layer of clouds made up of sulfuric acid. Planet Profile Mass:  4,867,320,000,000,000 billion kg (0.815 x Earth) Equatorial Diameter:  12,104 km Polar Diameter:  12,104 km Equatorial Circumference:  38,025 km Known Moons:  none Notable Moons:  none Orbit Distance:  108,209,475 km (0.73 AU) Orbit Period:  224.70 Earth days Surface Temperature:  462 °C First Record:  17 th  century BC Recorded By:  Babylonian astronomers

27. Size Of Venus Compared To The Earth

28. Facts About Venus A day on Venus lasts longer than a year: It takes 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis. The planet’s orbit around the Sun takes 225 Earth days, compared to the Earth’s 365. Venus is often called the Earth’s sister planet: The  Earth  and Venus are very similar in size with only a 638 km difference in diameter, Venus having 81.5% of the Earth’s mass. Both also have a central core, a molten mantle and a crust . Venus rotates counter-clockwise: Also known as retrograde rotation. A possible reason might be a collision in the past with an asteroid or other object that caused the planet to alter its rotational path. It also differs from most other planets in our solar system by having no natural satellites. Venus is the second brightest object in the night sky: Only the Moon is brighter. With a magnitude of between -3.8 to -4.6 Venus is so bright it can be seen during daytime on a clear day. Atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times greater than the Earth’s: While its size and mass are similar to Earth, the small asteroids are crushed when entering its atmosphere, meaning no small craters lie on the surface of the planet. The pressure felt by a human on the surface would be equivalent to that experienced deep beneath the sea on Earth. Venus is also known as the Morning Star and the Evening Star: Early civilisations thought Venus was two different bodies, called Phosphorus and Hesperus by the Greeks, and Lucifer and Vesper by the Romans. This is because when its orbit around the Sun overtakes Earth’s orbit, it changes from being visible after sunset to being visible before sunrise. Mayan astronomers made detailed observations of Venus as early as 650 AD. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system: The average surface temperature is 462 °C, and because Venus does not tilt on its axis, there is no seasonal variation. The dense atmosphere of around 96.5 percent carbon dioxide traps heat and causes a greenhouse effect . http://space-facts.com/venus/ Last viewed 09.10.2015