Dune remains one of the most popular science fiction tales ever written. Find out why with a short video that argues for including Frank Herbert's tale of sandworms and Fremen, Mentats and witches, villains and heroes in the Great American Read.

Concepts

science fiction, ecology, the hero's journey, heroes, allegories, environmental stewardship

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Show the related video "Heroes and Hope in Frank Herbert's Dune"
• Ask class members to investigate prototype  environmental communities like Tom Duke's in New Mexico and Arcosanti in Arizona
• Have class members craft a persuasive essay that identifies a novel they feel should be included in the Great American Read series and presents their arguments for why their choice should be included

Classroom Considerations

• Although the voting for the Great American Read has closed, the video serves well to garner interest in the novel

Pros

• Speakers discuss the novel as a tale of a hero's journey, a political saga, a religious allegory, and an environmental warning

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.6.2 RL.6.3 RL.7.2 RL.7.3 RL.8.2 RL.8.3 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.5 RL.11-12.2