Teaching the Connection between Science & Literature

Science seeks to provide humans with the definition of man; literature seeks to provide man with the definition of the human experience. As a result, these two subjects have more in common than people give credit. 

(Not convinced? Look up: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Neil Gaiman, Michael Crichton, even Poe’s Tell Tale Heart) 

I’m currently teaching to my students a unit on Science fiction and persuasive essay writing 

around controversial non-fiction science topics. Their topics have ranged from genetically modified plants, genetic tendencies and homosexuality, nuclear energy, along with society’s correlation with racism in convicting U.S. defendants. All my students picked their own science topics, and all of them ending up really loving what they were writing. 

I think there are couple reasons for this: 1) We are fascinated with our bodies – what makes them tick, how do they interact with the environment, etc., 2) The topics my students chose, directly affected them. One student wrote about air pollution because she asthma. Another advocated for adoption over abortion because her family got her from China. 

My point being, literature engages our senses often because we feel we can 1) relate with a 

character, 2) relate to a conflict or setting, or 3) learn something from the themes the story told. When reading about science, I try to do the same thing. 

I started learning about Marine Biology because I grew up in Florida and love to swim. Taking care of own saltwater fish tank was exciting because I was in awe of the mystery of the ocean and the strange creatures therein. This was only heightened when my school gave me the opportunity to swim with manatees, clean up estuaries, and play with crabs on the beach as a part of my “education.” 

Likewise, I started forming a real interest in Biology (mainly diseases and genes) around the time I found out my nephew was diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome. Before he joined our family, I didn’t know anything it, let along physical, speech, or occupational therapy. 

Plus after starting to my watch my dad’s medical condition progress, Anatomy and Physiology seemed like a natural choice to study my senior year. 

So with this much APPRECIATION for Science, how did I end up an English teacher? Well I think a lot of students are held up by “terms.” Conversing in the field of language arts requires some important vocabulary, but not nearly as broad in scope as science disciplines. Secondly, like I’ve expressed before, literature and science aren’t that far removed… and if my math/science geeks walk out of my classroom at the end of this year believing and seeing how they relate, I will count my point made.