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Welcome to this unit on The Apocalypse!

A speculative image showing a large city burning.
There are countless stories and movies about the apocalypse, aka doomsday, or the end of the world. Extreme weather wiping out most of the population, robots taking over, the fall of civilization: these stories may seem far-fetched, but they can serve as a reminder of what we take for granted.
They can also warn us of what could happen if we don’t change our behavior. They may put a voice to our fears for the future, or speculate about the potential impacts of forces like artificial intelligence. They give us a lot to think about in our everyday lives—and maybe by writing about the apocalypse, we can even help prevent it from happening ...
In this unit, you will:
  • Read extracts from apocalyptic fiction
  • Learn about representations of the apocalypse in film and literature
  • Think about common themes and characteristics of these stories
By:
  • Watching videos that explain different approaches and strategies for reading
  • Reading and answering questions about literary and informational texts
  • Learning new academic words
In order to answer the essential question: Why do we imagine doomsday scenarios?

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