Ray Bradbury Lesson Plans: Integrate Technology at RayBradbury.com

The following questions make a great addition to your lesson plans that integrate technology. They can be used as part of your Fahrenheit 451 teaching activities or as part of a short story unit with "The Pedestrian" or "There Will Come Soft Rains" or "A Sound of Thunder."

1. Record the following biographical information about Ray: birthdate, birthplace, his first job, how many children he has, and when he died. (August 22, 1920; Waukegan, Illinois; sold newspapers; four children; he's not dead (trick question))
2. What was his first collection of short series? His first novel? (Dark Carnival; The Martian Chronicles)
3. How many books has Bradbury published? List 8 of them. (49)
4. List five links outside of RayBradbury.com that discuss the works and life of Ray Bradbury. Write a sentence summary about each of the five links. (This link has all the links.)
5. List three awards Bradbury has earned. (The National Medal of Arts; The Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters; A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
6. List five of Ray's books with a 2-3 sentence summary.

Using technology to research questions is more motivating than listening to a teacher drone on and on. Using the internet for video and interactive applications makes Fahrenheit 451 teaching activities and Ray Bradbury teaching activities more effective.

1. Watch a Bradbury video. Summarize its content and react to it.
2. Post a message or a question on the Ray Bradbury message board. Print out the question and any responses.
3. Respond to a post. Print it out.
4. List three things Bradbury says about Fahrenheit 451. Censorship. Short Stories. Metaphors. Halloween (the video clips page is here)