Highland Park High School English Department
Text Rationale for
_________Time Machine_______by_____H.G. Wells___________ (_1895_)
Title of Work
Author
Copyright date
Revised November 2014
Rationale (including age/ability appropriateness and how text fits into the course’s philosophy
and enduring understanding): This book is a perfect read for the high school level, the diction is not
difficult to understand, and there is still a deep level that can be reached using imagination and personal
reflection.
Summary: The Time Machine is the story of the Time Traveler who invents the machine, his adventures
while traveling, and his recounting of the tale to the narrator and other friends gathered at his home. Told
from the point of view of the narrator, the story moves from the present (the narrator's time) to the Time
Traveler's tales of the future, then back to the present. The book ends with the narrator still waiting for the
Time Traveler to return again, three years after the narrator last saw him.
Merit Awards and Recognition: N/A
Benefit to Students: The Time Machine will add interest and variety to the study of change throughout
time, while also exposing the students to an unfamiliar construction of plot, broadening their literary
knowledge. This book contains rich, Victorian era vocabulary that makes the piece an even more effective
vehicle for developing critical thinking and analytical skills, which builds vocabulary and SAT skills.
Brief description of proposed classroom activities generated by text: The students will write a
creative futuristic narrative. The students will engage in a creative group project in which they will
write and present a radio show. The students will study the Victorian age and make connections to
the novel.
List of the TEKS/STAAR/HPISD curricular objectives the proposed text supports: The novel works
as a vehicle to reach specific skills such as building vocabulary, strengthening reading strategies,
understanding how figurative language enhances a text, and writing creatively.
Clarification of any potentially controversial segments* (issues related to language often deemed
“vulgar,” nudity, sexuality, violence) and why the text remains a suitable choice, despite being
potentially controversial *NOTE Any objectionable language or scenes should be highlighted in
the text for Committee consideration and indicated by page number below: There are no vulgar
scenes; the only violence in the book is the “war” waged between the two futuristic species, which consists
primarily of non-descriptive kidnapping.
Similar Works: “The Machine Stops”, “Journey to the Center of the Earth”