The Dome Life

My seventh graders just finished reading The Last Dog by Katherine Paterson. This story tells the tale of a young boy who lives in a future dystopian society, where the air is so polluted that everyone lives in a colossal dome. They grow accustomed to artificial intelligence and landscaping as they drift further from nature and natural interactions. The main character finds a healthy puppy outside of the dome, which is surprising given the pollution issue. The students discussed the various themes of the story including the importance of companionship, the role and responsibility of caring for pets, as well as pollution and what it would be like to live in a dome. After we completed our other story based assignments, we created children's stories based on life in a dome. They also proposed procedures they would put into place to improve the lives of the characters who live in the dome. After writing and illustrating their stories, they shared the stories with students in the elementary school.