Scenes from Futures Past: An Introduction to World Building

As the Human/Nature institute opened on Sunday, June 11, project co-director, Erick Gordon — a teacher at Credo High School and founder of Literacy Unbound — encouraged participants to examine antique portrait photographs and tintypes as a way of imagining characters, and creating new worlds.

Participants examine antique photographs as a way to imagine worlds for characters. (Photo by Troy Hicks)

Gordon’s prompt began with this:

Imagine it's the year 2075. The tintype photograph you're holding has survived the passage of time and now finds its way into the hands of a character living in a future world. They study this photo just as you have, noticing the streaked emulsion, the bent tin corners, the little details that make the photo unique.

Erick Gordon leads participants in an opening activity, examining antique photos and tintypes. (Photo by Troy Hicks)

As participants continue to engage in character analysis and world building, this opening activity — which could be adapted to their own classrooms — will provide a compelling way to help students understand literature and develop their own creative stories.