You know that feeling you get in October, like the grind has begun? All that back-to-school adrenaline that got you through September has waned, and what remains is a looooong month ahead with zero days off.
I was having such a month some years back when a colleague (shout out to Mr. Reagan!) told me he was going to introduce his 7th graders to The Twilight Zone. He felt “To Serve Man” (season 3, episode 24) was an excellent basis for working on a number of literacy skills, including creating plot diagrams and writing summaries. He was absolutely right; he’s a smart guy!Engage students in cooperative activities to practice ELA skills: comprehension, making inferences, using evidence to support answers, identifying elements of plot (characters, setting, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), theme, point of view, conflict, writing summaries, narrative writing, expository writing, and using persuasive writing in social media marketing.