Description
What happens when you’re stranded in an unfamiliar place and have to trust complete strangers?
This story follows Ava, a teen who crashes in a strange forest and meets Jacob and his friends. She’s scared, confused, and has no idea how to get home. But when dangerous strangers threaten everyone’s safety, Ava and Jacob must learn to communicate, trust each other, and work as a team to survive.
It’s the kind of story that keeps middle schoolers on the edge of their seats while teaching them the relationship skills they need every single day.
What’s Included:
- 1 engaging sci-fi short story that students can’t put down
- 5 reading comprehension passages (designed for 5 days of instruction)
- Vocabulary practice with every passage
- Crossword puzzles for vocabulary reinforcement (students love these!)
- Plot map activities to track story structure
- Writing prompts that encourage reflection on communication, trust, and teamwork
- Relationship skills SEL focus woven naturally into the content
- Pre-reading activities and comic page templates
- Answer keys included
- PDF format – just print and go!
Why Teachers Love This:
- Students are genuinely engaged (sci-fi + survival = instant buy-in!)
- Covers multiple standards at once: reading, writing, vocabulary, AND SEL
- Perfect for 15-minute blocks (bell ringers, morning work, advisory time)
- Works as independent work or guided practice
- Teaches real-life skills: communication, teamwork, trust, and problem-solving
- The crossword puzzles and plot maps add interactive elements students enjoy
- Zero prep time required
Perfect for:
- Middle school ELA teachers (grades 6-8)
- Advisory or homeroom time
- Homeschool families
- Any teacher looking to build healthy relationships and communication skills through literacy
How It Works: Use one passage per day for 5 days (or adapt to your schedule). Students read, answer comprehension questions, practice vocabulary through engaging crosswords, and reflect through writing prompts—all while following Ava’s journey of learning to trust, communicate, and work with others.
Your students get stronger reading skills AND practice building healthy relationships, communicating effectively, and working as a team. You get an entire week of meaningful content that requires zero planning.
Here are just a few of the positive reviews for this and similar products –
- “The story was highly engaging, allowed for easily breaking it into parts, had fantastic SEL parts, and overall, the activities were good.” – Courtney C.
- “Great short story for the beginning of the year! The learners were engaged and loved it!” – Danielle B.
- “Loved this, thank you! My students truly benefited from this!” – Giselle H.
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