Middle School: Reading Foundations: Disaster & Survival (MS.LA.R5.DZ)

An Interactive Reading Foundations Adventure
 
A violent storm. An old library. A group of strangers trapped inside.
 
In Disaster & Survival, students become part of an ongoing interactive survival story where their choices shape what happens next. During live weekly Zoom meetings, the class works together to make major decisions that directly change the direction of the story.

Will the group retreat back to the basement? Try to escape the building? Investigate mysterious noises upstairs? Every choice leads to new problems, discoveries, and consequences.
 
This course teaches middle school reading foundations through immersive storytelling instead of dry textbook exercises. Students practice essential literacy skills while solving problems, analyzing clues, debating decisions, and surviving inside a mysterious historic library filled with hidden rooms, old records, and secrets.
 
Throughout the course, students will work on:
Reading comprehension
Annotation and close reading
Vocabulary and morphology
Fluency and evidence-based thinking
Character analysis and theme
Inference and foreshadowing
Logical reasoning and logical fallacies
Discussion and critical thinking skills
 
Each week begins with a live (45 minute) Zoom session that determines the next chapter of the story. Students discuss survival choices, analyze situations, and vote on what the group should do next. The decisions made during class shape the storyline for the rest of the week’s online activities, discussions, quizzes, and assignments.
 
The course combines:
realistic fiction,
survival storytelling,
mystery and investigation,
collaborative decision making,
and strong reading foundations instruction.

Students who enjoy mysteries, escape-room style thinking, survival stories, and interactive storytelling will especially love this class. Rather than simply reading about characters, students become part of the story itself.