A complete Years 7–8 English unit for Ground Zero by Alan Gratz. Designed to develop reading comprehension, analytical thinking, and writing skills, this resource guides students through the novel while exploring themes of survival, courage, family, conflict, and resilience.

Through a range of engaging activities, students examine the interconnected stories set during the events of September 11 and the war in Afghanistan. The unit encourages students to consider multiple perspectives, historical context, and the human impact of global events while developing their understanding of narrative structure, characterisation, and authorial choices.

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What’s included
• A comprehensive study guide to support understanding of the novel
• Analysis of themes, characters, context, and perspectives
• Exploration of courage, survival, conflict, resilience, and family
• Language features, narrative techniques, and text structures analysis
• Activities focused on character development and perspective
• Reading comprehension and close analysis tasks
• Structured paragraph and extended writing activities
• Discussion questions and collaborative learning opportunities
• A 10-week teaching sequence with 6 learning activities per week
• A wide variety of classroom-ready activities throughout the unit

Teaching approach
This unit is built around active learning rather than worksheets alone. Students engage with the text through discussion, inquiry, analysis, and creative responses that encourage deeper understanding and critical thinking. Teachers can adapt activities to suit their own classroom programs and student needs.

File info
• Provided as a non-editable PDF
• Not designed as an editable PowerPoint
How to use
• Upload to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) for digital learning
• Print pages for individual, group, or whole-class activities
• Use the study guide alongside class reading
• Display pages to support discussion, analysis, and writing activities
• Upload to presentation or design platforms if you wish to adapt for your own use