Rod Serling Author Study Biography Worksheet, Twilight Zone, PDF & Google Drive

Skip the typical Rod Serling introduction lecture as you launch a study of any Twilight Zone episode and, instead, empower students to find their own interesting facts about this author’s life with this “Author Bio” print/post-and-teach activity.

This single-page worksheet (includes printable PDF and Google Drive versions) is a powerful research organizer that’ll get students digging deep into Rod Serling’s background.

Please note: This download does NOT include a specific article or links to defined articles. It is an organizer tool for students to use as they conduct their own research. In my experience, students take more ownership of the material when they are the ones to research and discover the elements that make a literary figure’s life fascinating. They’ve seen enough of our introductory slideshows; this time, let your kids do the work and discuss/determine what they think is meaningful about Serling’s life.

Here are a few suggested uses for this flexible research tool:

1. Book your school’s computer lab or have students access Rod Serling’s biography information on their own devices. Assign students to either work solo or in teams of two. Once the grids are complete, have students share and compare answers in small groups, focusing on the four interesting facts they discovered, the meaningful quote, and the personal/professional obstacle. Then, pull the students into a full-class discussion, having each group present an interesting fact, quote, or obstacle until every team has contributed. No repeats allowed.

This assignment works great as an “into” activity, but it could also be a “through” activity to add variety to your in-class routine as you work through a longer unit. If you’re using this as an “after” activity, during the discussion I would also ask how any of the biography elements are reflected in Serling’s works that the class has studied.

2. Assign the worksheet as a traditional homework assignment. Launch the discussion mentioned in #1 at the beginning of the next class period.

3. Use the grid as the beginning assignment to a larger project where students must view and analyze two or three of Serling’s productions. Later, this author study could be turned into a compare/contrast essay or a speech presentation, if you wish to expand the assignment. (Author Bio sheets on a variety of different writers are available in my shop if you want to vary speech topics within one class.)

4. Use as an emergency sub plan.

I hope you and your students enjoy this activity! If you need an Author Bio worksheet for any author not currently offered in my shop, please send a message to me through the “Ask a Question” tab and I’ll do my best to quickly make that happen.

Want to use a Twilight Zone episode to improve students' critical thinking skills? Click here to scroll through my collection of video-based lesson materials:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Laura-Randazzo/Category/Video-Based-Lessons-496064

Want this item plus a whole lot more? Check out my Short Story Unit for Older Teens, a collection of stories and lesson materials designed specifically for high school juniors and seniors. You'll save more than 30% off the cost of those individual items, including the item featured on this page, if you purchase the bundle available here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Short-Story-Unit-Eng-1112-Short-Stories-Multimedia-PDF-Google-Drive-CCSS-9330437

Please note: The image on the student PDF worksheet is slightly ghosted to save printer/copier ink. I encourage students to doodle/shade in that space as they work.

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Image credit: CBS Television via the Bureau of Industrial Service, WikiMedia Commons, Public domain