Say hello to a platform dedicated to industrious, yet overtasked teachers like you. Say goodbye to countless hours spent developing relevant and engaging ELA lessons. Whether you are teaching the fundamentals of grammar, creative writing skills, classic literature, or contemporary fiction, you will find thousands of activities and assessments to help you achieve a healthier work-life balance without sacrificing academic rigor.
Say hello to a platform dedicated to industrious, yet overtasked teachers like you. Say goodbye to countless hours spent developing relevant and engaging ELA lessons. Whether you are teaching the fundamentals of grammar, creative writing skills, classic literature, or contemporary fiction, you will find thousands of activities and assessments to help you achieve a healthier work-life balance without sacrificing academic rigor.
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 27 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the tone of a given excerpt
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing
Conduct brief research on the Great Depression’s influence on common Halloween practices, especially in the South
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 25 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore the greater significance of a given detail
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Make an informed prediction about Bob Ewell’s behavior
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Discern the tone of a given passage
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including simile and situational irony
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high schoolers go beyond basic comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering an obscure short story by H.P. Lovecraft titled “Old Bugs.” This piece is a surprising departure from the grotesque and fantastical characteristics typically associated with Lovecraftian fiction. It also aligns nicely to American History courses since the narrative addresses the topic of Prohibition. An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Consider tone in context
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion and dynamic character
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss literature
Evaluate general reading comprehension, promote homework accountability, and eliminate take-home assessment planning with this bundle of instructional resources covering The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Included are formative quizzes, a summative test, and answer keys. All materials are delivered as both Word Documents and PDFs.
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 22 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including hyperbole, sarcasm, and simile
Consider the thematic significance of the interaction between Jem and Maudie Atkinson (a belief that there is hope for positive change in the American justice system, although that change will probably happen slowly)
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 18 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Consider the tone of a particular section of text
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 14 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Describe tone in context
Determine the function of a given passage
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 13 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Consider synonyms that may replace a given word or phrase without changing the original fundamental meaning
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Apply knowledge of coordinating conjunctions, selecting the most appropriate conjunction to join two sentences in context
Describe tone in context
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices (imagery and theme)
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Draw personal connections to Jem
Argue whether Jem feels guilty for his treatment of Scout
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Choose the most appropriate synonym to replace a word or phrase without changing the excerpt’s fundamental meaning
Demonstrate knowledge of comma and punctuation rules, especially as they apply to writing dialogue
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the tone of a given excerpt
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, hyperbole, allusion, alliteration, oxymoron, dramatic irony, and situational irony
Measure general reading comprehension with this quiz bundle covering A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. A firsthand account of the author’s experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War, this book is an excellent choice for teachers who want to incorporate more autobiographical nonfiction into their English and/or history classes. In addition to answer keys, alternate quiz options are provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
By taking these assessments, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Recent political changes in Sierra Leone
General descriptions of setting
Background details concerning key figures in the text
Shared experiences among key figures in the text
Medical concerns among key figures in the text
Major entities associated with conflict, such as the Revolutionary United Front
Violent events
Consequences of war
Coping strategies among key figures in the text
Difficulties in rehabbing figures in the text
The collective motivation for the boys’ attending school
Complications affecting the civilian government
Ishmael’s escape
And more
Measure general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz covering chapters 17 through 21 of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. A firsthand account of the author’s experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War, this book is an excellent choice for teachers who want to incorporate more autobiographical nonfiction into their English and/or history classes. In addition to an answer key, an short answer quiz option is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The helpful nature of numerous figures in the text
Ishmael’s recollection of having life-threatening injuries and his reaction
Mambu’s tragic circumstances
The United Nations Conference in New York City
Ishmael’s difficulty in acquiring a passport and Visa
Complications affecting the civilian government
Ishmael’s escape
And more
Measure general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz covering chapters 15 and 16 of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. A firsthand account of the author’s experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War, this book is an excellent choice for teachers who want to incorporate more autobiographical nonfiction into their English and/or history classes. In addition to an answer key, an short answer quiz option is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The psychological effects of war on Ishmael
The names of significant entities mentioned in the text
Difficulties in rehabbing figures in the text
Specific acts of insubordination and violence
Ishmael’s medical needs
The collective motivation for attending school
Ishmael’s nickname and its origin
And more
Measure general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz on chapters 10 through 14 of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. A firsthand account of the author’s experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War, this book is an excellent choice for teachers who want to incorporate more autobiographical nonfiction into their English and/or history classes. In addition to an answer key, an short answer quiz option is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Acts of kindness
Significant realizations among key figures in the text
Coping strategies among key figures in the text
Ominous occurrences
Medical concerns among key figures in the text
Updates on family members
General descriptions of setting
The collective motivation to join the military
Violent events
The effects of war on key figures in the text
And more
Measure general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz covering chapters one through nine of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. A firsthand account of the author’s experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War, this book is an excellent choice for teachers who want to incorporate more autobiographical nonfiction into their English and/or history classes. In addition to an answer key, an short answer quiz option is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Recent political changes in Sierra Leone
Background details concerning key figures in the text
Shared experiences among key figures in the text
Major entities associated with conflict, such as the Revolutionary United Front
Consequences of war
And more
This summative test covers A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah and includes an answer key, as well as a standards-based rubric for scoring essays. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By administering this assessment, teachers will evaluate students’ abilities to do the following:
Demonstrate knowledge significant figures in a nonfiction text
Demonstrate knowledge of significant events throughout the memoir
Respond to an essay prompt requiring students to explore the concept of perseverance in the context of the memoir
Support claims made in an academic essay with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
This end-of-unit test covers the entirety of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. An answer key is included. With this assessment, which is delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, high school English Language Arts teachers will be able to evaluate students’ abilities to do the following:
Accurately recall details associated with characters, setting, and plot
Demonstrate awareness of historically relevant events
Apply knowledge of various literary devices such as symbolism, oxymoron, personification, hyperbole, simile, metaphor, allusion, dynamic character, and more
Analyze the greater significance of given quotes or details
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Support the development of high school close reading skills and analytical thinking with this bundle of To Kill a Mockingbird resources covering the first 15 chapters of the novel. Featuring more than 125 high-order thinking questions, this bundle offers Word Doc and PDF versions of each individual resource.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
Make reading more purposeful with these close reading activities to support students in their efforts to demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:
An ability to define complex vocabulary in context
An ability to analyze context clues and draw logical inferences about character motivations
An ability to analyze context clues and draw logical inferences about character relationships
An ability to analyze the text for literary devices such as foreshadowing, situational irony, dramatic irony, theme, symbolism, dynamic character, and more
An ability to find and articulate relevant textual details in support of a claim
An ability to analyze context clues to discern and articulate the significance of a given detail
An ability to articulate what the text indicates both explicitly and implicitly
An ability to write with clarity and precision
