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 explore how Mark Twain used literary devices like hyperbole, allusion, and simile to develop an exaggerated short story in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” also known as “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog” and “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this resource serves well for an independent learning opportunity, as well as for small-group discussions in which students evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to support claims. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included.
Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 4, scene 2, of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
With this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Determine the significance of given details
Discern the intended effects of Shakespeare’s choices in terms of characterization
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including oxymoron, allusion, dramatic irony
Isolate the best evidence in support of a claim
Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 5, scene 1, of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
With this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Explore nuances in words with similar meanings
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, hyperbole, situational irony, personification, metaphor, allusion, and oxymoron
Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 4, scene 1, of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
With this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Discern the tone of dialogue in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including paradox and situational irony
Isolate the best evidence in support of claims
Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 1, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By engaging with this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words/phrases as they are used in the text
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on hyperbole
Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 2, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By engaging with this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Discern the meaning of complex words and figurative language in context
Determine the function of a given passage
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare Gloucester and Lear
Apply knowledge of literary devices including situational irony, metaphor, assonance, and personification
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help middle and high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering the Grimm’s fairy tale “The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle,” a narrative addressing the values of hard work and devotion. The brevity of the short story helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule, while the activity upholds rigor in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the text are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing the close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Choose the most appropriate synonym to replace a given word
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Discern the intended effect of narrative techniques in context
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of several literary devices including alliteration, assonance, hyperbole, euphemism, oxymoron, hypophora, personification, paradox, and situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fairy tale fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and develop critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Wives of the Dead,” a piece addressing themes of grief and illusion. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
Students will perform the following tasks:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Discern the narrative’s point of view
Describe tone in context
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast the protagonists
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, ambiguity, dramatic irony, and situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of critical thinking skills, and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle for teaching Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “The Old Tombstone,” a narrative that conveys a method by which beauty may always exist in the world despite humanity’s tendency to be ruinous. A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consider the greater significance of given details
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, symbolism, and situational irony
Conduct brief research as needed to convey how modern memorial services are different from those in the 1800s
Explore themes in context
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about complex literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 4, scene 2 of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Determine the function of a particular character in the context of the scene
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Apply knowledge of literary devices including alliteration, simile, oxymoron, and callback
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 4, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Apply knowledge of literary devices including assonance, anaphora, onomatopoeia, and situational irony
Articulate the external conflict between two characters
Discern the tone of a given conversation
Support claims with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Apply knowledge of literary devices including alliteration, simile, oxymoron, and callback
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 4, scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, anaphora, and aposiopesis
Express the function of a given excerpt
Conduct brief research on the four humours and articulate the findings
Analyze research findings to make a logical inference about Petruchio’s mindset
Support claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 3, scene 2 of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, simile, oxymoron, hyperbole, and situational irony
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 3, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Consider how a particular excerpt advances the plot
Examine the greater significance of a given detail
Apply knowledge of literary devices such as allusion and consonance
Support claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 4, scene 5, of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Articulate Petruchio’s contradictory behavior
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole
Cite textual evidence that contributes to the scene’s farcical tone
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 4, scene 4, of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Articulate a character’s internal conflict
Apply knowledge of literary devices including simile and situational irony
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and promote the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions to complement Act 5, scene 2, of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Apply knowledge of literary devices including pun and metaphor
Identify textual evidence in support of a claim
Discern the tone of a character’s remarks
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this multiple choice quiz covering chapters 6 and 7 of A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck. In addition to an answer key, an alternate short answer option is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in a zip file as Word Documents and PDFs. Questions pertain to the following details:
Aunt Matty’s distinguishing skill
The reason for Aunt Matty’s frustration with Rob
Rob’s reaction to the suggestion that he needs a tutor
Aunt Matty’s religious affiliation
Rob’s reaction to Aunt Matty’s religious affiliation
Rob’s observations, including sights and unsettling sounds
Rob’s plan to keep Pinky safe
The nature of a conversation between Rob and Haven
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this multiple choice quiz covering chapters 8 and 9 of A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck. In addition to an answer key, an alternate short answer option is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered as Word Documents and PDFs. Questions pertain to the following details:
Rob waking from his sleep
A visit from Mrs. Hillman
A visit to the cemetery
Sebring’s intentions
Letty Phillips tragic history
Haven’s reaction to Sebring’s apology
Speculation about Widow Bascom
Rob’s scar
Moving flowerpots
Mr. Tanner’s offer to Rob
Haven’s response to Mr. Tanner’s offer
Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 3, scene 4, of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
More specifically, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Discern the intended effect of Shakespearean language in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on metaphor and personification
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision