Evaluate reading comprehension, support critical thinking, and embrace the spirit of Christmas and wintertime no matter the time of year with this bundle of plot-based quizzes, close reading analysis worksheets, vocabulary development exercises, and an end-of-unit test for six holiday-themed short stories: “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, “The Burglar’s Christmas” by Willa Cather, “At Christmas Time” by Anton Chekhov, “The Heavenly Christmas Tree” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and “Three Wise Guys” by Sandra Cisneros. Answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these activities, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Define words and phrases as they are used in the text Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Choose the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences Discern the intended effects of the authors’ word choices and narrative techniques Determine the functions of given excerpts Describe and examine tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including epiphany, foreshadowing, idiom, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, situational irony, and more Consider themes in context 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, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of materials for teaching Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart.” A plot-based quiz, a close reading worksheet, a literary craft analysis activity, a vocabulary application exercise, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will: Read for literal comprehension Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques Discern the function of a given excerpt Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Compare and contrast characters Analyze a detail for symbolism and make logical inferences about the narrator’s subconscious motivations based on this analysis Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, hyperbole, metaphor, personification, situational irony, symbolism, and more 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

Promote active engagement with ironic fiction, support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school, and evaluate general reading comprehension with this bundle of resources for teaching a collection of O. Henry’s short stories: “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Last Leaf,” “The Cop and the Anthem,” and “After Twenty Years.” Answer keys for every resource are provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats.

Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking skills with this bundle of materials for teaching O. Henry’s Christmas-themed short story “The Gift of the Magi.” A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, vocabulary application activity, crossword puzzle, word search game, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Define words and phrases as they are used in the text Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Choose the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences Explore how the author’s narrative techniques shape the readers’ understanding of the story Consider tone in context Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including onomatopoeia, hyperbole, foreshadowing, paradox, and eye dialect Isolate examples of sexist stereotypes throughout the story Argue whether the author’s stylistic choice to capitalize a common noun (Combs) is acceptable Conduct brief online research in order to answer questions as needed Choose a relevant theme in the context of a given excerpt Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision

This low-prep bundle covering Feed by M.T. Anderson contains all the formative and summative assessments teachers need to assess general reading comprehension, support the development of close reading analysis skills, facilitate student research on a range of relevant topics, and greatly reduce take-home lesson planning responsibilities. Included are four multiple choice quizzes; four short answer alternate quiz options; four close reading worksheets covering fifteen substantive novel passages; literature circle activities; research project materials; an end-of-unit test; and answer keys for everything. Materials are delivered in both Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with these resources, students will have opportunities to perform the following tasks: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Clarify details where the author leaves information open to interpretation Isolate examples of figurative language Express the greater significance of given details Determine the tone of given excerpts Discern the functions of given excerpts Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Articulate flaws in characters’ logic Analyze the author’s use of narrative techniques such as repetition Apply knowledge of various literary devices including simile, metaphor, personification, slang, onomatopoeia, situational irony, consonance, pun, idiom, epiphany, invective, malapropism, aposiopesis, neologism, and more Consider theme in relation to the text Evaluate an excerpt to articulate how it is a good example of satire Relate a given excerpt to the real world, identifying two relevant societal issues, conflicts, or questions Explore the connection between capitalism and the private healthcare system in America Conduct brief research on the topic of cognitive dissonance in order to explain how a character experiences it in the context of a given excerpt Cite textual evidence in support of ideas and claims Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned novel Develop successful methods of recording information Evaluate the credibility of nonfiction texts, taking into consideration readability, date, relevance, expertise, and bias Apply conventions of MLA formatting Correctly site resources to avoid plagiarism Organize information in a cohesive manner, using a note-taking system that includes summary, paraphrasing, and quoted material Analyze, synthesize, and integrate information, generating a thoughtfully comprehensive report, free of generalities and redundancies Present information in a formal, coherent manner