Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills while teaching Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with this bundle of formative assessments. Included are the following: a multiple choice quiz on characters and plot, three close reading worksheets addressing the author’s craft, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources 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 Discern the function of a given detail Discern the function of a given scene Define words and phrases as they are used in the text Examine nuances in words with similar meanings Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Compare characters (Beatrice and Benedick; Don John and Benedick) Discern tone in context Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, pun, hyperbole, juxtaposition, allusion, metaphor, dramatic irony, and more Explore the symbolism associated with a given detail Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills while teaching Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with this bundle of formative assessments. Included are the following: a multiple choice quiz on characters and plot, three close reading worksheets addressing the author’s craft, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources 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 Discern the intended effect of figurative language as it is used in the text Examine nuances in words with similar meanings Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Explore the symbolism of an oyster in the context of Benedick’s mindset Contrast two characters (Beatrice and Hero) Contrast aspects of scene one with aspects of scene two Determine the function of an interaction between characters (Don John and Claudio) Discern tone in context Apply knowledge of literary devices including hyperbole, oxymoron, invective, pun, metaphor, situational irony, dramatic irony, and more Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence

Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills while teaching Act 3 of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with this bundle of formative assessments. Included are the following: a multiple choice quiz on characters and plot, five close reading worksheets addressing the author’s craft, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Discern the functions of scenes Determine tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Compare two characters (Beatrice and Benedick) Apply knowledge of literary devices including oxymoron, personification, malapropism, paradox, allusion, metaphor, simile, pun, hyperbole, foreshadowing, innuendo, situational irony, dramatic irony, and more Discern the intended effects of literary devices in context Explore the symbolism of lapwings and haggards in the context of scene one Articulate the greater significance of Benedick’s appearance in the context of scene two Conduct brief research on the four humors of classical Greek medicine to facilitate an evaluation of Benedick’s condition Articulate how Shakespeare established a tense atmosphere in scenes four and five Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence

Challenge high school students to go beyond basic reading comprehension and exercise close reading analysis skills while engaging with Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Each close reading activity is rigorous enough for students to find deeper meaning in the text, yet convenient enough for teachers to efficiently gather data on their students’ textual analysis skills. Included are seventeen close reading worksheets, each addressing an individual scene, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By the end of the play, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Define complex words as they are used in the text Examine nuances in words with similar meanings Discern the intended effect of figurative language in context Delve into the methods by which Shakespeare achieved narrative effects such as tension and comic relief Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Compare and contrast several characters Conduct brief research on the four humors of classical Greek medicine to facilitate an evaluation of Benedick’s condition midway through the play Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, simile, hyperbole, allusion, malapropism, personification, paradox, invective, oxymoron, symbolism, dramatic irony, situational irony, verbal irony, and more Determine the tone of given passages Discern the functions of given passages Compare elements of one scene with those of another Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills while teaching Act 4 of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing with this bundle of formative assessments. Included are the following: a multiple choice quiz on characters and plot, two close reading worksheets addressing the author’s craft, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources 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 Define words and phrases as they are used in the text Examine nuances in words with similar meanings Discern the tone of dialogue in context Discern the intended effect of narrative techniques Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Articulate the internal conflicts of two characters (Beatrice and Benedick) Contrast two characters (Borachio and Conrade) Apply knowledge of literary devices including pun, hyperbole, oxymoron, allusion, metaphor, malapropism, imagery, and more Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence