Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering a meaningful excerpt from chapter 2 of Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Consult reference materials as needed to learn or verify word meanings Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques Explore how knowledge of the Vietnam War’s outcome emotionally influences the reader Describe tone in context Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Isolate an example of figurative language Conduct brief research to identify parallels between the narrator and the author James Baldwin Decide what the primary function of the excerpt is Write about complex literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class better prepared to discuss literature

Complement a unit on Gothic fiction and embrace the harvest season with this low-prep, standards-based research project addressing 33 topics directly and indirectly related to Halloween: ancient celebrations, holidays, and practices (Samhain, Lemuria, guising, souling, and more); more recent traditions (Guy Fawkes Night, the history of trick-or-treating, and the history of pumpkin carving); myths, legends, and superstitions (Jack O’Lantern, the Beast of Bray Road, Mothman, and more); medical conditions (“werewolf syndrome,” “walking corpse syndrome,” and “vampire disease”); historical figures (Vlad the Impaler, John Hathorne, Sarah Good, and more); and Halloween-inspired authors (Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, H.P. Lovecraft, and more). Supporting materials—including a detailed scoring rubric—are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks: Collect and classify reliable sources on an assigned topic 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

Incorporate narrative nonfiction into the English Language Arts classroom and help high school students practice their close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous questions covering an excerpt titled “Loophole of Retreat” from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. This text addresses an enslaved woman’s paradoxically empowering decision to hide from her master in a confined space. An answer key and copy of the public domain text are included. Additionally, a bonus PowerPoint providing more context on the author’s background is provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Summarize key details from the text Use context to make logical inferences about the author’s beliefs Explore the symbolism attached to an object (the gimlet) Apply knowledge of various literary devices including invective, metaphor, paradox, and more Examine nuances in words with similar meanings in order to choose the most appropriate synonym for a given term Make logical inferences about the author’s intent based on stylistic choices Discern the tone of a given passage Support claims and ideas with relevant textual details Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering the short story “Beware of the Dog” by Roald Dahl. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques Explore how the story conforms to the conventions of surrealism Conduct research as needed to answer questions involving historical context and autobiographical parallels Describe the tone of a given passage Determine the functions of given passages Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including onomatopoeia, paradox, personification, simile, situational irony, symbolism, 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

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

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood lends itself to compelling research opportunities for high school students. This low-prep, standards-based project has students investigate topics related to women’s history and human rights around the world: from America (the Fourteenth Amendment, Equal Pay Act, Equal Rights Amendment, etc.) to Canada (the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, etc.), from the Middle East (Benazir Bhutto, the Taliban’s treatment of women, the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, etc.) to Mexico (Laureana Wright de Kleinhans, First Feminist Congress of the Yucatan, etc.). Thirty-nine topics are addressed. Supporting materials—including a detailed scoring rubric—are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks: Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned text Conduct research using available resources Collect and classify reliable sources 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

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

Facilitate research on thirty topics related to The House on Mango Street and its author, Sandra Cisneros, with this low-prep, standards-based activity. Students will navigate informational texts about historically significant women (Elvia Carillo Puerto, Adelina Zendejas, Lydia Cacho, and more), landmark events (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Equal Rights Amendment, and more), social justice organizations (American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and more), Chicana authors (Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa, Denise Chávez, Michele Serros, and more), and opportunities for writers (Hispanic Scholarship Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, and more). After compiling relevant details, the process culminates in the delivery of a formal presentation. A detailed scoring rubric is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks: Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned text Conduct research using available resources Collect and classify reliable sources 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

Help students better understand the historical context of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah and facilitate the process of researching topics related to Sierra Leone with this low-prep, standards-based resource. Students will choose from thirty relevant subjects—the deposing of Siaka Stevens’ government, the Revolutionary United Front, illegal diamond mining, the West Side Boys, and All People’s Congress to name a few—and navigate credible sources with the goal of teaching others about their topic. A detailed scoring rubric is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks: Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned text Conduct research using available resources Collect and classify reliable sources 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

Help students better understand the historical context of Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers and facilitate the process of researching topics related to the Vietnam War with this low-prep, standards-based resource. Students will choose from more than twenty relevant subjects—the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the Tet Offensive, the My Lai Massacre, Tinker vs. Des Moines, and Milton L. Olive III to name a few—and navigate credible sources with the goal of teaching others about their topic. A detailed scoring rubric is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks: Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned novel Conduct research using available resources Collect and classify reliable sources 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

Eliminate assessment planning responsibilities and evaluate high school students’ knowledge of plot and literary craft with this summative test covering Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. An answer key is included, as well as a test prep guide and a standards-based rubric for scoring essay responses. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. The test is divided into four sections, outlined as follows: Part 1 - Characters and Plot. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following characters and aspects of plot:Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following characters and aspects of plot: ♦ Perry’s background ♦ Perry’s medical condition ♦ Perry’s family ♦ Perry’s external conflicts ♦ Perry’s superiors ♦ Perry’s cohorts ♦ A nurse Perry meets ♦ Miscellaneous characters Perry meets along the way Part 2 - Literary Craft. Students will apply knowledge of the following literary devices to quotes from the novel: ♦ Anaphora ♦ Aphorism ♦ External conflict ♦ Hyperbole ♦ Internal conflict ♦ Irony ♦ Metaphor ♦ Oxymoron Part 3 - Meaningful Quotations in Context. Students will read the given quotes in order to discern the speaker and significance of each: ♦ “The army was the place I was going to get away from all the questions.” (Chapter 2) ♦ “Anything anybody got in the army, I got. You got a gun, I got a gun. You got boots, I got boots.” (Chapter 2) ♦ “Movies are the only real thing in life.” (Chapter 6) ♦ “He was a thing, a trophy. I wondered if I could become a trophy.” (Chapter 7) ♦ “A man in Nam fighting by my side is a man fighting by my side.” (Chapter 18) ♦ “Mama would expect me to be the same person, but it could never happen.” (Chapter 20) Part 4 - Essay Writing. Students will develop a five paragraph essay in response to one of two given prompts: ♦ The first prompt requires students to explore Perry’s changing perspective on the war ♦ The second prompt requires students to evaluate any meaningful character’s methods of coping with the terrible realities of war