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.
Support the development of high school close reading skills and analysis of Shakespeare’s The Tempest with this worksheet on Act 4, scene 1. A variety of high-order question types facilitates the process of analyzing character motivations, examining how word choices influence a reader’s interpretations, applying knowledge of literary devices, and articulating ideas in writing with clarity and precision. This resource is delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A detailed answer key is included.
More specifically, students will be able to:
Articulate what the text says explicitly and implicitly
Write with clarity and precision
Cite specific, relevant textual evidence in support of a claim or idea
Discern the tone of an excerpt
Discern and articulate meaning in figurative language
Articulate the task assigned to Ariel
Analyze Shakespeare’s craft to discern and explain how humor is incorporated into the scene
Articulate the intended effect of Shakespeare’s language
Explore character motivations
Identify why Ceres is reluctant to participate in a celebration
Analyze how complex characters change over the course of the scene
Define complex words or phrases in context
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials such as a dictionary and thesaurus
Identify the reason Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano would be tempted by colorful clothes
Articulate how moral character and physical appearance are related, according to Prospero
Articulate Caliban’s epiphany at the end of the scene
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 4, 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
Discern the intended effect of figurative language in context
Describe the tone of dialogue in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, juxtaposition, dramatic irony, and situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespeare’s drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The role of Lucius
How Brutus rationalizes murdering Caesar
How Brutus feels about his men taking an oath
Individuals not permitted into the group
The nature of Antony’s relationship with Caesar
Portia’s concern for her husband
How Brutus’s secrecy affects Portia
Ligarius’s loyalty
Calpurnia’s nightmares
Ominous occurrences that foreshadow tragic events
Decius’s influence on Caesar
The purpose of Artemidorus’s letter
Information from the Soothsayer
Portia’s grievances
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespeare’s drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Setting
The motivation of a crowd
Marullus’s perception of Caesar
A coinciding event
Flavius’s perception of Caesar
Cassius’s fear
The actions of a Soothsayer
Cassius’s efforts to diminish Caesar
Caesar’s medical condition
Cassius’s plan to manipulate Brutus
Casca’s fear
Cinna’s role in a conspiracy
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 4 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespeare’s drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The nature of Antony’s conversation with Octavius and Lepidus
What Antony intends to do with Caesar’s will
Antony’s intentions for Lepidus
The changing nature of Brutus and Cassius’s relationship
Brutus’s observations about Cassius’s behavior
Information provided to Brutus by Lucilius
Why Brutus punished Lucius
Brutus’s accusations against Cassius
Cassius’s self-image
Cassius’s emotionally charged offer to Brutus
An unexpected visitor to the tent
A supernatural encounter
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 5 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespeare’s drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Antony’s assumption about Brutus and Cassius’s motives
Conflict between Antony and Octavius
Brutus and Cassius’s denigrating assessment of Antony
Cassius’s opinion on superstitions
Messala’s role in the battle
The death of Cassius’s flag-bearer
Titinius’s scrutiny of Brutus’s battlefield decision-making
The cause of Cassius’s death
Lucilius’s persona
Antony’s motives with regard to his treatment of Lucilius
The cause of Brutus’s death
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 3 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespeare’s drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Caesar’s decision involving Artemidorus’s letter
Why Cassius fears the conspiracy has fallen apart before Caesar speaks
Cassius’s extreme reaction to his fear
Brutus’s motivation for kissing Caesar’s hand
Caesar’s self image
Brutus’s motivation for having Antony brought to him
Antony’s apology to Caesar’s corpse
Antony’s ominous prediction for the region
The basis on which Brutus asks the public to trust him
How Antony manipulates the public into distrusting Brutus
The reading of Caesar’s will
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active reading experiences and subsequent class discussions. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Questions pertain to the following relevant details:
Setting
A king’s life-changing decision
Edmund’s status as an illegitimate child and its effect on him
Daughters’ expressions of love for their father
Contrasting Cordelia from her two sisters
Cordelia’s punishment
Kent’s assessment of King Lear’s behavior
An agreement with the King of France
Comparing Cordelia’s two sisters to their father (identifying similar motivations)
Edmund’s underhanded deeds
Goneril’s feelings toward her recently moved-in father
Kent’s act of self-preservation
Character description of the Fool
The intent of King Lear’s letter
The king’s acknowledgement of a fear
Kent’s loyalty
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 Act 3, scene 4, of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word and phrase meanings (“Things have fall’n out,” “We have had no time to move our daughter,” and “I will make a desperate tender of my child’s love.”
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including situational irony and dramatic irony
Support claims or inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
Help high school readers go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 1, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word and phrase meanings
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Isolate the best textual evidence in support of a claim
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
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 Act 3, scene 5, of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word and phrase meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, personification, situational irony, and symbolism
Support claims or inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
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 Act 2, scene 5, of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word and phrase meanings
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Discern tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, hyperbole, and invective
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
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 Act 5, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word and phrase meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Argue whether Romeo’s behavior in the scene is consistent with his characterization throughout the play
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing
Support claims or inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespearean drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Banquo’s psychological state
Macbeth’s deception of Banquo
Macbeth’s hallucination
Details regarding the plot to kill King Duncan
Lady Macbeth’s reason for not being able to kill King Duncan herself
Macbeth’s inability to utter words of prayer
Lady Macbeth’s frustration with her husband
The porter’s thoughts on the effects of alcohol
Macduff’s suspicions
Lady Macbeth’s fainting spell
The peculiar events following King Duncan’s death
The reason Malcolm and Donalbain are suspected of killing their father
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 Act 3, scene 2, of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
Define challenging words as they are used in the text
Determine the function of a given detail
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare characters in the play
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor and situational irony
Support inferences and claims with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama 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 Act 3, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
Define challenging words as they are used in the text
Discern tone in context
Examine cause-and-effect relationships
Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including callback and situational irony
Explain the symbolism of the extinguished light
Support inferences and claims with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 1, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the primary function of a given excerpt
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including hyperbole, metaphor, and pun
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 3, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the primary function of the scene
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on foreshadowing
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 3, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Describe tone in context
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices to the text including metaphor, simile, hubris, alliteration, personification, and irony
Come to class better prepared to discuss Shakespearean drama
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 2, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. 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:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare aspects of Artemidorus’s characterization with Calpurnia’s
Articulate Artemidorus’ distinguishing qualities
Predict whether Caesar will seriously consider Artemidorus’s advice
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss Shakespearean drama