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 middle and high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering the short story “American History” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. 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
Consider how a change in point of view would affect the reader’s perception of Elena’s mother
Discern the main conflict of the narrative
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast two characters
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, personification, simile, 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
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Point of view
Setting
The general characterizations of the men at sea
The correspondent’s assessment of Nature
The identity of the character who dies
How the surviving men perceive themselves following their shared experience
And more
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “Lullaby” by Leslie Marmon Silko. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
The protagonist’s name
The fate of each of the protagonist’s children
Setting
The significance of the snow
Conflicts between the protagonist and her husband
Memories of the protagonist’s mother and grandmother
The reason for the husband’s firing
The husband’s irresponsible financial decisions
The context of the lullaby
And more
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Californian’s Tale” by Mark Twain. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Point of view
The amount of time that has passed
The area’s reputation
The narrator’s assessment of those who live in log cabins
The narrator’s observations about the cabin
Why the narrator is encouraged to stay
The concerns of the narrator
How the host’s personality changes over the course of the story
How the host’s friends subdue him
The truth about the host’s life
The host’s apparent medical condition
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “Tuesday Siesta” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
The characters’ means of transportation
The nature of the relationship between mother and daughter
The purpose of the characters’ trip
Carlos’ general characterization
The priest’s treatment of the mother
The object given to the mother by the priest
The mother’s disposition in the face of scrutiny
And more
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, answer keys. and a copy of the narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: acclivity, apprehension, apprise, ardently, assent, brooding, deference, dictum, elude, gesticulate, giddy, idler, ineffable, keen, luminous, monotonous, oscillation, pier, poignant, presage, preternaturally, secessionist, sentinel, stockade, subdue, summarily, uncanny, and undulation.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “In Another Country” by Ernest Hemingway. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Historical context
Setting
The general characterization of the narrator
The nature of soldiers’ injuries
Interactions between characters
The resolution
And more
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, answer keys. and a copy of the parable are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: abashed, antipathy, apprehensive, countenance, fain, hastily, hoary, imbue, indecorous, iniquity, irreproachable, magistrate, moldered, ostentatious, pathos, portend, precede, pulpit, remonstrance, sagacious, shudder, solicitude, summon, thither, tremulous, venerable, waggery, and zealous.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Historical context
Setting
The general characterization of the protagonist
The inciting incident
Psychological effects of the protagonist’s conflict
The resolution
And more
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the parable are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
The subject of the minister’s sermon
The townspeople’s reaction to the veiled minister
Elizabeth’s relationship to the minister
An observation made during a funeral service
The reason for the minister’s fear at a wedding ceremony
The minister’s caretaker when he becomes elderly
Whether or not the minister ever permits his veil to be lifted
The nature of the minister’s dying remarks
And more
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. An answer key and copy of the narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Reflect on the significance of the narrative’s title
Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word 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
Compare and contrast two characters
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, personification, metaphor, 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
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
The mayor’s special arrangement with Emily
How the mayor convinced Emily to accept the arrangement
The relationships between Emily and secondary characters
Complaints lodged against Emily and her property
A peculiar purchase
Emily’s eccentricities
Details concerning Emily’s funeral
The narrator’s perception of time
A shocking discovery
And more
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, answer keys. and a copy of the narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: acrid, archaic, bier, cabal, circumvent, coquettish, cuckold, diffident, haughty, impervious, jalousie, macabre, pallid, pauper, pervade, sibilant, temerity, vague, vanquish, vindicate, and virulent.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
This bundle of 20 assessments promotes analytical thinking, measures and extends reading comprehension, and offers flexibility of choice to differentiate and satisfy the academic needs of students of varying proficiency levels in classroom and distance learning settings. Included are close reading activities, answer keys, and copies of public domain texts. Short story selections include the following:
“Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin *
“Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell *
“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe *
“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving *
“The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield *
“The New Dress” by Virginia Woolf *
“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane *
“The Open Window” by Saki *
“The Oval Portrait” by Edgar Allan Poe *
“A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett *
“After Twenty Years” by O. Henry *
“The Businessman” by Edgar Allan Poe *
“The Legend of the Christmas Rose” by Selma Lagerlof *
“The Old Tombstone” by Hans Christian Andersen *
“The Wind Blows” by Katherine Mansfield *
“The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen *
“The Stolen Farthings” by the Brothers Grimm *
“Slave on the Block” by Langston Hughes
“The Wives of the Dead” by Nathaniel Hawthorne *
“The Sparrow and His Four Children” by the Brothers Grimm *
(* denotes a public domain text)
By completing these analysis exercises, students will demonstrate the following high-order skills:
An ability to apply knowledge of more complex literary devices to the texts including foreshadowing, situational irony, dramatic irony, hyperbole, personification, metaphor, symbolism, theme, and more
An ability to analyze context clues and draw logical inferences about character motivations and other elements of plot
An ability to discern and articulate details that illustrate contrasts between characters
An ability to define complex words by taking into consideration denotative definitions, connotative definitions, and context clues
An ability to find and articulate relevant textual details in support of claims
An ability to discern mood and tone in context
An ability to discern author’s intent
An ability to conduct brief research and articulate historical and autobiographical parallels
An ability to analyze text structures
An ability to analyze text to determine the function of an excerpt
An ability to analyze a text for how it conforms to the conventions of a particular genre
An ability to establish formal tone, paying attention to conventions of written English
An ability to take leadership in class discussions, addressing nuances in the author’s craft to help peers understand literature from different perspectives
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering the short story “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane. An answer key and copy of the narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings
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 metaphor
Conduct brief research to discern and articulate autobiographical parallels between the author’s life and the narrative’s plot
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, answer keys, and a copy of the narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: aberration, abrupt, acquiesce, admonition, apprehension, assent, conjure, dinghy, direful, effect, emphatic, formidable, gale, gunwale, haggard, heartily, impetuous, indifferent, ingenuously, invariably, jeer, listlessly, myriad, obstreperous, ominous, opprobrious, oration, phosphorescence, plausible, schooner, sidle, wily, and wistfully.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of materials for teaching the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. A plot-based quiz, a close reading worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the public domain 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
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Reflect on the significance of the narrative’s title
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast two characters
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, personification, metaphor, 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
Incorporate magical realism into the high school ELA classroom, eliminate assessment planning responsibilities, and evaluate general reading comprehension with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
The couple’s inference about the old man
The old man’s self-proclaimed identity
The purpose of the old man’s visit
Where the old man is kept
How the villagers treat the old man
The purpose of the priest’s visit
Peculiar events attributed to the old man
The couple’s changing socioeconomic status
The doctor’s conclusion
The old man’s changing health status
The resolution
And more
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of materials for teaching the short story “Catch the Moon” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. A plot-based quiz, a close reading worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, and answer keys are provided. Materials delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Evaluate whether the protagonist’s father bears responsibility for his behavior
Activate knowledge of the fairy tale “Cinderella” and compare the titular character to Luis
Apply knowledge of literary devices including epiphany, hyperbole, 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
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of materials for teaching the short story “American History” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. A plot-based quiz, a close reading worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a 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
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Consider how a change in point of view would affect the reader’s perception of Elena’s mother
Discern the main conflict of the narrative
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast two characters
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, personification, simile, 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
