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.
With this bundle of high school resources for teaching “The Wife’s Story” by Ursula K. Le Guin, educators may conveniently measure general reading comprehension with a quiz on character and plot. Additionally, teachers will be able to support their students through the process of analyzing the author’s craft, helping readers identify textual details that evoke the reader’s sympathy and examples of literary devices that contribute to a tense mood and surprising outcome. Lastly, teachers will be able to support high-order thinking with analysis questions. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may facilitate small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
By engaging with these materials, students will perform the following tasks:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Apply knowledge of anaphora to the text
Articulate how anaphora contributes to the narrator’s characterization
Analyze the narrator’s statements to infer details about her husband
Discern meaning in less familiar words and phrases, taking into consideration the context of the passage
Analyze an excerpt to discern tone in context
Analyze an excerpt to discern and articulate the narrator’s internal conflict
Apply knowledge of simile to the text
Articulate the significance of the narrator’s “grief howl”
Analyze character statements and actions to discern and articulate character motivations
Analyze the term “blessed dark” to discern and articulate what it conveys about the narrator’s mindset
Cite and explain textual details that evoke a sense of sympathy within readers
Revisit the text to identify details that foreshadow the major revelation near the story’s conclusion
Analyze the author’s craft to explain how language contributes to the major revelation near the story’s conclusion
Write with clarity and precision
Quickly and conveniently measure general reading comprehension of Ray Bradbury’s science fiction short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” with this set of two quizzes: one multiple choice, the other constructed response. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Questions pertain to the following key details:
Unique characteristics of the house (personification)
The futuristic setting
The function of the robotic animals
The backstory
Silhouettes on the building
A frail, dirty dog
The subject matter of the poem “There Will Come Soft Rains”
A devastating fire
The house’s attempts at self-preservation
Support the development of close reading skills for high school with this set of analysis questions on Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains,” which makes a fitting inclusion to a dystopian-themed short story unit at the high school level. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Cite ample textual evidence of personification
Analyze the author’s narrative technique to discern the effect personification has on the reader
Identify and describe several advanced technologies incorporated in the narrative
Draw parallels to currently existing technologies
Locate textual evidence to support claims about the fate of humanity
Identify numerous examples of sensory language
Discern and articulate compelling and relevant themes
Write with clarity and precision
Measure general comprehension and hold students accountable for reading Farley Mowat’s nonfiction book Never Cry Wolf with this set of printable assessments on chapters 17 through 24. In addition to a multiple choice quiz, a constructed response version is provided, which may double as a guided reading worksheet to encourage active engagement with the text. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in a zip file containing both Word Document and PDF versions.
Questions pertain to the following details.
Angeline’s surprising ability
Angeline’s family
Census of the wolf population
Population control
The Churchill incident
Why Inuit women thought Mowat was crazy
The purpose behind the wolves’ test of the caribou
A repulsive discovery concerning the caribou
Growth of the pups
A study involving a gas mask
A mass death
The final professional obligation
Conclude a unit on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee with this printable summative test. An answer key is included. All materials are delivered in both Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate an ability to:
Correctly identify characters based on a given description or detail
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, simile, personification, allusion, internal conflict, dynamic character, hyperbole, and more
Identify the speaker and articulate the greater significance of a given quotation
Write a brief essay in which students defend a claim with relevant textual evidence and adhere to the standard conventions of written English
Incorporate autobiographical nonfiction into the English Language Arts classroom and measure general reading comprehension with this editable quiz on “Straw into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday” by Sandra Cisneros. This autobiographical essay addresses the variables that shaped Cisneros into the writer she became and emphasizes the inspirational message that seemingly impossible things are possible with a little imagination. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The nature of a misunderstanding
The author’s self-image
The author’s educational experiences
The dynamics of the author’s family
The breaking of a “terrible taboo”
Traits the author inherited from each of her parents
How the author’s mother influenced her writing
The author’s hometown
The reasons the author disliked school as a child
A major life event in 1966
Theme
Promote active engagement with fiction and evaluate general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz on the science fiction short story “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury. An answer key is included. All materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Point of view
Setting
McDunn’s thoughts on the ocean
A strange incident involving a million fish
The sound of the fog horn
The characters’ nickname for the ocean
The narrator’s thoughts on the sea creature
McDunn’s theory about the sea creature
An experiment involving the fog horn
The sea creature’s reaction to the experiment
The narrator’s life one year later
The lesson McDunn thinks the sea creature learned
The narrator’s feelings toward the sea creature
This file contains two Word documents. The first is a 13-question, multiple-choice quiz designed to measure plot recall. The second is the corresponding answer key. Questions pertain to the following details:
• The North Crawford Mask and Wig Club
• The avoidance of social gatherings
• The narrator's wish for Harry Nash
• The narrator's invitation to an auditioning woman
• The town's reaction to Harry's acting
• The narrator's first impression of Helene's acting
• Efforts to improve Helene's acting
• Helene's fantasy when viewing movies in the past
• Helene's difficulty in establishing relationships
• Lydia's impressions on who will direct
• Lydia's prediction for Helene
• A gift from Harry
• "The luckiest girl in town"
This worksheet features 62 common roots and formatives. Students will define each root or formative, using context and available resources (e.g., dictionaries, internet). Also, students will form words by combining roots and formatives.
LEARNING TARGETS:
1. Students will determine the meanings of common word roots.
2. Students will apply knowledge of word roots by combining word roots and creating new words.
3. Students will discern meanings of common formatives using context clues.
Evaluate reading comprehension, promote homework accountability, and save valuable time with this printable quiz on “Dark They Were and Golden Eyed” by Ray Bradbury. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The setting of the narrative
The story’s inciting incident
Mr. Bittering’s nighttime experiences
The general characterization of Mr. Bittering
Bizarre discoveries on Mars
Mr. Bittering’s fear-fueled beliefs
Mr. Bittering’s work in the metal shop
Simpson’s role
Dynamic character traits
Mr. Bittering’s thoughts as he swims
The resolution
Promote active engagement with fiction and evaluate general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz on the short story “Geraldine Moore the Poet” by Toni Cade Bambara. An answer key is included. All materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Mr. Watson’s dog
Geraldine’s lunchtime habits
The eviction
Geraldine’s mother
The reason for Anita’s return home
Geraldine’s personal and emotional struggles during classes
Geraldine’s response to her English teacher’s assignment
Mrs. Scott’s reaction to Geraldine
A surprising realization
Engage middle and high school students with a classic example of horror and supernatural fiction, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs, and use this multiple choice assessment to promote homework accountability and evaluate general reading comprehension. An answer key is included, as well as a copy of the public domain short story. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this quiz, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Weather conditions
Interactions among family members
The visitor’s background
Herbert’s initial reaction to the object
Strange observations in a dying fire
The effects of a strange object
The reason Mr. White is reluctant to make subsequent wishes
Ominous sounds
Conflicting motivations of characters
The resolution
For many high school readers, psychological fiction and horror are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Premature Burial” by Edgar Allan Poe features elements consistent with both genres: a stream-of-consciousness technique, the intensification of an irrational fear, tales of being buried alive, and more. With this challenging worksheet composed of high-order questions, English teachers will help students extend beyond basic reading comprehension, support the development of close reading analysis skills, and save valuable time at home without sacrificing quality and rigor in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Explore dominant character traits
Examine how complex characters think and behave
Analyze diction to make logical inferences about the author’s intent
Articulate the greater significance of a given detail
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including eye dialect, onomatopoeia, allusion, dramatic irony, situational irony, and more
Discern the meaning of an idiom as it is used in the text
Explain how a particular word or expression is considered a pun
Investigate the intended effect of narrative techniques such as the liberal incorporation of em dashes
Discern the function of a particular detail
Choose the most appropriate synonym to replace a word used in the story
Explore nuances in words with similar denotative meanings
Examine narrative structure
Evaluate whether the narrator’s thinking is rational
Draw parallels between the narrative and a featured nonfiction passage
Defend claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Support the development of close reading skills for high school with this set of high-order analysis questions on Virginia Woolf’s short story “A Haunted House.” The narrative makes a fitting inclusion to a Halloween-themed short story unit at the high school level. A detailed answer key and a copy of the public domain short story are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Analyze the author’s narrative technique to discern how she emphasizes multiple presences in the house
Infer why the author incorporates references to second-person you
Discern the significance of active present participles in the text
Analyze the effect of sibilant phrases on the reader
Apply knowledge of literary devices to the text, with emphasis placed on personification, anaphora, and symbolism
Discern and articulate the significance of the window
Analyze a passage in the text to discern the author’s intent as it relates to characterization
Analyze character actions and dialogue to discern their primary intent
Cite relevant textual evidence in support of claims
Write with clarity and precision
Help high school students develop a greater understanding of how Hans Christian Andersen used descriptive language, characterization, figurative language, and other literary devices to establish a fairy tale atmosphere and empathetic protagonist in “The Little Mermaid.” This resource serves well for an independent learning opportunity, as well as for small-group discussions. Through such discussions, students may evaluate peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to support claims, clarifying or challenging ideas as needed. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats.
Save time without sacrificing rigor in the high school Creative Writing classroom with this Common Core-aligned unit plan and these comprehensive materials for engaging students fully in the narrative writing process. Included are the following:
A detailed, standards-based unit plan articulating the unit’s transfer goal(s), essential question(s), enduring understanding(s), learning target(s), academic vocabulary, formative assessment(s), summative performance task(s), and learning plan(s).
A PowerPoint presentation addressing the conventions of the fantasy genre.
Representative fantasy narratives.
Worksheets to facilitate analysis of representative literature.
Detailed project directions.
A comprehensive outline for student planning.
A document to facilitate the editing process.
A comprehensive rubric for evaluating student writing.
By engaging with these materials, students will do the following:
Develop greater understanding of the conventions of the fantasy genre.
Analyze how John Collier used figurative language (simile, metaphor, and euphemism), characterization, direct description, and foreshadowing to generate a compelling fantasy narrative in “The Chaser.”
Analyze how Ursula K. Le Guin used characterization and grammatically improper language to develop an anthropomorphized protagonist in “The Wife’s Story.”
Organize initial ideas in a coherent manner.
Engage the reader with a compelling exposition that establishes setting, characters, and conflicts
Use many appropriate narrative techniques (dialogue, dialect, description, pacing, etc.) to enhance a plot that is consistent with the fantasy genre
Draft a coherent, cohesive, and appropriate narrative that builds toward a particular tone and outcome (a sense of mystery, suspense, etc.)
Use precise words and phrases, active verbs, and sensory language to convey a compelling story
Draft a reasonable and unrushed conclusion that resolves conflicts and conveys a theme
Show mastery of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet. With a focus on Act 4, scene 5, this resource saves teachers valuable time without sacrificing academic rigor. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered as printable PDFs and Word Documents.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
More specifically, students will do the following:
Discern what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
Determine the function of a given passage
Analyze character statements and behaviors to draw logical inferences about character development and motivations
Discern the tone of a given passage
Apply knowledge of literary devices to the text
Analyze complex vocabulary and phrasing in context to determine meaning and intended effect
Locate textual evidence in support of claims
Compare and contrast Hamlet and Ophelia
Compare and contrast Hamlet and Laertes
Articulate ideas with clarity and precision
Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet. With a focus on Act 4, scene 6, this resource saves teachers valuable time without sacrificing academic rigor. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered as printable PDFs and Word Documents.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
More specifically, students will do the following:
Discern what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
Analyze character statements and behaviors to draw logical inferences about character development and motivations
Analyze how characters interact
Determine the primary purpose of Hamlet’s letter to Horatio
Apply knowledge of literary devices to the text
Analyze complex vocabulary and phrasing in context to determine meaning and intended effect
Help high school students develop a greater understanding of how Richard Connell used descriptive language, direct and indirect characterization, and figurative language to generate a distinct protagonist and compelling piece of adventure fiction in “The Most Dangerous Game.” Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this resource serves well for an independent learning opportunity, as well as for small-group discussions. Through such discussions, students may evaluate peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to support claims, clarifying or challenging ideas as needed. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included.
Go beyond reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions on chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A variety of question types facilitates preparation for standardized testing scenarios. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with this resource, students will:
Discern what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Analyze how complex characters interact and develop
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including personification, simile, and onomatopoeia
Analyze the author’s craft to articulate the intended effect of language and imagery
Infer what is foreshadowed by a given detail using reasoned thinking
Determine the most appropriate synonym for a given word in context
Contrast Simon with his peers in the context of a given passage
Conduct brief research on the mythological figure Triton and compare him to Ralph
Identify relevant textual evidence in support of claims
Write with clarity and precision