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 vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapter 3 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: credulity, implore, indifferent, melancholy, notorious, permeate, poignant, scamper, skeptically, swoon, tinny, unintelligible, urbane, vacuous, vague, vehemently, veranda, and wan.
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: ambiguously, apathetically, coarse, countenance, deft, desolate, flounce, haste, incessant, jovially, languid, muslin, obscure, saunter, scrawny, strident, sumptuous, and vigorously.
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: ajar, banter, boast, contempt, continually, epigram, feign, fervent, murmur, reproach, riotous, shrill, solemn, subdued, supercilious, swank, totter, 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
Frontload assigned readings with these vocabulary games and activities to facilitate comprehension of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian fiction novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Alternatively, stash these materials in an emergency sub folder to keep students meaningfully engaged in the book during unexpected teacher absences. Included are nine vocabulary application activities, nine crossword puzzles, nine word search games, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
A total of 162 challenging words are addressed: abdicate, absolve, acquisitive, adrenaline, affront, ambiguous, anguished, apathetic, appease, approbation, archaic, assent, atrocity, audacity, banter, barren, bedraggled, benevolent, bereaved, beseech, blasphemy, blatantly, blitzkrieg, camaraderie, candid, catastrophe, clad, clamber, commotion, commune, complicity, condone, conspicuously, debase, decadent, decorous, deferential, defiantly, demurely, diffuse, dingy, disconsolate, dismay, eccentric, emaciated, evasive, falter, famished, fervor, festoon, frivolous, frowzy, fruitful, furtively, futility, gaiety, genial, genteel, grudgingly, heretical, ignominious, illicit, implore, incredulous, indifferent, indignation, indignity, ingratiate, innocuous, insatiability, inscrutable, irreverent, jaunty, jocularity, juvenile, languid, lethargic, lithe, lugubrious, lurid, luxuriate, macabre, martyr, melancholy, melodramatic, menial, mirth, monotony, munificent, obscurity, obsolete, obstinately, opaque, ornate, palpable, paranoid, penance, perfunctory, pervade, pious, placid, plaintively, platitude, plumage, precarious, primitive, procure, prude, purloin, quagmire, querulous, rancid, ravenous, rebuke, relinquish, reminiscence, repentance, replenish, reproach, respectively, revile, rickety, sanctity, sardonic, sedately, serene, servile, shrill, smoldering, sneer, solemn, solitude, squeamish, stagnant, stealthily, suave, subdued, subversive, suffuse, sulky, superfluous, surly, tactile, transgression, treachery, tremulous, trivial, trivialize, uncouth, undulate, vague, viable, vindictive, volition, wary, whimper, whimsical, wimple, wince, wistful, withered, and zeal.
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 reading comprehension, support the development of critical thinking skills, and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle for teaching the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Fox and the Cat,” a cautionary story about hubris and its consequences. A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. The brevity of the narrative helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule, while the supporting activity upholds rigor in the classroom. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Describe the tone of a given excerpt
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Discern the intended effect of figurative language in context
Consider the greater significance of a given detail
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with an emphasis on hubris, invective, and metaphor
Explore themes in context
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (chapters 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46). A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: abdicate, assent, banter, complicity, decorous, implore, incredulous, munificent, penance, pervade, placid, platitude, purloin, relinquish, sardonic, serene, shrill, and zeal.
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
Help middle and high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Fox and the Cat,” a cautionary story about hubris and its consequences. The brevity of the narrative also helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule, while the supporting activity upholds rigor in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
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 completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Describe the tone of a given excerpt
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Discern the intended effect of figurative language in context
Consider the greater significance of a given detail
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with an emphasis on hubris, invective, and metaphor
Explore themes in context
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Fox and the Cat,” a cautionary story about hubris and its consequences. The brevity of the narrative also helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The characters’ first impressions of each other
The cat’s question of the fox
The fox’s question of the cat
The cat’s self-proclaimed talent
The fox’s self-proclaimed talents
The fox’s offer to the cat
The fate of the cat
And more
Evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of critical thinking skills, and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle for teaching Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “The Old Tombstone,” a narrative that conveys a method by which beauty may always exist in the world despite humanity’s tendency to be ruinous. A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consider the greater significance of given details
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, symbolism, and situational irony
Conduct brief research as needed to convey how modern memorial services are different from those in the 1800s
Explore themes in context
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about complex literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of critical thinking skills, and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle for teaching Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “Grandmother,” which centers on themes of appreciating one’s elders and the fleeting nature of physical life. A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Describe the tone of the complete text
Discern the intended effects of figurative language and other narrative techniques
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including alliteration, sibilance, irony, symbolism, imagery, metaphor, and more
Explore themes in context
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (chapters 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39). A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: apathetic, bedraggled, conspicuously, deferential, evasive, frivolous, frowzy, inscrutable, jocularity, juvenile, lurid, martyr, monotony, precarious, procure, sneer, sulky, and volition.
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (chapters 31, 32, 33, and 34). A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: anguished, appease, camaraderie, diffuse, fruitful, gaiety, ignominious, indifferent, indignity, luxuriate, palpable, querulous, respectively, smoldering, squeamish, subversive, transgression, and whimper.
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 Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “The Old Tombstone,” a narrative that conveys one method by which beauty may always exist in the world despite humanity’s tendency to be ruinous. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Setting
How a family came into possession of several tombstones
The general purposes of the tombstones
Imagery associated with the tombstone
The reputation of an old couple
A character’s reminiscences
The fate of the old couple’s house
The old man’s belief on what happens to all things
The effect of the grandfather’s account
Prevalent imagery
Theme
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “Grandmother,” which centers on themes of appreciating one’s elders and the fleeting nature of physical life. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Point of view
Grandmother’s physical characteristics
What the narrator appreciates most about Grandmother
Prized possessions
A significant memory
The nature of Grandmother’s passing
How Grandmother’s memory is honored
The narrator’s perspective on burials and the dead
Evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of critical thinking skills, and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle for teaching the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle,” a narrative addressing the values of hard work and devotion. A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. The brevity of the narrative helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule, while the supporting activities uphold rigor in the classroom. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
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 these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Choose the most appropriate synonym to replace a given word
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Discern the intended effect of narrative techniques in context
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of several literary devices including alliteration, assonance, hyperbole, euphemism, oxymoron, hypophora, personification, paradox, and situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fairy tale fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of critical thinking skills, and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle for teaching the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “Cat and Mouse in Partnership,” a cautionary story about manipulative and predatory behavior. A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. The brevity of the narrative helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule, while the supporting activities uphold rigor in the classroom. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
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 these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Discern the intended effect of word choices in context
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with an emphasis on foreshadowing, pun, verbal irony, situational irony, and more
Explore how details in the text contribute to the superstition that cats are agents of evil
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fairy tale fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of critical thinking skills, and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle for teaching the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Wolf and the Fox,” a cautionary story about the consequences of impulsiveness. A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. The brevity of the narrative helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule, while the supporting activity upholds rigor in the classroom. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
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 these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed
Discern the intended effect of word choices in context
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast the two primary characters
Apply knowledge of literary devices with an emphasis on situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fairy tale fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle,” a narrative addressing the values of hard work and devotion. The brevity of the narrative also helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The maiden’s tragic life circumstances
The old woman’s work
The last advice of the old woman
The maiden’s work
The prince’s internal conflict
The prince’s initial sighting of the maiden
A distinguishing characteristic of the prince
The effects of the maiden’s song
The resolution
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “Cat and Mouse in Partnership,” a cautionary story about manipulative and predatory behavior. The brevity of the narrative also helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Circumstances under which the cat and mouse decide to live together
Preparations for the winter
The hiding place of provisions
The cat’s deceptive behavior
The mouse’s suspicion of the cat
The fate of the mouse
And more
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Wolf and the Fox,” a cautionary story about the consequences of impulsiveness. The brevity of the narrative also helps to fill awkward gaps in the teaching schedule. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The reason the fox is subservient to the wolf
The demands the wolf makes of the fox
The fox’s assessment of the wolf’s behavior
The consequences of the wolf’s actions
The resolution
And more