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.
Incorporate more 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 a persuasive speech delivered by Sojourner Truth. Given to the Convention of the American Equal Rights Association in 1867, the historically significant speech argues in favor of suffrage for Black women and encourages Black women to speak up for their rights in order to achieve a more just society. An answer key and copy of the public domain speech are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Articulate the function of the speech
Identify what the text states explicitly about Truth’s feelings toward slavery, Truth’s desires for all women, Truth’s reason for living a long life, and Truth’s reasoning for why men should fight alongside women for their rights
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Explore Truth’s personal motivations
Analyze stylistic elements of Truth’s speech and evaluate its effectiveness
Make and defend logical inferences about the audience’s reception to the speech
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
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
Incorporate narrative nonfiction into the English Language Arts classroom and measure general reading comprehension with this editable quiz on “Not Poor, Just Broke” by Dick Gregory. This autobiographical account addresses the author’s formative years with emphasis on the transformational incident that caused him to feel personal shame for the first time. 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 mother’s perspective on life
The mother’s job and how it complicates life for the family
How the narrator demonstrates anger at his mother’s treatment
An item hidden in the family closet
The reason for hiding the item
The importance of Helene Tucker
Why the narrator gathers ice from the grocery store
How the teacher treats the narrator
The narrator’s motivations
Why the mother called her son, the narrator, a “little rat”
A terrible incident at the diner and its effect on the narrator
The narrator’s reaction to a visitor
Why the narrator throws a brick through the grocery store window
Incorporate historical nonfiction into the English Language Arts classroom and support the development of high school close reading skills with this set of questions covering “The First Basketball Game.” The essay addresses the origins of basketball, as well as the sport’s gradual evolution. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Make active reading visible by annotating text
Accurately restate what the text says explicitly
Analyze a passage to determine tone
Make sense of unfamiliar phrases and idiomatic expressions
Make and support a claim using relevant and compelling textual evidence
Compare and contrast
Discern author’s purpose
Apply a literary device to the text (situational irony)
Discern meaning from nonfiction text features including graphs and charts
For many high school readers, science fiction is a high-interest genre that maximizes student engagement. “Puppet Show” by Fredric Brown is a sci-fi short story about a supposed alien visitor who is tasked with evaluating humanity’s worthiness to be included in a distinguished organization. With this editable quiz, high school English teachers will be able to evaluate reading comprehension and promote homework accountability. 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:
Setting
Physical characteristics of the visitor
Manuel Casey’s general characterization
The purpose of the alien’s visit
The alien’s mode of communication
The condition under which humanity will learn the secrets to space travel
A definition of xenophobia
The psychological condition of the aliens
Criticism of humankind’s hubris
For many middle and high school readers, realistic and young adult fiction are high-interest genres that maximize engagement with literature. “I, Hungry Hannah Cassandra Glen” by Norma Fox Mazer is a short story told from the perspective of a teen girl whose economic hardships lead her to come up with an unconventional approach to overcoming a predicament. This complementary close reading activity helps students extend beyond reading comprehension and practice high-order thinking skills. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will:
Discern what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Identify the narrative’s inciting incident
Explore character motivations
Examine how complex characters think, behave, and interact with others
Compare and contrast the nature of two separate relationships
Explore what a particular detail reveals about the protagonist’s psychological state
Identify factors that contribute to the emerging conflict between the protagonist and her friend
Identify and explain an example of situational irony
Analyze the author’s use of figurative language to articulate its meaning
Explain the significance of a particular detail
Articulate the symbolism associated with the name “Crow”
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
For many high school readers, horror and environmental fantasy are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “Leiningen Versus the Ants” by Carl Stephenson involves a cataclysmic onslaught of voracious ants and one man’s misguided confidence in eliminating the threat. This editable quiz covering “Leiningen Versus the Ants” helps English teachers promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The protagonist’s intelligence
The protagonist’s profession
How the protagonist’s neighbors reacted to the threat
The Brazilian District Commissioner’s outlook
The protagonist’s shortcomings
The motivations of the ants
Strategies used to combat the ants
How the ants demonstrate resourcefulness
The protagonist’s potentially game-changing idea
The protagonist’s recollections in a moment of crisis
The resolution
For many high school readers, fairy tales and fantasy fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Andersen is about a peasant girl whose obsession with her footwear leads to supernatural events, seemingly divine punishment, and eventual redemption. With this editable quiz on “The Red Shoes,” English teachers will promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
How the protagonist demonstrates his obsession with clothes
The motivations of the visitors
The visitors’ outlandish claims
The protagonist’s motivations
The protagonist’s internal conflict
Means by which the visitors deceive the community
The emperor’s participation in the procession
The resolution
For many high school readers, fairy tales and fantasy fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Andersen is about a peasant girl whose obsession with her footwear leads to supernatural events, seemingly divine punishment, and eventual redemption. Included are the following: a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a worksheet composed of rigorous close reading questions; answer keys; and a copy of the public domain short story. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. With these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including dramatic irony, personification, symbolism, and more
Make logical inferences about the author’s intent
Explore how complex characters think, behave, and interact with others
Make a claim about whether a detail is ironic
Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual details
Explore potential themes
Discern the function of a given paragraph
Connect the text to societally relevant concepts in modern society, such as social mobility
Conduct research to answer questions about autobiographical parallel
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Reinforce the standard conventions of academic writing and perform a quick check of students’ knowledge with this grammar worksheet on complete sentences and fragments. Delivered in printable Word Document format, as well as in PDF format, this resource conveniently offers the option to edit. An answer key is provided.
Reinforce the standard conventions of academic writing and perform a quick check of students’ knowledge with this grammar worksheet, which evaluates students’ abilities to identify improper shifts in verb tenses. With this multiple choice resource, students will identify sentences that demonstrate tense consistency, and teachers will be able to expedite the grading process. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats.
Reinforce the standard conventions of academic writing and perform a quick check of students’ knowledge with this grammar worksheet on the three types of subordinate clauses: adverb clauses, adjective clauses, and noun clauses. Two versions of this activity are provided, including a multiple choice option to expedite take-home grading. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with this resource, students will demonstrate an ability to:
Distinguish among adverb clauses, adjective clauses, and noun clauses
Isolate examples of each type of subordinate clauses
Identify the subjects and verbs in a variety of subordinate clauses
Discern the functions of relative pronouns and noun clauses
Reinforce the standard conventions of academic writing and perform a quick check of students’ knowledge with this grammar worksheet on resolving capitalization errors. Delivered in printable Word Document format, as well as in PDF format, this resource conveniently offers the option to edit. An answer key is provided. By completing this activity, students will demonstrate an ability to:
Capitalize the first word in a sentence
Capitalize names and other proper nouns including names of places, businesses, languages, days, months, holidays, historical events, religions, nationalities, and more
Capitalize family titled like Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa when they are used as a placeholder for a name
Capitalize the first word in a quotation if the quotation is a complete sentence
Capitalize most words in titles, namely the first word, verbs, nouns, proper nouns, adjectives, and adverbs
Capitalize A.M. or P.M. and A.D. and B.C.
Reinforce the standard conventions of academic writing and perform a quick check of students’ knowledge with this grammar worksheet on misplaced and dangling modifiers. With this multiple choice resource, teachers will be able to expedite the grading process. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will demonstrate an ability to:
Identify and avoid misplaced adjectives
Identify and avoid misplaced adverbs
Identify and avoid misplaced phrases
Identify and avoid misplaced clauses
Identify and avoid dangling gerund phrases
Identify and avoid dangling participle phrases
Identify and avoid dangling infinitive phrases
Identify and avoid dangling elliptical phrases
Make corrections to poorly phrased sentences to resolve issues of clarity and logic
For many middle and high school readers, realistic and young adult fiction are high-interest genres that maximize engagement with literature. “A Red Dress” by Alice Munro is a coming-of-age short story told from the perspective of a teen girl who strives and struggles to achieve ordinary happiness. With this editable quiz on “A Red Dress,” English teachers will promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Details concerning the dress
The narrator’s attitude toward a school dance
The reason for the narrator’s dissatisfaction at school
The narrator’s attitude toward her mother
Details concerning secondary characters
Embarrassing complications
The narrator’s emotional reaction to conflict
Mary Fortune’s criticisms
The nature of the narrator’s interaction with her mother in the resolution
Promote homework accountability and evaluate general reading comprehension with this bundle of quizzes covering each Act of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Conclude a unit on William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with this fifty-question test delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. An answer key is included. This assessment is divided into four sections and breaks down as follows.
Part 1. Multiple choice. Students will demonstrate knowledge of character and plot details.
Part 2. True/False and Either Or. Students will identify whether a statement is true or false, or they will identify the correct option between two choices.
Part 3. Matching. Students will match an excerpt with its appropriate context.
Part 4. Multiple choice. Students will be given a detail or excerpt and must determine which literary device is best reflected.
For many reluctant readers, science fiction helps to maximize student engagement. “Robot Dreams” by Isaac Asimov is a cautionary short story involving humanity’s commitment to developing artificial intelligence. This close reading analysis worksheet helps English teachers extend reading comprehension and support the process of critical thinking—while eliminating take-home assessment planning responsibilities. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in a zip file containing editable Word Documents and printable PDFs. By completing the close reading activity, students will perform the following tasks:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Define complex words as they are used in the text
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, pun, and personification
Analyze sentence structures with emphasis on the use of an appositive phrase
Analyze the author’s stylistic choice to capitalize common noun phrases
Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials
Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Engage a variety of middle and high school students with the incorporation of Grimm’s fairy tales into the classroom. “The Elves and the Shoemaker” by the Brothers Grimm is a short story about the positive effects of performing good deeds for others. With this plot-based quiz, teachers will be able to evaluate reading comprehension and promote homework accountability. The brevity of the narrative also helps teachers fill awkward gaps in their teaching schedules. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in a zip file containing editable Word Documents and printable PDFs. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
A defining characteristic of the shoemaker
The shoemaker’s main conflict
How the shoemaker spends each night
The quality of the shoes produced by elves
The effect of the elves on the shoemaker’s business
The holiday during which a key event takes place
The shoemaker’s hiding spot
How the shoemaker’s wife feels toward the elves
The resolution
Engage a variety of middle and high school students with the incorporation of Grimm’s fairy tales into the classroom. “The Queen Bee” by the Brothers Grimm is a short story about the importance of protecting the vulnerable and the positive effects of performing good deeds for others. With this plot-based quiz, teachers will be able to evaluate reading comprehension and promote homework accountability. The brevity of the narrative also helps teachers fill awkward gaps in their teaching schedules. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in a zip file containing editable Word Documents and printable PDFs. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The reason two older brothers left home
A distinguishing characteristic of the two older brothers
The physical appearance of the youngest brother
The nature of the youngest brother’s interactions with his older siblings
How the older brothers react to the sight of an ant hill
An observation at the lake
Strange observations outside the castle
The importance of three tablets
The reason the brothers venture into the woods
The identities of those who help the youngest brother complete his chores
The fate of the brothers