Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 4 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: Setting The prophecy of the first apparition The imagery of the second apparition The effect of the second apparition’s prophecy on Macbeth’s mindset Macbeth’s curiosity about the future Lennox’s interaction with Macbeth Lady Macduff’s anger at her husband Ross’s attempts to assuage Lady Macduff’s anger A messenger’s ominous message Malcolm’s cleverness News regarding Macduff’s family The conclusion of Act 4

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 1, scene 4, 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 complex and archaic words as they are used in the text Determine the function of a given excerpt Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor and personification 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 1, 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 Infer the intended effect of Shakespeare’s figurative language Discern tone in context Define complex and archaic words as they are used in the text Examine cause-and-effect relationships Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including sibilance, verbal irony, and allusion Identify the best textual evidence in support of claims and inferences

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 1, 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 Discern tone in context Discern the intended effect of Shakespeare’s figurative language Define complex and archaic words as they are used in the text Examine cause-and-effect relationships Determine the function of a given excerpt Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including assonance, simile, metaphor, and foreshadowing

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 7, 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 Explain the dual interpretations of a given phrase Discern the intended effect of figurative language in context Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop Analyze how Macbeth’s circumstances have changed since preceding scenes transpired Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on onomatopoeia Support inferences and claims 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 5 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: The effect of Macbeth’s absence on Lady Macbeth The side effects of Lady Macbeth’s guilt A doctor’s discovery Macbeth’s attitude toward his war generals Malcolm’s demands of his men Macbeth’s hubris The news that causes Macbeth to change his perspective Macbeth’s reaction to a messenger The reason for Macbeth’s rekindled hope Macbeth’s battle with a young man Macduff’s ultimate act of conquering his enemy The resolution

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering chapters 28, 29, and 30 of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the novel. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: The Joads’ financial situation Ruthie’s fight and revelation Tom’s reflective thoughts Tom’s significant decision Al and Agnes’s decision to get married Horrendous weather conditions How to men may remain strong according to the women The need to build an embankment Rose of Sharon’s stillborn child Rose of Sharon’s role in trying to save a dying man

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering chapters 25, 26, and 27 of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the novel. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: Destruction of excess crops/food Duration of time spent at Weedpatch camp Ma’s decision to move the family onward Complications in preparations to leave An offer to pick peaches Ma’s interaction with the Hooper Ranch clerk The re-appearance of Jim Casy A strike against the Hooper Ranch The death of Jim Casy Tom’s reaction to the death of Jim Casy A decision to leave the peach farm

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering chapters 22, 23, and 24 of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the novel. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: Life in the government-sponsored camp The generosity of Timothy and Wilkie Wallace The demands of the Farmers’ Association “Red agitators” The Farmers’ Association’s plan to cause trouble Mrs. Sandy’s scary warning to Rose of Sharon Ma’s feelings of sadness and loss Ezra Huston’s big responsibility The mountain men of Akron, Ohio The “turkey shoot”

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering chapters 19, 20, and 21 of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the novel. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: California’s history American squatters’ sense of entitlement to land The perceived threat of the Okies Granma’s body Hoovervilles The characterization of Floyd Knowles The reason for an employment “blacklist” A mistake Connie thinks he and Rose of Sharon made The arrest of Floyd Knowles Tom tripping the police officer Casy’s willingness to take the fall Uncle John’s dejection Tom’s belief the family needs to move on before more trouble erupts An armed, angry mob

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering chapters 4, 5, and 6 of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the novel. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: An encounter with Jim Casy Jim Casy’s former profession Jim Casy’s revelation Jim Casy’s philosophical/religious belief Tom’s conviction Tom’s experience in prison Tom’s farm The eviction of farmers What happened to Tom’s family The family’s work Where Tom and his acquaintances sleep

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 4, scene 2, 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 Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop 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 5, 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 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 Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing and situational irony 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

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 5, 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 Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on foreshadowing, situational irony, and symbolism 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

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 5, scene 2, 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 Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Articulate why Shakespeare may have made this scene so short 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

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 5, scene 4, 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 Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including personification, simile, and anaphora 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

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 5, scene 5, 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 Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including personification and metaphor 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

Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe. The quiz may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate more active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot: The narrator’s appreciation of analytical power Where the narrator had visited General character details about Dupin The narrator and Dupin’s shared appreciation for literature The narrator’s general perception of Dupin A quick development in the friendship between Dupin and the narrator The narrator’s fondness for moodiness and isolation A peculiar quality Dupin seems to have The details of a newspaper article The identities of two homicide victims General character details about Le Bon Dupin’s conclusions regarding the homicide

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 Raven,” which centers on themes of persistence and resilience. An answer key and copy of the public domain 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 Discern the function of a given excerpt Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, hyperbole, pun, paradox, symbolism, and more Explore relevant themes in context Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about fairy tale fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision