Help middle and 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 the short story “The War of the Wall” by Toni Cade Bambara. 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 different point of view would fundamentally change the story Determine the functions of given excerpts Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including idiom, onomatopoeia, situational irony, and symbolism Consider themes in context Conduct research as needed to answer questions about relevant plot points 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 War of the Wall” by Toni Cade Bambara. A vocabulary application worksheet, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: aroma, beckon, courtesies, drawl, epoxy, fuss, hipshot, inscription, integration, liberation, loose, mutter, petal, satchel, scheme, and squinch. 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 Lurking Fear” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of horror and supernatural fiction: ghosts, unsolved murders, secret investigations, and bizarre creatures. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: General description of the narrator Setting A gruesome inciting incident Preparations for an emergency escape Secondary characters and their fates Natural disasters that transpire The distinguishing physical characteristic of an antagonist The narrator’s peculiar observations Complications facing the narrator A new demonic attack A physical description of monstrous beings The beings’ horrifying behavior The resolution

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 “The Lurking Fear” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of horror and supernatural fiction: ghosts, unsolved murders, secret investigations, and bizarre creatures. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this 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 Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including assonance and sibilance 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 literaturetly and implicitly Write with clarity, logic, and precision

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement “The Lurking Fear” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of horror and supernatural fiction: ghosts, unsolved murders, secret investigations, and bizarre creatures. A vocabulary application worksheet, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the public domain text, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: antediluvian, assiduousness, baleful, bough, brood, callous, caprice, decadent, decrepitude, desolate, effulgence, eldritch, elucidate, ensanguine, exhume, fetid, furtive, gibber, hoary, infer, languidly, leer, liable, menial, nebulous, portentous, precede, precipitous, shudder, sordid, specter, subterranean, summon, taciturn, ululation, vacuous, vain, verminous, 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 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 “Dagon” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of horror and supernatural fiction: a psychologically fragile protagonist, isolation in the middle of the ocean, the discovery of a newly risen island, and a humanoid creature. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are 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 with emphasis on how the author creates and sustains an atmosphere of dread Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including consonance and foreshadowing 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 “Dagon” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of horror and supernatural fiction: a psychologically fragile protagonist, isolation in the middle of the ocean, the discovery of a newly risen island, and a humanoid creature. A vocabulary application worksheet, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the public domain text, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: anthropologist, appreciable, bestow, competent, crude, declivity, detestable, eminence, espy, fowl, hastily, monolith, monotonous, parching, peer, penniless, prodigious, scarcely, scrutiny, shudder, squalid, Stygian, transient, undulation, vaguely, wane, weary, and zenith. 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 “Dagon” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of horror and supernatural fiction: a psychologically fragile protagonist, isolation in the middle of the ocean, the discovery of a newly risen island, and a humanoid creature. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: The origin of the narrator’s captors The narrator’s work-related duties The narrator’s psychological condition How the narrator copes with his circumstances The means by which the narrator escapes The conditions of a strange island A stunning discovery The behavior of a strange creature Where the narrator eventually wakes up The narrator’s feelings A major decision in the resolution

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 Patricia McKissack’s short story “The 11:59,” a narrative addressing the futility of controlling fate. 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 Describe the tone of a given comment Determine the functions of given excerpts Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, foreshadowing, oxymoron, personification, situational irony, and more Consider themes in context Conduct research as needed to answer questions about relevant plot points 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 War of the Wall” by Toni Cade Bambara. The resource may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: The narrator’s feelings toward the wall The narrator’s feelings toward the painter The name of the person whose name is chiseled into the wall The general characterization of the narrator’s mother The Morris twins’ offer to the painter Why the narrator’s mother says an artist’s life is hard What the narrator’s mother thinks is a real shame The narrator’s devious plans Historical figures painted on the wall The significance of the painted flowers Side Pocket’s observations about the mural The painter’s identity

Help middle and 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 the short story “A Day’s Wait” by Ernest Hemingway. 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 Choose the most appropriate synonym to replace an adjective in the text 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 alliteration, assonance, cacophony, and sibilance Consider themes in context Come to class better prepared to discuss literature

Help middle and high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering “The Twelve Huntsmen,” a classic Grimm’s fairy tale. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Consult reference materials as needed to verify word meanings Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on anthropomorphism, assonance, dramatic irony, foreshadowing, hyperbole, metaphor, sibilance, simile, and situational irony Consider themes in context Argue whether the narrative perpetuates stereotypes about women or fights against stereotypes about women 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 classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Twelve Huntsmen.” Alternatively, the assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: The protagonist’s personal tragedy An internal conflict the protagonist experiences The maiden’s personal desires The special quality of the lion Incidents characterized by dramatic irony The maiden’s medical incident The significance of a ring The resolution

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “The Twelve Huntsmen.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain short story, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: acrimonious, betrothed, counsel, doleful, entreat, exultant, genial, harrow, infirm, jovial, latter, subdue, summon, and treachery. 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 Tomb” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of Gothic fantasy that evokes the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which is especially fitting for the Halloween season, are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: The narrator’s confinement The protagonist’s self-image The name of a long-gone family The legend surrounding the long-gone family The protagonist’s interest in the legend from a young age The protagonist’s attempts to gain access to a tomb The reason the protagonist stops trying to access the tomb Aspects of the protagonist’s characterization that astound his family The protagonist’s ancestry A discovery in the attic A discovery inside the vault How the narrator’s parents demonstrate concern for their son Events that seem to transpire when the protagonist enters the cellar The protagonist’s intensifying phobia The contents of an antique box A servant’s actions to help the narrator

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 “The Tomb” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of Gothic fantasy that evokes the works of Edgar Allan Poe. A detailed answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which is especially fitting for the Halloween season, are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Make logical inferences about the author’s inspiration Examine how the protagonist is introduced Explore the functions of given paragraphs Examine cause-and-effect relationships Discern the intended effect of the author’s diction Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text Examine the connotative significance of words or phrases Apply knowledge of various literary devices including personification and onomatopoeia Draw parallels between the narrator and the mythical figure Theseus Articulate how a particular paragraph contributes to character development Explore the symbolic importance of incidents and objects including the extinguishing of light and a lightning bolt Examine the nature of the relationship between the narrator and his family Explain an example of situational irony in the context of a given paragraph Consider the role of an unreliable narrator in the context of the plot Justify responses with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision