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.
Hold students accountable for reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird with this bundle of comprehension-based quizzes . Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing these assessments, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of the novel:
Point of view
Setting
Jem’s injury
The kids’ mother and father
Calpurnia’s job
Dill
Boo Radley’s background
The dare
Walter Cunningham’s philosophy
The effects of the Great Depression on Maycomb’s citizens
Scout’s fight
The teacher’s reaction to an alarming situation
Perception of the Ewells
Discoveries in the knothole
Jem’s fear for Scout’s life
The irony of the discovery of money
Dill’s claim of a peculiar talents
The rolling tire incident
The game the kids play
Dill and Scout’s relationship
The evolving relationship between Scout and Miss Maudie
Theories pertaining to the mystery of Boo Radley
Miss Maudie’s impressions of Boo
Delivering a note to Boo
A contest between Jem and Dill
The kids’ decision to sneak to the Radley residence
Mr. Radley scaring the kids off
How and why Jem lost his pants
Dill’s excuse for Jem’s lost pants
The lie Jem tells to Atticus
What motivates Jem to leave home in the middle of the night
Jem’s alarming discovery
Items in the knothole
Mr. Radley’s heartbreaking attempt to break Boo’s connection to the outside world
Miss Maudie’s peculiar reaction to the house fire
The blanket wrapped around Scout
Scout’s reaction upon a disturbing discovery
Beating up Cecil Jacobs
Christmas gifts
Scout’s punishment
Atticus discussing the trial with Uncle Jack
The Tim Johnson incident
Why the kids dislike Mrs. Dubose
Mrs. Dubose’s condition
Jem’s misbehavior and subsequent punishment
The true purpose behind Jem’s punishment
“The bravest person I ever knew”
A gift left for Jem
Jem’s misunderstanding of Mrs. Dubose’s intent
Jem’s moodiness
Disappointing news to begin summer
The reason for Atticus’s two-week absence
The incident involving Eunice Ann Simpson
Lula’s treatment of the children
The general reaction of the parishioners toward the children
Calpurnia’s separate identities
Why Alexandra decides to stay with the family
Alexandra’s philosophy on what makes “fine” people
Aunt Alexandra’s feelings toward Calpurnia
The discovery under Scout’s bed
Breaking “the code of childhood”
Dill’s epiphany regarding Boo Radley’s isolation
Jem breaking up the meeting
Atticus and Mr. Underwood outside of the jailhouse
Jem’s concern for his father
The lynch mob
How the lynch mob came to disperse
Dolphus Raymond as a social outcast
The “sad” life of Dolphus Raymond’s children
Who arranges for the children to have seats at the trial
Judge Taylor’s peculiarity
The prosecution’s first witness
The significance of Mayella’s injured eye
Bob Ewell’s testimony
Dramatic irony
The significance of Bob Ewell writing his name
Mayella’s insubordination
Tom Robinson’s injury
Tom’s previous run-in with the law
Why Tom had to serve 30 days
Mayella’s plan to ensure her siblings were not present
Scout’s epiphany regarding Mayella’s loneliness
Link Deas’s support of Tom
Bob Ewell’s comments according to Tom’s testimony
Why Tom frequently helped Mayella
Mr. Gilmer’s treatment of Tom
The major revelation regarding Dolphus Raymond’s condition
Atticus’s summation
Atticus’s peculiar behavior that surprises the kids
Interruption of the court proceedings
Jem’s misunderstanding racial prejudice and the justice system
The jury’s deliberation
The verdict
The African American community’s appreciation of Atticus
Altercation between Bob and Atticus
Alexandra’s strictness
Jem’s opinion on Boo’s isolation
The missionary circle
Mrs. Merriweather’s critical comments
Mrs. Merriweather’s hypocrisy
Tom’s death
The bitter editorial
Bob Ewell’s antagonistic behaviors
Miss Gates’s hypocrisy
Jem’s reaction to the trial’s outcome
Strange incidents in Maycomb
Atticus’s opinion on Bob Ewell’s malicious behaviors
Miss Tutti and Miss Frutti
The pageant and how it was ruined
Jem’s concerns on the way home
The attack
Heck Tate’s discovery at the crime scene
Jem’s method of arriving home
Who saved the kids from Bob’s assault
Atticus’s misunderstanding of the story
Heck Tate’s version of the story
The fairness of hiding the truth
Scout’s awareness of why hiding the truth is acceptable
Scout’s sadness upon recalling items in the knothole
Scout and Atticus’s activity as the novel ends
Atticus’s last lesson he teaches Scout before the novel ends
Measure general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz on chapters 10 through 14 of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. A firsthand account of the author’s experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War, this book is an excellent choice for teachers who want to incorporate more autobiographical nonfiction into their English and/or history classes. In addition to an answer key, an short answer quiz option is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Acts of kindness
Significant realizations among key figures in the text
Coping strategies among key figures in the text
Ominous occurrences
Medical concerns among key figures in the text
Updates on family members
General descriptions of setting
The collective motivation to join the military
Violent events
The effects of war on key figures in the text
And more
“Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin is an example of historical fiction that, when integrated into the English Language Arts classroom, complements American History curricula, as the plot precedes the Civil War and addresses the issue of how race and ethnicity affect one’s life experiences in the South. With this worksheet composed of challenging, text-dependent questions, teachers will help students extend beyond general reading comprehension, exercise close reading analysis skills, and save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Articulate what is stated in the text explicitly and implicitly
Analyze how complex characters think, interact, and behave
Explore character motivations and intentions
Apply knowledge of literary devices including irony and foreshadowing
Analyze the author’s craft, determining how figurative language contributes to storytelling and character development
Articulate point of view
Make logical inferences about the psychological states of characters
Cite textual evidence in support of claims
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
“Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin is an example of historical fiction that, when integrated into the English Language Arts classroom, complements American History curricula, as the plot precedes the Civil War and addresses the issue of how race and ethnicity affect one’s life experiences in the South. With this multiple choice quiz covering the short story, teachers will be able to evaluate general reading comprehension, promote homework accountability, and save valuable time at home without sacrificing quality in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
How Désirée came to be part of the Valmonde family
Armand’s initial attitude toward marrying Désirée
Madame Valmonde’s reaction to the sight of the baby
How Armand’s treatment of others changes after the birth of his child
Désirée’s observations of the plantation visitors
Désirée’s demands of her husband
Madame Valmonde’s response to a letter from Désirée
The final interaction between Armand and Désirée
Désirée’s final action in the story
The fate of Désirée’s belongings
Armand’s surprising discovery
Reduce teacher workload, promote homework accountability, and measure reading comprehension with this bundle of printable quizzes covering the entirety of Bette Greene’s historical fiction novel Summer of My German Soldier. Multiple choice versions and short answer alternatives are provided in addition to answer keys. Materials are delivered in both Word Document and PDF formats. With these resources, middle and high school students will demonstrate general knowledge of characters, setting, historical context, and plot.
Reduce teacher workload, promote homework accountability, and measure reading comprehension with this set of quizzes on chapters 13 through 21 of Bette Greene’s Summer of My German Soldier. A multiple choice version and short answer alternative are provided in addition to an answer key. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. With these resources, middle and high school students will demonstrate general knowledge of characters, setting, historical context, and plot.
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 a meaningful excerpt from chapter 2 of Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. 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 and implicitly
Consult reference materials as needed to learn or verify word meanings
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore how knowledge of the Vietnam War’s outcome emotionally influences the reader
Describe tone in context
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Isolate an example of figurative language
Conduct brief research to identify parallels between the narrator and the author James Baldwin
Decide what the primary function of the excerpt is
Write about complex literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss literature
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 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
Help students better understand the historical context of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah and facilitate the process of researching topics related to Sierra Leone with this low-prep, standards-based resource. Students will choose from thirty relevant subjects—the deposing of Siaka Stevens’ government, the Revolutionary United Front, illegal diamond mining, the West Side Boys, and All People’s Congress to name a few—and navigate credible sources with the goal of teaching others about their topic. A detailed scoring rubric is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks:
Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned text
Conduct research using available resources
Collect and classify reliable sources
Develop successful methods of recording information
Evaluate the credibility of nonfiction texts, taking into consideration readability, date, relevance, expertise, and bias
Apply conventions of MLA formatting
Correctly site resources to avoid plagiarism
Organize information in a cohesive manner, using a note-taking system that includes summary, paraphrasing, and quoted material
Analyze, synthesize, and integrate information, generating a thoughtfully comprehensive report, free of generalities and redundancies
Present information in a formal, coherent manner
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood lends itself to compelling research opportunities for high school students. This low-prep, standards-based project has students investigate topics related to women’s history and human rights around the world: from America (the Fourteenth Amendment, Equal Pay Act, Equal Rights Amendment, etc.) to Canada (the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, etc.), from the Middle East (Benazir Bhutto, the Taliban’s treatment of women, the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, etc.) to Mexico (Laureana Wright de Kleinhans, First Feminist Congress of the Yucatan, etc.). Thirty-nine topics are addressed. Supporting materials—including a detailed scoring rubric—are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Ultimately, students will perform the following tasks:
Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned text
Conduct research using available resources
Collect and classify reliable sources
Develop successful methods of recording information
Evaluate the credibility of nonfiction texts, taking into consideration readability, date, relevance, expertise, and bias
Apply conventions of MLA formatting
Correctly site resources to avoid plagiarism
Organize information in a cohesive manner, using a note-taking system that includes summary, paraphrasing, and quoted material
Analyze, synthesize, and integrate information, generating a thoughtfully comprehensive report, free of generalities and redundancies
Present information in a formal, coherent manner
Evaluate general reading comprehension and align English Language Arts and World History curricula with this plot-based quiz covering Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Old Man at the Bridge,” a piece of historical fiction addressing the Spanish Civil War. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate engagement with the narrative. An answer key and copy of the public domain text are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Point of view
The narrator’s role
Weather conditions
A relevant holiday
The old man’s age
The old man’s home city
The reason the old man is the last person to leave the city
The old man’s personal background
The old man’s health condition
The old man’s perspective on cats
And more
Challenge high school students to go beyond basic reading comprehension and practice close reading analysis skills while engaging with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Covering chapters six and seven, this bundle offers a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a short answer quiz option for re-assessment purposes; a pair of vocabulary games; two close reading worksheets; and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By engaging in these exercises, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Analyze the effect of the author’s phrasing in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including dialect, foreshadowing, slang, simile, and dramatic irony
Determine the greater significance of a particular excerpt
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Determine the greater significance of a given detail
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, personification, allusion, and situational irony
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 6 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Discern the greater significance of a given detail
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including simile, dialect, and dramatic irony
Challenge high school students to go beyond basic reading comprehension and practice close reading analysis skills while engaging with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Covering chapters four and five, this bundle offers a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a short answer quiz option for re-assessment purposes; a pair of vocabulary games; two close reading worksheets; and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources 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
Examine how the author’s language affects the reader
Discern the greater significance of given details
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, hyperbole, allusion, situational irony
Identify the best textual evidence in support of claims
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the greater significance of a given detail
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Reflect on Miss Caroline’s relationship to the town of Maycomb
Challenge high school students to go beyond basic reading comprehension and practice close reading analysis skills while engaging with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Covering chapters one through three, this bundle offers a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a short answer quiz option for re-assessment purposes; a pair of vocabulary games; a synonym activity; three close reading worksheets; and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources 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
Examine how the author’s language affects the reader
Choose the best synonyms to replace words or phrases without changing meaning
Demonstrate knowledge of comma and punctuation rules as they apply to writing dialogue
Discern the greater significance of given details
Analyze how the author’s stylistic choices achieve certain effects such as mystery and suspense
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Determine the tone of given passages
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including simile and situational irony
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Challenge high school students to go beyond basic reading comprehension and practice close reading analysis skills while engaging with To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Covering chapters eight and nine, this bundle offers a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a short answer quiz option for re-assessment purposes; a pair of vocabulary games; two close reading worksheets; and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.
By engaging in these exercises, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Analyze nuances in words with similar meanings
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including simile, metaphor, idiom, hyperbole, and situational irony