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.
Help high school students explore literary craft with this activity covering H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Outsider.” With this worksheet, students will isolate and reflect upon textual details the author provided to establish a suspenseful tone that is consistent with the conventions of Dark Romanticism. An answer key is provided, as well as a copy of the narrative, which makes for an excellent addition to a Halloween-themed short story unit for grades 9 through 12. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this literary craft analysis activity, students will:
Isolate examples of compelling sensory description
Isolate characterization details that elicit emotional responses from readers
Reflect upon traditional aspects of the Halloween season and identify textual details that evoke those aspects
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on dramatic irony, foreshadowing, personification, situational irony, and symbolism
Convey information through speech and writing in a coherent manner
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz addressing chapters 18, 19, and 20 of Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. This assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with literature. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
A plan to meet with Carl Luce for drinks
An observation that calls to mind Allie
Holden’s thoughts about joining the military
Holden’s characterization of Carl Luce
Holden’s line of questioning (lack of maturity)
Holden’s decision to get drunk
A drunken phone call to Sally
Dropping and breaking the record
Holden’s thoughts about death and his own funeral
A decision to return home
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz addressing chapters 16 and 17 of Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. This assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with literature. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Holden’s thoughts as he sees the nuns
A gift for Phoebe (“Little Shirley Beans”)
A phone call to Jane
Holden’s search for his sister
An encounter with a girl who claims to know Holden’s sister
Holden’s thoughts about time as he visits the museum
Holden’s date with Sally
Sally’s flirtatiousness
Holden’s emotional instability and its influence on his treatment of Sally
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz addressing chapters 13, 14, and 15 of Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. This assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with literature. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Holden’s imagination
Holden’s confession (fearfulness)
An offer from the elevator operator
The cost of the offer
Holden’s perceptions on what women want
Holden’s attempt to avoid intimacy with Sunny
A violent altercation
Holden’s guilt over an incident involving Allie
Holden’s thoughts on organized religion
A date with Sally
Holden’s mother and her health
Holden’s feelings toward his mother
Holden’s thoughts on money and its effect on people
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz addressing chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. This assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with literature. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Holden’s difficulties in falling asleep
A late-night conversation with Ackley
Holden’s decision to leave for New York abruptly
Holden’s decision to delay returning to his parents’ apartment
Holden’s train ride encounter with Ms. Morrow and the ensuing conversation
Holden’s hypocrisy
Holden’s loneliness
Holden’s attempt to set himself up on a date
Holden’s judgment of many other hotel patrons
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 George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Featuring a brief passage about the threat proles could pose to the Party from Book 1, chapter 7, this activity may be assigned as independent homework or as a collaborative classroom exercise. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading worksheet, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on aposiopesis, simile, situational irony, and symbolism
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
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 George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Featuring a brief passage about Winston’s recollections of his mother and sister from Book 2, chapter 7, this activity may be assigned as independent homework or as a collaborative classroom exercise. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading worksheet, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including sibilance and simile
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
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 George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Featuring a brief passage about the contrasts between wars of the past and of the present from Book 2, chapter 9, this activity may be assigned as independent homework or as a collaborative classroom exercise. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading worksheet, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Articulate the purpose of newspapers and other media, as well as why that purpose is significant
Describe tone in context
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
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
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 George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Featuring a brief passage about the Party’s definition of reality from Book 3, chapter 2, this activity may be assigned as independent homework or as a collaborative classroom exercise. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading worksheet, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including anaphora and situational irony
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
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 George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Featuring a brief passage about Parsons’s pitiful loyalty to the Party from Book 3, chapter 1, this activity may be assigned as independent homework or as a collaborative classroom exercise. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading worksheet, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques
Determine the function of an excerpt
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including oxymoron and situational irony
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 set of two quizzes covering Book 3, chapters 4 through 6, of George Orwell’s 1984. A multiple choice quiz and short answer option are included. Use one for post-reading comprehension checks, and use the other as a guided reading worksheet or re-assessment opportunity. Answer keys are also provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Winston’s nightmare
Winston’s confession that he still hates the Party
Room 101
Winston’s worst nightmare and O’Brien’s most effective torture technique
Winston’s means of getting out of his torturous situation (betrayal)
A reunion at the Chestnut Tree Café
Winston’s ultimate feelings about Big Brother
News about the war
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this set of two quizzes covering Book 2, chapters 7 and 8, of George Orwell’s 1984. A multiple choice quiz and short answer option are included. Use one for post-reading comprehension checks, and use the other as a guided reading worksheet or re-assessment opportunity. Answer keys are also provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Winston’s nightmare
Winston’s previous belief that he was responsible for his mom’s death
A flood of memories returning
The Party’s influence on its members
How Winston and Julia are jeopardizing their own safety
Winston and Julia’s desire to join the Brotherhood
An encounter with O’Brien
Winston’s feelings after his meeting with O’Brien
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this set of two quizzes covering Book 2, chapters 4 through 6, of George Orwell’s 1984. A multiple choice quiz and short answer option are included. Use one for post-reading comprehension checks, and use the other as a guided reading worksheet or re-assessment opportunity. Answer keys are also provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The room Winston rents
Julia’s encounter with a rat
The significance of the paperweight
Winston’s imagination as he stares into the paperweight
The expected vanishing of a character
Winston’s reaction to the singing of a prole woman
The hate song and other preparations for Hate Week
Julia’s accusations against the Party
An encounter with O’Brien
O’Brien’s offer to Winston
Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 3, scene 2, of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided.
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.
More specifically, 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 intended effect of Shakespearean language in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Determine the tone of a given excerpt
Consider autobiographical parallel, drawing an informed inference about Shakespeare’s philosophy on the purpose of dramatic performances based on details provided in this scene
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students extend beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on the Gothic short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. 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 activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Analyze the nature of character relationships and interactions
Examine grammatically correct structure
Define complex words and phrases as they are used in the text
Identify the best evidence of foreshadowing in a given passage
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including verbal irony
Make logical inferences about the protagonist’s mindset and motivations
Identify relevant textual evidence in support of a claim or idea
For many high school students, the horror genre promotes more active engagement with literature. “The Terrible Old Man” by H.P. Lovecraft is a concise horror story featuring plot elements such as robbery, a character who dabbles in the occult, and mutilated corpses—making the narrative a particularly compelling read during the Halloween season. This multiple choice quiz on “The Terrible Old Man” helps English teachers promote homework accountability, evaluate reading comprehension, and save 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. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Setting
Rumors circulating about the Terrible Old Man
Details that suggest something sinister about the Terrible Old Man
What curious people see when they look into the Terrible Old Man’s window
A peculiar habit of the Terrible Old Man
The means by which three men in the story make their living
An alarming physical characteristic of the Terrible Old Man
A disturbing discovery
An implied hobby of the Terrible Old Man
The background of the Terrible Old Man
Measure and extend reading comprehension of the second third of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale (chapters 18-30). Included are two assessments for differentiation purposes, one subjective and one objective. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered as Word Documents and PDFs.
Questions pertain to the following important details:
Luke’s plans according to Offred
The relationship between Offred and her mother
Birthing day
Moira’s tense escape
The Commander’s private request of Offred
A test of loyalty
A present
Changes in the Ceremony
The evolution in the relationship with Ofglen
Significant life events of the past
A Latin phrase
A question of purpose and a desire for normalcy
With this multiple choice, plot-based quiz covering the third chapter of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, high school English teachers will be able to evaluate reading comprehension and promote homework accountability. A short answer version is also provided, along with answer keys. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this quiz, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The flamboyant nature of Gatsby’s parties
The enduring mystery of Gatsby’s background
Sensationalized rumors surrounding Gatsby
Owl Eyes’ surprising realization about Gatsby’s books
Nick and Gatsby’s shared past
Nick’s characterization of Gatsby’s smile
Gatsby’s manner of speaking to others
Gatsby’s general behavior at his own party
Gatsby’s request to see Jordan
The drunken incident involving Owl Eyes
Nick’s characterization of Jordan
Support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this worksheet composed of challenging questions to complement “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this resource helps teachers save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key is included, as well as a copy of the public domain short story. By completing this activity, students will do the following:
Locate evidence in support of the claim that Rainsford lacks critical thinking abilities in the story’s exposition
Locate evidence in support of the claim that Rainsford shows blatant disregard for potential threats in the story’s exposition
Evaluate whether Rainsford believes he is better or worse off after encountering the anguished screams of a creature he cannot identify
Articulate the irony in Rainsford’s inability to classify the aforementioned anguished screams, and how this detail allows readers make predictions about the plot
Locate evidence in support of the claim that Rainsford and Zaroff share common traits
Apply knowledge of verbal irony and articulate what makes the statement verbally ironic
Apply knowledge of foreshadowing and articulate what an incident foreshadows
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based, multiple choice quiz covering chapters 1 through 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An alternate short answer version is provided for re-assessment purposes. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following plot elements:
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