Help middle and high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading inference worksheet covering the short story “Priscilla and the Wimps” by Richard Peck. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques Determine the function of a given passage Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, invective, situational irony, zoomorphism, and more Consider themes in context Write about literature with clarity, precision, and accuracy Support claims and inferences with relevant evidence and sound reasoning Come to class better prepared to discuss literature

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Richard Peck’s short story “Priscilla and the Wimps.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: bionic, immense, inclined, laceration, malnutrition, pun, straggler, suitable, trot, and wittiness. 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 Selma Lagerlöf’s short story “The Legend of the Christmas Rose.” The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the text are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot: Setting How the family gets by A mother’s conversation with an abbot An abbot’s conversation with an archbishop An archbishop’s skepticism of a legend Strange incidents in the forest General characterization of a lay brother A tragic incident The fate of the lay brother The fate of the family And more

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Selma Lagerlöf’s short story “The Legend of the Christmas Rose.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: adder, ajar, celestial, cloister, coax, delude, derisively, desolate, diligence, haste, haughty, implore, lamentation, larder, malefactor, meek, parish, perdition, peril, plead, promptly, prostrate, reverent, saunter, stalwart, strident, subdue, wander, wane, wayfarer, and zealous. 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 Edgar Allan Poe’s allegory “The Island of the Fay.” The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. This piece is a surprising departure from the grotesque and instead focuses more on philosophy and spirituality. An answer key and copy of the text are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot: The narrator’s appreciation of the natural world The narrator’s observations The narrator’s perceptions of humanity Nature’s effect on humanity The peculiar qualities of the island And more

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the 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: agreeable, bound, brood, disposition, endure, fancies, farther, fragrant, hasten, moor, obliged, persecute, plumage, privation, saucy, seldom, spiteful, and whet. 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

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Yasunari Kawabata’s short story “The Jay.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: abruptly, assiduously, cataracts, emaciated, foliage, frail, furtively, indignation, intransigence, kimono, nephritis, plaintively, stifle, vaguely, and winsome. 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

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: affliction, antiquarian, catechism, conjectures, decrepit, deign, disperse, exasperated, frivolous, gale, grandeur, haughty, hermetic, impede, impertinence, ingenuous, iridescent, magnanimous, myrrh, parish, penitents, proliferate, prudence, repose, reverence, scarcely, stern, ungainly, and unwary. 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

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Sphinx.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: apex, apparition, apprehension, demeanor, diffusion, epoch, fortnight, germination, heartily, knell, liability, omen, principal, proboscis, propinquity, quell, redolent, reign, and temperament. 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

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story “Tuesday Siesta.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: cassock, farther, galvanized, interminable, murmur, oppressive, parasol, parish, permeate, pious, scrutinize, serenity, siesta, spinster, and stifling. 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 middle and high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering the short story “Early Autumn” by Langston Hughes. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension 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 metaphor and symbolism Consider themes in context Write about literature with clarity, precision, and accuracy Support claims and inferences with relevant evidence and sound reasoning Come to class better prepared to discuss literature

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Guy de Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: boudoir, caste, convent, coquettish, descend, dictation, dowry, endeavor, frowsy, garret, hierarchy, immoderate, impoverished, noctambulant, odious, privation, sole, stammer, tureen, usurer, and vestibule. 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, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of materials for teaching the science fiction short story “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury. A plot-based quiz, a close reading worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will: Read for literal comprehension Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences Infer the intended effects of the author’s stylistic choices and narrative techniques Describe tone in context Determine the functions of given passages and characters Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including epiphany, foreshadowing, metaphor, simile, situational irony, symbolism, and more Consider themes in context Write about literature with clarity, precision, and accuracy Support claims and inferences with relevant evidence and sound reasoning Come to class better prepared to discuss literature

Help middle and high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering the science fiction short story “The Test” by Theodore Thomas. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Read for literal comprehension Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques Interpret the various meanings of the title Demonstrate knowledge of relevant literary genres Determine the functions of given passages and characters Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, simile, situational irony, and more Evaluate the effectiveness of the test administered to the protagonist Consider themes in context Write about literature with clarity, precision, and accuracy Support claims and inferences with relevant evidence and sound reasoning 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 Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot: The husband’s professional background General characterization of Mathilde What the husband brings home The source of Mathilde’s frustration What the husband intended to do with his savings What he actually does with his savings What happens to the necklace The couple’s debt The consequences of their debt Madame Forestier’s admission And more

Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Ray Bradbury’s science fiction short story “The Veldt.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: abruptly, abstractedly, bemused, conjure, emanations, flue, intersperse, jaunt, joviality, neuroses, persecute, recede, subside, telepathic, thatched, and veldt. 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