A lesson plan including 20 Multiple-choice questions, 2 short-answer essay questions, characterization chart for important movie characters, 5 standardized-test-style essay question with planning space and lined paper (to imitate the real thing!), research project question suggestions and student checklist, detailed plot summary of the movie, links to helpful resources, and works cited pages. Keys included.

The eBook is available on Amazon https://goo.gl/zck2y4 Free excerpt at https://goo.gl/2FymNv ! This includes the MP4 music video with printable handout of lyrics. 100% clean appropriate for all middle school and high school students. Students can reflect and discuss or journal about the topics in the song's lyrics. The main character of the book ("Got the Flow: The Hip-Hop Diary of a Young Rapper") 16-year-old Troy Jones is in the hospital as his mom just survived a heart attack from overworking and stress. He is determined to become a successful rapper to give his mom a better life. Inspired by the pain of the his mom's hospitalization and the fear of his upcoming 3rd rap battle (he lost his first two) he pens this rap to God. The book is due out Fall 2017. THIS SONG IS FREE FOR DOWNLOAD ON SOUNDCLOUD AND FEEL FREE TO SHARE THE MP3. :) Free excerpt and updates at carlossalinaswriting.com! Thanks for listening!

A fun class activity that allows students to nominate a peer for a honorable title such as most talented, most style, funniest, most intelligent etc. You can change the categories and each sheet has 4 voting cards.

This 44-question multiple-choice reading analysis/comprehension test/quiz on the movie Cast Away (2000) starring Tom Hanks has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It also includes two essay open-ended questions about the film and characters. Show the movie and feel confident that students will see it through a language arts and English class lens. It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection, plot development, point of view, making inferences, literary devices, and figurative language. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. Answer key and writing rubric included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED) (From Corestandards.com): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text/film/media says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text/film/media. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! This lesson is student-centered, meaning: --it allows you to become a facilitator! --happier teachers! --happier students! --happier administrators!

This lesson is aimed to help comprehension and analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”. This quiz has fifteen multiple-choice questions as well as two open-ended essay questions that will require students to analyze the story at higher levels of cognition. The questions are purposely ordered to begin at the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and progressively work up the levels with each successive question. Includes links to free printable story text, videos, and answer key.

This 17-question multiple-choice reading analysis/comprehension test/quiz on “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” Poem by Maya Angelou has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection, plot development, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary, literary devices, and figurative language. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) and are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Includes link to free file of the text so each student can get their own copy to annotate. Answer key included. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED) (From Corestandards.com): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Editable MS Word Doc. This lesson is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

A short 1-page quiz on figurative language (metaphor, simile, dialogue, and hyperbole) with a short dialogue to test students’ grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation skills. 10 questions total (3 multiple-choice, 3 open-ended, 4 correct-the-sentence), about 30-45 min completion time. Includes answer key. This lesson is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

*Teacher’s note: It is recommended that paragraphs be numbered before copies are given to students. This helps students locate answers to questions with references to specific paragraphs of the text. This particular reading selection has 100 paragraphs. This 39-question multiple-choice reading comprehension and analysis test on the short story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant (from the textbook HOLT McDOUGAL LITERATURE, GRADE 9 ISBN-10: 0547115784) has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection including: plot development, characterization, author’s purpose, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary (including words from SAT/ACT exams), literary devices, figurative language, fact & opinion, analogies, main idea, summarization, and other elements of literature. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Teachers are encouraged to remove/add questions as they see fit for their students. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! *PLEASE NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, this product does not contain the reading selection(s). Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

This 11-question multiple-choice reading comprehension and analysis test on the poem “Today” by Billy Collins (from the textbook HOLT McDOUGAL LITERATURE, GRADE 9 ISBN-10: 0547115784) has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection including: author’s purpose, point of view, literary devices, figurative language, summarization, analogies, and other elements of literature. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Teachers are encouraged to remove/add questions as they see fit for their students. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! **PLEASE NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, this product does not contain the reading selection(s). Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

This 27-question multiple-choice reading analysis/comprehension test/quiz on the short story “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimov has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection, plot development, characterization, author’s purpose, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary, literary devices, and figurative language. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Includes link to free file of the text so each student can get their own copy to annotate. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED) (From Corestandards.com): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! This lesson is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

This 20-question multiple-choice reading comprehension and analysis test on the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection including: author’s purpose, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary, literary devices, figurative language, analogies, and other elements of literature. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Teachers are encouraged to remove/add questions as they see fit for their students. Includes link to free file of the text so each student can get their own copy to annotate. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED) (From Corestandards.com): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. This product is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

This 17-question multiple-choice reading analysis/comprehension test/quiz on “A Dream Within a Dream” Poem by Edgar Allan Poe has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary, literary devices, and figurative language. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) and are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Includes link to free file of the text so each student can get their own copy to annotate. Answer key included. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED) (From Corestandards.com): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Editable MS Word Doc. This lesson is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

This 18-question multiple-choice reading comprehension and analysis test on “The House on Mango Street”, “My Name”, and “Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes” vignettes by Sandra Cisneros has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised) and will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection including: plot development, characterization, author’s purpose, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary (including words from SAT/ACT exams), literary devices, figurative language, fact & opinion, analogies, main idea, summarization, and other elements of literature. The reading selection comes from the textbook HOLT McDOUGAL LITERATURE, GRADE 9 ISBN-10: 0547115784. These questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Teachers are encouraged to remove/add questions as they see fit for their students. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! **PLEASE NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, this product does not contain the reading selection(s). **PLEASE NOTE: It is recommended that paragraphs be numbered as some questions refer to specific paragraphs in the selection. Paragraph numbering restarts for each vignette. This product is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

Helps students investigate body systems including the circulatory (heart & blood), respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive, excretory, reproductive, integumentary (skin/hair/nails), nervous, and endocrine (glands/hormones) system. Editable Word document! Includes rubric, helpful instructional videos, works cited page, and other helpful internet links. This lesson is student-centered meaning: -it allows you to become a facilitator -happier teachers -happier students -happier administrators

This 3-page sketch about a politically-correct heckler at a football game is perfect for older middle school and all high school kids. The heckler insults the player for his lack of skills then quickly follows up with a politically correct statement pertaining to the insult! Being a huge fan of comedy, I have studied the greatest sketches of Saturday Night Live, MAD TV, Key and Peele, Monty Python, Hugh and Laurie, The Three Stooges, Groucho Marx, and the kids’ comedy sketch show All That. Charlie Chaplin said “A day without laughter is a day wasted” so I want to pass on the love of comedy and humor to students. These sketches are fresh, witty, sarcastic, and mixed with slapstick humor and are intended to strengthen students’ drama and theater skills while enjoying humor. I ask you to please provide feedback on what you liked/disliked, and suggestions for improvement! I plan to write many, many more but would like to see what the response is first. The roles (6 minimum) in this particular sketch are: Referee with a whistle Quarterback Heckler (Bully) wearing a baseball hat Announcer 2 security officials Other football players (optional) Please contact me if you would like to record and publish your interpretation of any of these sketches and I would be very happy to work with you! Editable MS Word Doc. This lesson is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

This 46-question multiple-choice reading comprehension and analysis test on the short story “Daughter of Invention” by Julia Alvarez (from the textbook HOLT McDOUGAL LITERATURE, GRADE 9 ISBN-10: 0547115784) has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection including: plot development, characterization, author’s purpose, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary (including words from SAT/ACT exams), literary devices, figurative language, fact & opinion, analogies, main idea, summarization, and other elements of literature. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Teachers are encouraged to remove/add questions as they see fit for their students. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! *PLEASE NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, this product does not contain the reading selection(s).

*Teacher’s note: It is recommended teachers number the paragraphs of the selection before handing copies to students. This helps students locate answers to questions with references to specific lines or quotations from the text. This particular reading selection has 148 paragraphs total. The signs that read “TIME SAFARI, INC.… YOU SHOOT IT” (2 signs total) are counted as part of the preceding paragraph and not as individual paragraphs. This 57-question multiple-choice reading comprehension and analysis test on the short story “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury (from the textbook HOLT McDOUGAL LITERATURE, GRADE 9 ISBN-10: 0547115784) has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection including: plot development, characterization, author’s purpose, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary, literary devices, figurative language, fact & opinion, analogies, main idea, summarization, and other elements of literature. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Teachers are encouraged to remove/add questions as they see fit for their students. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! *PLEASE NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, this product does not contain the reading selection(s).

This 100-question multiple-choice reading analysis/comprehension test/quiz on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2017, rated-PG) movie has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It also includes two optional essay open-ended questions about the film and characters. Show the movie and feel confident that students will see it through a language arts and English class lens. It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the movie, plot development, point of view, making inferences, literary devices, and figurative language. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. Includes link to rent/buy/stream the film on Amazon. Answer key and writing rubric included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED) (From Corestandards.com): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text/film/media says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text/film/media. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! This lesson is student-centered, meaning: –it allows you to become a facilitator! –happier teachers! –happier students! –happier administrators!

This 14-question multiple-choice reading comprehension and analysis test on the poem “Elegy for the Giant Tortoises” by Margaret Atwood (from the textbook HOLT McDOUGAL LITERATURE, GRADE 9 ISBN-10: 0547115784) has questions from different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised). It will test students’ literal and interpretive understanding of the selection including: author’s purpose, point of view, making inferences, vocabulary (including words from SAT/ACT exams), literary devices, figurative language, analogies, and other elements of literature. Questions are modeled after standardized tests (SAT, ACT, and state tests) to familiarize students with the structure and vocabulary of standardized test questions. Questions are spaced 1.5 lines apart for comfortable reading. The questions also encourage students to go back and re-read key parts of the selection, a crucial skill for comprehension and improving reading stamina. Teachers are encouraged to remove/add questions as they see fit for their students. Answer key included. Editable MS Word Doc. You can use this product for years and years! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! **PLEASE NOTE: Due to copyright restrictions, this product does not contain the reading selection(s). Objectives/US Standards (SUGGESTED): Students are expected to: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

A PowerPoint presentation created to inspire students to stay in school and achieve great things. Heroes include Dr. Jonas Salk, Michael Jordan, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, and others. I included male and female role models and journal prompts for student writing. This lesson is student-centered meaning: --it allows you to become a facilitator --happier teachers --happier students --happier administrators