For many middle and high school readers, realistic and young adult fiction are high-interest genres that maximize engagement with literature. “A Red Dress” by Alice Munro is a coming-of-age short story told from the perspective of a teen girl who strives and struggles to achieve ordinary happiness. With this editable quiz on “A Red Dress,” English teachers will promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: Details concerning the dress The narrator’s attitude toward a school dance The reason for the narrator’s dissatisfaction at school The narrator’s attitude toward her mother Details concerning secondary characters Embarrassing complications The narrator’s emotional reaction to conflict Mary Fortune’s criticisms The nature of the narrator’s interaction with her mother in the resolution

For many high school readers, horror and supernatural fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “Before I Wake” by Jim Cort features elements consistent with both genres: psychological deterioration, heightened emotions, grim imagery, a suspicious death, and more. This multiple choice quiz covering “Before I Wake” helps English teachers promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included, but since the short story is not in the public domain, purchasers are responsible for acquiring their own copy of the text. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Questions pertain to the following key details: Leonard Zanelli’s profession Events preceding David Conklin’s arrest A fear of falling asleep Details of Conklin’s terrifying dreams Physical effects of the dream Factors contributing to Conklin’s suicide The medical examiner’s report Details of Zanelli’s personal letter

Gothic fiction and horror are genres that maximize many high school students’ engagement with literature. “In the Vault” by H.P. Lovecraft is one such short story. It features elements such as entrapment, mutilated corpses, and the avenging of wrongdoing—making the narrative a particularly chilling read during the Halloween season. This rigorous worksheet on “In the Vault” helps English teachers support the development of close reading analysis skills and save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, secondary students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Apply knowledge of various literary devices including foreshadowing, situational irony, allusion, and theme Analyze context clues and draw logical inferences about characterization/character motivations Define complex words as they are used in the text Identify relevant textual details in support of a claim Analyze the author’s craft to determine the his intent Discern the tone of a passage Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

For many high school students, supernatural fiction is a genre that maximizes engagement with literature. “The Moon Bog” by H.P. Lovecraft features strange beings, mind manipulations, and even implied social criticism of humanity’s greed and treatment of the environment. This rigorous worksheet on “The Moon Bog” helps English teachers support the development of close reading analysis skills and save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will: Articulate what the text states explicitly and implicitly Analyze context clues and draw logical inferences about character mindsets and motivations Apply knowledge of various literary devices including foreshadowing, situational irony, and dramatic irony Define complex words as they are used in the text by taking into consideration denotative and connotative meanings Support responses with relevant textual evidence Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Support the development of close reading skills for middle and high school with this set of comprehension and analysis questions on “The Godfather,” a short story by the Brothers Grimm. The variety of question types will also help prepare students for standardized testing scenarios; emphasis is placed on how the Brothers Grimm use direct description to create a complex narrative with a surreal tone. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story (estimated Lexile measure of 700-800) are provided. This resource is most suitable for a short story unit at the middle school level, and it may also be useful for struggling readers in a high school setting. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. Questions pertain to the following: Identifying what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Demonstrating understanding of the narrative’s surreal tone, identifying several pieces of textual evidence that advances the tone Exploring character motivations, whether explicitly stated in the text or implied through character actions, and articulating responses clearly Analyzing character interactions to discern character intent Responding clearly, concisely, and accurately to analytical questioning Analyzing textual details to draw inferences and support rational arguments Applying knowledge of literary devices to the text, articulating how the title is ironic Exploring cause-and-effect relationships Writing with clarity and precision

Support the development of close reading skills for high school and facilitate analysis of fiction with this rigorous worksheet on Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “The Leap Frog,” also called “The Leaping Match.” A variety of question types are included to help prepare for standardized testing scenarios: vocabulary-in-context questions, main idea questions, detail questions, author’s craft questions, and more. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which has an estimated Lexile measure of 1100-1200, are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Analyze the author’s craft to discern where and how literary devices are applied including inversion and dramatic irony Discern cause-and-effect relationships Analyze the author’s word choices to discern and explain where and how double-denotation is applied Analyze a character’s statements and beliefs to articulate how they are contradictory Interpret and explain the meaning of unique phrases in context Analyze the characters of the king and the frog to discern several qualities they have in common Discern which theme is best supported by a particular excerpt Cite textual evidence in support of claims and ideas Write with clarity and precision

Support the development of close reading skills for high school with this set of comprehension and analysis questions on the short story “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” by the Brothers Grimm. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which has an estimated Lexile measure of 900-1000, are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. By engaging with these materials, students will: Demonstrate general comprehension of the plot Analyze the author’s craft to determine how diction affects the reader Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on foreshadowing, metaphor, and dramatic irony Analyze character actions to draw reasoned inferences about interests and motivations Write with clarity and precision

Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet. With a focus on Act 4, scene 7, this resource saves teachers valuable time without sacrificing academic rigor. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered as printable PDFs and Word Documents. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. More specifically, students will do the following: Discern what the text states both explicitly and implicitly Analyze character statements and behaviors to draw logical inferences about character development and motivations Determine the tone of a given passage Determine the functions of a given passage Isolate a true statement about plot from falsehoods Apply knowledge of a variety of literary devices including hubris, personification, metaphor, and irony Provide textual evidence in support of a claim about Claudius Articulate ideas with clarity and precision

Support the development of high school close reading skills with this set of analysis questions to complement the short story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A detailed answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly Determine the narrative’s dominant conflict Analyze how complex characters interact and develop Explore character motivations Apply knowledge of literary devices including anaphora, personification, foreshadowing, simile, and onomatopoeia Articulate the intended effect of the author’s diction in context Identify several ways in which the author applies the concept of ambiguity to the narrative Explain how the narrative is consistent with the conventions of Dark Romanticism (Gothic literature) Cite textual evidence in support of claims Write with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Extend reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions about Shakespeare’s Othello. Focusing on Act 3, scene 2, this resource may serve as the basis for 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. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will: Articulate and analyze what the text states explicitly and implicitly Make logical inferences in context Analyze the nature of character relationships Determine the meaning of complex words and phrases in context Discern the function of the scene Articulate how dramatic irony applies to the scene Write with clarity and precision

Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering chapter 4 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. 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. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Define complex words as they are used in the text Analyze the nature of relationships between and among characters Compare and contrast the characters of Boxer and Snowball Make logical inferences about character motivations Apply knowledge of literary devices including onomatopoeia, metaphor, paradox, and situational irony Write about literature with clarity and precision Justify written responses with reasoning and/or textual evidence*

Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering chapter 5 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. Delivered in 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. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Analyze the nature of relationships between and among characters Explain the symbolism behind Mollie’s disappearance Make logical inferences about the author’s intent Explore the motif of forbidden pleasures Discern the greater significance of the windmill debate Make logical inferences about character motivations Isolate an example of figurative language Articulate how Napoleon demonstrates disdain for free speech Identify and explain an example of situational irony in the context of the chapter Write about literature with clarity and precision Justify written responses with reasoning and/or textual evidence

Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering chapter 6 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. 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. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Explore character motivations Apply knowledge of literary devices such as onomatopoeia Define complex words and phrases in context Analyze nuances in word meanings Compare and contrast characters Isolate a true statement about plot from a set of falsehoods Discern the function of the chapter Write about literature with clarity and precision Identify several examples of complication in the context of the chapter Analyze the role language plays in the world of Animal Farm Articulate the intended effect of scapegoating Snowball Justify written responses with reasoning and/or textual evidence

Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering chapter 7 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. This worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Make logical inferences about characters’ intentions, motivations, and beliefs Apply knowledge of sonic devices including assonance, sibilance, onomatopoeia, and cacophony Explain how Napoleon is a dynamic character Identify an example of foreshadowing in the chapter Conduct brief research on Joseph Stalin’s regime Identify historical parallels between Stalin’s leadership and Napoleon’s Write about literature with clarity and precision Justify written responses with reasoning and/or textual evidence

Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering chapter 8 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. 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. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Make logical inferences about characters’ intentions and motivations Analyze a particular detail to infer the author’s intent Explore how Boxer is becoming a dynamic character Isolate a true statement about plot from a set of falsehoods Contrast the Battle of the Windmill with the Battle of the Cowshed Apply knowledge of literary devices such as hubris Evaluate the role propaganda plays in the world of Animal Farm Write about literature with clarity and precision Justify written responses with reasoning and/or textual evidence

Help high school students extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering chapter 9 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. 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. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Make logical inferences about characters’ intentions and motivations Analyze character relationships Analyze a particular detail to infer the author’s intent Articulate the irony associated with the word republic Explore the motif of hypocrisy Articulate how the pigs demonstrate contradictory thinking and actions Write about literature with clarity and precision Justify written responses with reasoning and/or textual evidence

Help middle and high school students improve fluency, stamina, text comprehension, and close reading analysis of the formal elements of fiction with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (book 1, chapters 6 through 10). An answer key is included, as well as a copy of the featured chapters, which are in the public domain. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing the close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Explore character development and motivations Analyze what character actions reveal about their mindset Analyze how characters interact Explain the irony of a given detail Explore how themes are reinforced Discern the function of a given excerpt Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, metaphor, simile, sibilance, hubris, and more Identify an example of juxtaposition and articulate its effect Identify an example of foreshadowing Write clearly, concisely, and accurately in response to analytical questioning Cite textual evidence in support of claims

Help middle and high school students improve fluency, stamina, text comprehension, and close reading analysis of the formal elements of fiction with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (book 1, chapters 11 through 17). An answer key is included, as well as a copy of the featured chapters, which are in the public domain. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing the close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Explore character development and motivations Explore the symbolism of given objects or circumstances Make logical inferences about the author’s intent Explain the irony of a given detail Apply knowledge of literary devices including onomatopoeia Discern the function of a given character in the context of a particular chapter Explore cause-and-effect relationships Compare and contrast characters Explore the influence of mass media on the public Consider historical context in relation to the author’s intentions Discern the function of a given chapter Write clearly, concisely, and accurately in response to analytical questioning Cite textual evidence in support of claims

Help middle and high school students improve fluency, stamina, text comprehension, and close reading analysis of the formal elements of fiction with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (book 2, chapters 1 through 5). An answer key is included, as well as a copy of the featured chapters, which are in the public domain. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing the close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Explore character development and motivations Analyze how complex characters interact Articulate the greater significance of a given detail Explore the symbolism of given objects or circumstances Make logical inferences about the author’s point of view on religion in the context of disastrous survival situations Discern a relevant theme in the context of a given chapter Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification Discern the function of a given chapter Write clearly, concisely, and accurately in response to analytical questioning Cite textual evidence in support of claims

Help middle and high school students improve fluency, stamina, text comprehension, and close reading analysis of the formal elements of fiction with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (book 2, chapters 6 through 10). An answer key is included, as well as a copy of the featured chapters, which are in the public domain. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing the close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Explore character development and motivations Analyze how complex characters interact Explore techniques the author uses to convey a sense of defeatism Identify and explain an example of situational irony Identify an example of epiphany and articulate the effect it has on a character Apply knowledge of various literary devices including aposiopesis and paradox Articulate the greater significance of a given detail Explore the relevance of a given chapter title (“Wreckage”) Write clearly, concisely, and accurately in response to analytical questioning Cite textual evidence in support of claims