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

Conclude your unit on Shakespeare’s Hamlet with this summative assessment, which is delivered as a Word Document and PDF. An answer key is included. This fifty-question assessment is divided into four sections and breaks down as follows. Students will demonstrate comprehension of the following: An encounter with a ghost The reason for Hamlet’s anger toward his mother Ophelia’s unsettling interactions with Hamlet Ophelia’s rejection of Hamlet Hamlet’s self-criticisms Hamlet’s fear Claudius’s guilty conscience Hamlet’s confession to Ophelia Ophelia’s emotional reaction to Hamlet’s fall from honor The purpose of a play performance The murder of Claudius Gertrude’s awareness that she married a killer Interactions among Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern The effect Fortinbras has on Hamlet The manner of Ophelia’s death Ophelia’s burial Laertes’s expression of extreme mourning Hamlet’s declaration on who should be the next King of Denmark The manner of Gertrude’s death Hamlet’s relationship with Laertes The similarities the gravediggers share with Hamlet Ophelia’s behavior right before her death Norway’s aggression toward Poland Claudius’s psychological state How Hamlet is affected by the actors Polonius’s sending a spy to report back on Laertes Laertes assessment of Hamlet’s love for Ophelia Hamlet’s criticism of his mother’s marriage Act 1, scene 2: It is not nor it cannot come to good, / But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue. Act 1, scene 3: Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain, / If with too credent ear you list his songs, / Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open / To his unmaster’d importunity. Act 1, scene 7: If thou art privy to thy country’s fate, / O, speak! Act 2, scene 2: Bloody, bawdy villain! / Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! / O vengeance! Act 3, scene 3: The cease of majesty / Dies not alone; but, like a gulf, doth draw / What’s near it with it… Act 4, scene 1: So dreaded slander – / Whose whisper o’er the world’s diameter, / As level as the cannon to his blank, / Transports the poisoned shot – may miss our name / And hit the woundless air. Act 4, scene 2: But such officers do the / king best service in the end: he keeps them, like / an ape, in the corner of his jaw… Act 4, scene 4: How all occasions do inform against me, / And spur my dull revenge! Act 5, scene 1: Why, e’en so: and now my Lady Worm’s; chapless, and / knocked about the mazzard with a sexton’s spade: / here’s fine revolution, and we had the trick to / see’t. Did these bones cost no more the breeding, / but to play at loggats with ’em? Mine ache to think on’t. Metaphor Simile Hyperbole Allusion Personification Alliteration Sibilance Oxymoron

Help 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 “The Rockpile” by James Baldwin. 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 functions of given passages Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including dialect, double negative, personification, simile, situational irony, and more Consider themes in context Conduct brief research as needed to answer a question about a given allusion Evaluate the degree to which the protagonist is responsible for his brother’s injury, if at all 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 the short story “Beware of the Dog” by Roald Dahl. 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 as well as implicitly Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques Explore how the story conforms to the conventions of surrealism Conduct research as needed to answer questions involving historical context and autobiographical parallels Describe the tone of a given passage Determine the functions of given passages Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including onomatopoeia, paradox, personification, simile, situational irony, symbolism, and more Consider themes in context 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

Facilitate the process of investigating relevant topics, documenting information gathered, and delivering formal speeches with this low-prep, standards-based research project to complement Susan Beth Pfeffer’s dystopian novel The Dead and the Gone, the sequel to Life As We Knew It. The focus of the project is natural and human-influenced disasters, covering twenty topics including the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the flu pandemic of 1918, the tri-state tornado outbreak of 1925, the Fukushima nuclear accident (2011), and Hurricane Maria (2017). 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 novel Conduct research using available resources Collect and classify reliable sources Develop successful methods of recording information Evaluate the credibility of source work, 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 findings verbally, using their own words

This summative test covers six short stories for the Christmas season that focus on themes of selflessness, compassion, and self-discovery (“A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, “The Burglar’s Christmas” by Willa Cather, “At Christmas Time” by Anton Chekhov, “Three Wise Guys: Un Cuento de Navidad” by Sandra Cisneros, and “The Heavenly Christmas Tree” by Fyodor Dostoevsky). An answer key, test prep study guide, standards-aligned writing rubric, and public domain narratives are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will: Match the author’s name to his or her work Demonstrate knowledge of primary and secondary characters and the key aspects of their lives Demonstrate knowledge of significant events that take place in a variety of stories Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, epiphany, euphemism, hyperbole, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, simile, and more Relate themes to narratives Match relevant vocabulary terms to their definitions Respond to thematically significant essay prompts Cite relevant textual evidence in support of claims made in an academic essay

This visually pleasing PowerPoint presentation introduces students to the key characters in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, offering them context on character traits, relationships, conflicts, and development over the course of the novel. In order to evaluate the accuracy and quality of students’ note-taking skills, an open-notes quiz and answer key are also provided. The following are covered: Bilbo Baggins. ♦ Modest nature ♦ Appreciation for the simple things ♦ His reluctance and obligation to help ♦ His role along the journey ♦ His brushes with adversity ♦ His sense of justice ♦ His dynamic character ♦ And more Gandalf. ♦ His noteworthy character traits ♦ The mentor archetype ♦ And more Thorin Oakenshield. ♦ His leadership ♦ His bravery and his pretentiousness ♦ His family background ♦ His classification as a foil to Bilbo ♦ His fatal flaws Dwalin. ♦ General character details (e.g., family ties) Balin. ♦ General character details (e.g., his acceptance of Bilbo) Gloin. ♦ General character details (e.g., his skepticism of Bilbo) Oin. ♦ General character details (e.g., family ties) Dori. ♦ General character details (e.g., his strength) Nori. ♦ General character details (e.g., his appearance) Ori. ♦ General character details (e.g., his musical talent) Kili & Fili. ♦ General character details (e.g., their youth) Bombur. ♦ General character details (e.g., his laziness) Bifur. ♦ General character details (e.g., family ties) Bofur. ♦ General character details (e.g., family ties) Gollum. ♦ His home ♦ His miserable disposition ♦ His interests and talents ♦ His significant loss Smaug. ♦ His greediness ♦ His vengefulness ♦ His appearance ♦ His symbolism ♦ The cultural perspective on dragons Elrond. ♦ The Last Homely House ♦ His special, helpful traits ♦ His graciousness ♦ Foreshadowing Beorn. ♦ His personality traits ♦ His special skills ♦ His discomfort toward visitors ♦ His pursuit of justice ♦ His help given to the adventurers ♦ And more Bard of Esgaroth. ♦ His tremendous talent ♦ His honorable nature ♦ His leadership ♦ His response to tragedy ♦ His sense of fairness and justice The Elvenking. ♦ His suspicion of strangers ♦ His weakness ♦ His crucial role late in the novel

With this summative test covering The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, high school English teachers will evaluate student knowledge and analysis of plot while eliminating the need for at-home assessment planning. In addition to an answer key, a standards-based rubric for scoring the essay section is included to streamline the scoring process. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this test, students will demonstrate understanding of plot (characters, setting, conflicts, etc.); apply knowledge of literary devices to the text; write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision; and support claims with relevant textual evidence Part 1. Character Identification Multiple choice. Demonstrate knowledge of the following characters: Bilbo Thorin Gandalf Elrond Beorn Bard Smaug Roac Kili & Fili Bombur Bifur Bofur Dwalin Balin Dori Gollum The Great Goblin Lord of the Eagles The trolls The Elvenking The woof-elves The thrush Wargs Part 2. Important Places and Concepts. Multiple choice. Demonstrate awareness of the following: The Arkenstone Durin’s Day Description of a typical Baggins What it means to be “Tookish” The dwarves’ response to Bilbo’s participation Bilbo’s emotional response following the unexpected party The conflict involving the trolls Beorn’s concerns Bilbo’s sword The Orcrist Rivendell and the Last Homely House The enchanted stream Thorin and the Elvenking’s stubbornness Bilbo’s strategic rescue of the adventurers Bilbo’s flaw in the escape plan Lake-town’s reaction to the presence of the adventurers The mountain’s secret door A dragon’s special traits Part 3. Multiple Choice. Literary Devices. Apply knowledge of the following literary devices: Internal conflict Metaphor Simile Hyperbole Imagery Dramatic irony Situational irony Onomatopoeia Alliteration Personification Part 4. Quote Association. Part 4. Quote Association. Identify the speakers of the following quotes: “If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes.” “Moon letters are rune letters, but you cannot see them.” “He’s found it, yes he must have. My birthday present.” “The day will come when they will perish and I will go back!” “I’m going to lie here and sleep and dream of food, if I can’t get it any other way.” “No treasure will come back through Mirkwood without my having something to say in the matter.” “You ought to have brought 500 burglars, not one.” “I don’t know your smell, but if you are not one of those men of the lake, you had their help.” “Look for the hollow of the left breast as he flies and turns above you.” “It is a hundred years and three and fifty since I came out of the egg…” Part 5. Essay Writing. Students will read the last few paragraphs of the novel and articulate what the author implies about achieving a fulfilling life.

This resource offers four creative alternatives to traditional culminating assessments associated with The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. For each project prompt, a unique, comprehensive rubric for evaluating student work is included. Materials are delivered in a zip file as both Word Documents and PDFs. The primary objectives of the project options include the following: Students will demonstrate a strong understanding of the process by which characters become dynamic Students will demonstrate an ability to discern key textual evidence in support of ideas Students will demonstrate a strong understanding of setting and its influence on plot and character development Students will demonstrate an ability to express their knowledge with clarity and creativity Students will demonstrate an ability to work efficiently in both independent and group contexts

With this summative test covering the entirety of Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, English teachers will evaluate students’ reading comprehension, essay writing skills, and ability to analyze key aspects of plot. Included are the following: an answer key, standards-based writing rubric, and test prep study guide. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will: Demonstrate knowledge of primary and secondary characters and the key aspects of their lives Demonstrate knowledge of significant events that take place throughout the novel Evaluate substantive quotations for deeper meaning Apply knowledge of literary devices including alliteration, allusion, assonance, euphemism, foreshadowing, hyperbole, idiom, metaphor, simile, slang, and verbal irony Respond to an essay prompt about the influence of family on Holden’s world views Cite relevant textual evidence in support of claims made in an academic essay