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.
Promote student choice and facilitate the process of researching relevant topics from beginning to end with this low-prep activity to conclude a unit on The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. Students will choose from thirty research topics—addressing ideas such as real-life UFO sightings (the 1947 Roswell incident, the 1997 Phoenix Lights incident, the 2006 O’Hare International Airport incident, etc.), UFO programs and organizations (Project Blue Book, Mutual UFO Network, SETI Institute, etc.), and famous figures in ufology (J. Allen Hynek, John Mack, George Adamski, etc.)—and navigate academically appropriate sources with the goal of teaching their peers about their topics. 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 nonfiction texts, 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 information in a formal, coherent manner
Facilitate active participation in small-group discussions of science fiction literature with this set of literature circle materials for teaching Feed by M.T. Anderson. The following are included: a handout detailing student roles; documentation logs to hold students accountable for their tasks; and a standards-based rubric for scoring student performances. Materials are delivered in both Word Document and PDF formats.
By engaging in these literature circle activities, students will do the following:
Articulate key details from the story
Generate open-ended questions related to the novel in order to carry out meaningful discussions with peers
Respond thoughtfully to open-ended questions and others’ contributions to the discussion
Document ways in which the novel is consistent with aspects of modern society
Locate specific passages and/or quotations that relate to major themes and concepts—especially those relating to technology, consumerism, sociology, and the value of independent thinking
Artistically convey important information from the assigned reading
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Promote student choice and facilitate the process of researching relevant topics from beginning to end with this low-prep activity to conclude a unit on Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Students will choose from thirty research topics—addressing ideas such as real-life child soldiers, humanitarian organizations, Project Blue Book, the Fermi paradox, space travel, and other events transpiring as recently as 2023—and navigate academically appropriate sources with the goal of teaching their peers about their topics. 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 nonfiction texts, 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 information in a formal, coherent manner
This low-prep bundle covering Feed by M.T. Anderson contains all the formative and summative assessments teachers need to assess general reading comprehension, support the development of close reading analysis skills, facilitate student research on a range of relevant topics, and greatly reduce take-home lesson planning responsibilities. Included are four multiple choice quizzes; four short answer alternate quiz options; four close reading worksheets covering fifteen substantive novel passages; literature circle activities; research project materials; an end-of-unit test; and answer keys for everything. Materials are delivered in both Word Document and PDF formats.
By engaging with these resources, students will have opportunities to perform the following tasks:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Clarify details where the author leaves information open to interpretation
Isolate examples of figurative language
Express the greater significance of given details
Determine the tone of given excerpts
Discern the functions of given excerpts
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Articulate flaws in characters’ logic
Analyze the author’s use of narrative techniques such as repetition
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including simile, metaphor, personification, slang, onomatopoeia, situational irony, consonance, pun, idiom, epiphany, invective, malapropism, aposiopesis, neologism, and more
Consider theme in relation to the text
Evaluate an excerpt to articulate how it is a good example of satire
Relate a given excerpt to the real world, identifying two relevant societal issues, conflicts, or questions
Explore the connection between capitalism and the private healthcare system in America
Conduct brief research on the topic of cognitive dissonance in order to explain how a character experiences it in the context of a given excerpt
Cite textual evidence in support of ideas and claims
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Articulate connections between a research topic and the assigned novel
Develop successful methods of recording information
Evaluate the credibility of nonfiction texts, 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 information in a formal, coherent manner
With this summative test covering the entirety of Feed by M.T. Anderson, English teachers will evaluate students’ reading comprehension, essay writing skills, and ability to analyze key aspects of plot. An answer key and standards-based rubric for scoring essays are provided. 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 excerpts for deeper meaning
Respond to an essay prompt requiring students to examine the author’s use of satire
Cite relevant textual evidence in support of claims made in an academic essay
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking skills with this bundle of materials for teaching Truman Capote’s holiday-themed short story “A Christmas Memory.” A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, vocabulary application activity, crossword puzzle, word search game, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
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.
By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Choose the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Consider historical context in relation to the plot
Isolate examples of figurative language used in the text
Discern the intended effect of the author’s narrative techniques
Describe and examine tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Determine the functions of given details and excerpts
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, epiphany, foreshadowing, hubris, metaphor, onomatopoeia, simile, situational irony, and unreliable narrator
Reflect on significant themes
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about coming-of-age fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss literature
Help high school students extend beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering Truman Capote’s holiday-themed short story “A Christmas Memory.” An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
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.
By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Consider historical context in relation to the plot
Isolate examples of figurative language used in the text
Discern the intended effect of the author’s narrative techniques
Describe and examine tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Determine the functions of given details and excerpts
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, epiphany, foreshadowing, hubris, metaphor, onomatopoeia, simile, situational irony, and unreliable narrator
Reflect on significant themes
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about coming-of-age fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss literature
Evaluate reading comprehension, support critical thinking, and embrace the spirit of Christmas and wintertime no matter the time of year with this bundle of plot-based quizzes, close reading analysis worksheets, vocabulary development exercises, and an end-of-unit test for six holiday-themed short stories: “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, “The Heavenly Christmas Tree” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and “Three Wise Guys” by Sandra Cisneros. Answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Choose the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Discern the intended effects of the authors’ word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the functions of given excerpts
Describe and examine tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including epiphany, foreshadowing, idiom, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, situational irony, 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