International educator with over 15 years experience.
I love the nuts and bolts of language teaching, but I also like communicative activities and task based learning, including simulations.
I hold a Master of Education with specializations in reading and behavior management, as well as graduate degrees in writing and education.
International educator with over 15 years experience.
I love the nuts and bolts of language teaching, but I also like communicative activities and task based learning, including simulations.
I hold a Master of Education with specializations in reading and behavior management, as well as graduate degrees in writing and education.
- 38 short reading passages with 2 – 3 comprehension questions per page
- designed for independent work
- should only take 5 – 10 minutes per worksheet
- literal, inferential, and real-world (personal) connection questions
- high interest, non-fiction topics including: science, technology, cooking, sports, society, and culture
- great for struggling readers or students with ESL
- perfect for use as bell-ringers, homework, vacation work, early-finishers, and in literacy stations
- fun graphics and borders courtesy of openclipart.org
- Common core state standards covered: RI4.1, RI4.2, RI4.10; RI5.1, RI5.2, RI5.10; RI6.1, RI6.2, RI6.4, RI6.6, RI6.10
*****PLEASE NOTE: These passages are based upon the paragraphs in this resource:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/paragraph-writing-task-cards-11114879
You can utilise both (as they target different skills), but it is not advisable to use them concurrently*****
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Opinion Writing*** focuses on:
• Intensifying adverbs & graded adjectives
• Absolute adverbs and non-graded adjectives
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Informational Writing*** focuses on:
• Complex sentences with essential and non-essential subordinate clauses
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Now with Google Drive Links
Close Reading Stories and Comprehension Worksheets + Vocabulary Work!
A modern, plain-language retelling of three of Geoffrey Chaucer’s classic stories!
High-interest extracts from authentic texts
Designed for close reading
Each excerpt stands alone as a close reading text suitable for scrutiny, critique, reflection, and evaluation.
Texts may be used as bell-ringers, as homework or vacation
assignments, one-to-one tutoring, no-prep substitute plans, or any
other use
Includes 3 levels of questions: main ideas and detail, language and literary devices, author’s purpose, and evaluation and personal-connection
Vocabulary rich
Includes questions on text structure, word-choice, and author’s bias
Common Core Aligned
Answer key included
Sample Difficulty Levels included
Stories Included:
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
The Pardoner’s Tale
The Clerk’s Tale
If you are interested in literature passages, please check out my best-selling and top-rated fiction passages by clicking here!
Or, how about a great value bundle of both? Click here!
What about some Science Close Reading Passages?
For reading comprehension passages for younger learners, please click here!
This resource will test your students' knowledge, recall, comprehension, and analysis of the characters, themes, and major events in the novel The Fault in Our Stars.
The test is multi-modal, including:
- fill in the blanks
- matching
- short response questions
- graphic organizer
- an (short) essay [It's the last question, you have the option not to include it]
The test content covers:
- major characters, places, things
- significant plot events
- symbolism
- character relationships
- character development and conflict
This is a fun reading activity comparing the similar though distinct family/ religious/ seasonal celebrations of Christmas, Eid-al-Fitr, Diwali, and Hanukkah. Students read about these holidays in small groups before returning to their "home-groups" to consolidate information, and then finally coming together as a class check their findings.
- Targeted to grade 5 - 7
- Common Core Aligned
***Resource contains:***
- Four reading comprehension passages (each a brief overview of the way Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid-al-Fitr, and Diwali is celebrated).
- A “jigsaw” worksheet where students can record their answers.
- A PowerPoint presentation displaying sample answers to the information required in the jigsaw reading worksheet (in ppt, pptx, and pdf forms).
- Detailed instructions
ALTERNATIVE: This activity could be completed alone or in pairs, just by giving the students every reading. It wouldn’t be as much fun, though.
- Suitable for grades 6 – 8
- Common core aligned
- Fun, playing card theme
- Multiple question types: circling & underlining, correcting, re-writing, prompts, and more!
- 4 categories covering essential middle school language knowledge specified in the Common Core: pronouns, verbals & verb moods, active & passive voice, and common mistakes
- Great general grammar practice and review for any class
- Cards also make great bell-ringers/ exit slips when printed on paper
- 14 cards per category (56 tasks in total)
- Task card recording document included
- Teachers’ Answer Key Included
- Card backs & divider cards included
Brave New World Vocabulary Quizzes! Great for quizzes, homework, or self-directed study!
Words were carefully selected to remove obstacles to reading and improve comprehension.
- Chapter-by-chapter essential vocabulary
-14 - 15 words per chapter
- Word bank provided
- Vocabulary lists provided, but available as a separate download from my shop
- Answer key provided
20 *SCIENCE* Close Reading Passages and Worksheets
- Diverse range of high-interest extracts from authentic texts including fiction (short story)
- Designed for close reading
- Each excerpt stands alone as a close reading text suitable for scrutiny, critique, reflection, and evaluation.
- Texts may be used as bell-ringers, as homework or vacation
assignments, one-to-one tutoring, no-prep substitute plans, or any
other use
- Includes 3 levels of multi-modal questions: main ideas and detail, language and literary devices, author’s purpose, and evaluation and personal-connection
- Vocabulary rich
- Includes questions on text structure, word-choice, and author’s bias
- Common Core Aligned
- Answer key included
- Sample Difficulty Levels included
Topics Included:
♦Robotics
♦Camouflage
♦The Life Cycle
♦Hibernation
♦Biography - Charles Darwin, Galileo, Copernicus, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday
♦Adaptation
♦Eclipses
♦Geology
♦Alchemy and Chemistry - History of Science
♦ Number and Mathematics
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Describing Data: CHANGE*** focuses on:
• Adverbs, verbs, and nouns to describe change
• Interpreting and explaining information from graphs
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Product Description
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Compare and Contrast Writing*** focuses on:
• Transition words for comparing and contrasting
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
This resource is one of ten standalone products targeting Middle School Writing Skills.
Each lesson focuses on a particular genre and highlights a particular textual feature.
This product ***Procedural Writing*** focuses on:
• Sequence words
• Passive voice
Every lesson contains:
★ Model Text
★ Structural Analysis
★ Transition Words or other useful textual feature focus
★ Planning Handouts/ Graphic Organizers
★ Writing Prompts
★ Grading Rubrics
★ Teacher's Notes
Other resources/ genres in this series include:
✓ Describing a Process (Procedural Texts)
✓ Narrative Writing
✓ Describing Data (Change)
✓ Describing Data (Making Comparisons)
✓ Expressing an Opinion
✓ Cause and Effect Writing
✓ Problem and Solution Writing
✓ Persuasive/ Argument Writing (An Argument with Evidence)
✓ Informational/ Expository Writing
✓ Compare and Contrast Writing
Essential, chapter-by-chapter vocabulary for the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Useful for students (particularly ESL students) to look up before reading, or for the teacher to base quizzes and worksheets from. Helps students to decode meaning and facilitate fluent reading. Word-count ranges from roughly 10 - 50 words per chapter, depending on chapter length.
Chapter by chapter comprehension questions (5 - 10 each chapter) for A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. This resource contains literal, inferential, and opinion questions.
"After-reading" exercises also included.
Ideal for use in reading logs; journals; for homework; and classroom discussions, etc.
*** Teacher answer key included ***
Essential, chapter-by-chapter, vocabulary for the novel A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. Useful for students to look up before reading, or for the teacher to base quizzes and worksheets from.
Pre-teaching vocabulary helps students decode meaning and increases fluency and engagement.
- 30 ~ 50 words per chapter
- includes author's notes
- words listed as parts of speech
Chapter by chapter literal, inferential, and literary comprehension questions for journals, homework, literature circles and close reading for the novel 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green.
1. p.2 - 8 Student questions (3 - 15 questions per chapter, depending on chapter length).
2. p.9 - 21 Sample answer key for comprehension questions.
3. p. 22 - 24 Story Tracker Worksheets for characters, symbols, and conflict.
4. p. 25 - 27 Sample responses to Story Tracker Worksheets.
Essential, chapter-by-chapter vocabulary for the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. Useful for students (particularly ESL students) to look up before reading, or for the teacher to base quizzes and worksheets from. Helps students to decode meaning and facilitate fluent reading. Word-count ranges from 20 - 50 words per chapter, averaging 30.
A multiple-choice quiz for the book, 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry. Each Chapter has about five questions to test students' recall and basic comprehension.
This resource is comprised of four parts:
1) The test questions, listed by chapter, with about five questions per chapter, and three possible answers for each (a, b, or c).
2) A student answer sheet (fill in the blanks)
3) A teacher answer key (blanks filled in)
4) A regular teacher answer key
The questions and answers are (hopefully!) unambiguous, i.e. no trick questions.
You may also wish to divide the test into three parts (Chapters 1 - 7; 8 - 17; and 18 - 23) if you think it is too much for students to recall in one sitting. You know your students; use your judgement.