Taming of the Shrew Close Reading Worksheets Bundle

Challenge high school students to push beyond basic reading comprehension and exercise close reading analysis skills while engaging with The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. Given the objective nature of the multiple choice questions, each close reading activity is rigorous enough for students to find deeper meaning in the text, yet convenient enough for teachers to quickly and efficiently gather data on their students’ textual analysis skills. Included are twelve close reading worksheets, each addressing an individual scene, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.

Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.

By the end of the play, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Define complex words as they are used in the text
• Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
• Determine the tone of given passages
• Discern the functions of given passages
• Examine the greater significance of a given detail
• Consider how the effect of humor is achieved in context
• Apply knowledge of literary devices including oxymoron, hyperbole, sibilance, onomatopoeia, assonance, metaphor, simile, situational irony, verbal irony, dramatic irony, and more
• Conduct brief research on the Roman goddess Diana and articulate the similarities between her and Katharina
• Conduct brief research on the four humours and articulate the findings
• Evaluate behavior to determine which character is most committed to their role in the charade
• Isolate details that represent the best textual evidence in support of claims
• Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision