This file contains five separate reading quizzes (one per Act) that consist of 10 interpretation/plot questions each. Students are asked to provide the act, scene, and line numbers for where they find the answers in the text. So, this means that these quizzes are designed to be "open book," but you can also make them closed book as well. They also make excellent group activities, discussion guides, as well as homework assignments. Each quiz includes an answer key with explanations!

This is a rubric for a Literary Analysis that breaks down the points into 10 specific skills, including introduction/ conclusion paragraphs, thesis, topic sentences, textual evidence, analysis, style, organization, grammar, MLA, and following directions. I have assigned point values to each of the skills (which you can change according to your students' needs). This rubric is very comprehensive and provides explicit feedback for revision purposes without your having to write substantial notes throughout the essay-- all you need to do is circle away. This is an excellent rubric that you can adapt for your classroom purposes. Side note: As a rule in my classroom, I approach writing as an ongoing process. That means that after students turn in the "final draft," I allow my students to revise/ rewrite and resubmit the essay for a maximum of half the points back to 100. That means, if their initial score was a 70, for example, they can revise/rewrite and resubmit for a MAXIMUM score of an 85. I know this sounds very tedious; however, I give out explicit directions for resubmission, and any deviation from those directions disqualifies the essay for resubmission. Mainly, I require that students turn in the original essay with original rubric and the new, revised copy with all new changes highlighted. This way, I can simply check to see if they revised/ rewrote sections that needed further attention. In this way, my grading philosophy entails that I grade for quality on the first submission and effort on the second revision. It is in this way that I can communicate to my students that writing is a skill and an art that takes practice and that I do not expect perfection (because who's perfect?); instead, I expect effort, and I expect growth. Give it a try and see what happens!

This Halloween Activity Bundle contains FIVE activities to engage your students during the Halloween season. The activities include: Halloween Journal Creating a Villain Character Sketch & Writing Activity Halloween Story Prompts to Make Your Skin Crawl "Boo" Bingo with Literary Terms "The Haunted Palace" by Edgar Allan Poe Analysis These activities are not only fun but also target Common Core Standards. Students will enjoy them and simultaneously review key skills for English Language Arts. These activities can also work with 9th & 10th grade as well-- depending upon the level of your students.

Jack the Ripper. One of the most notorious serial killers of all time. And he was never caught. There are over 100 theories about his identity. If you're looking for a high-interest nonfiction topic to get your students interested in analyzing nonfiction, this is it! This activity has two parts. The first parts takes students through an exercise of identifying tone in a news article written about Jack the Ripper. There are four articles in this part of this lesson that all come from The London Times, late 1800s. (please note that all texts are in the public domain) Each article is followed by a series of three multiple-choice questions written using Common Core question stems. These questions will help students understand the overall message of each article and encourage them to read critically. Students are then to record examples of tone from the articles and label the tone accordingly. Identifying tone will help with part two of this activity series in which students begin to analyze sources for bias. In part two of this activity, students will assess a series of stories about Jack the Ripper all written on the exact same day, all about the exact same grisly discovery of two more female victims. By reading multiple sources on the same event, students will be able to compare/ contrast how each source represents the "truth." After assessing sources for bias, students will evaluate which source is more reliable and present their findings to the class. I have also included FIVE extension activities to use with your students after completing this activity in order to keep your students engaged with nonfiction. ***Please note that there are a couple of paragraphs in this collection that are quite graphic and may be inappropriate for some students. Please censor the articles as you see fit.*** Jack the Ripper is a topic that will keep your students intrigued from the very get-go!

This product by Bespoke ELA contains 20 short poems to analyze for the four, basic rhetorical relationships: juxtaposition, contrast, shift, and repetition. All literary devices can be categorized into these four basic relationships. A simile is a type of juxtaposition; antithesis is a type of repetition and contrast. But instead of focusing on these specific terms, these mini-lessons aim to teach students how to analyze poetry using the terms juxtaposition, contrast, shift, and repetition. For each poem, students will: 1. Make observations. 2. Identify and analyze the four rhetorical relationships. 3. Connect the rhetorical relationships to THEME. 4. Write their own original poems inspired by the model poem. 5. Write an explication of their own original poems. Students will be inspired by the poetry prompts included for each of the 20 short poems. It's amazing how much depth students can get out of such short poems. They will enjoy the challenge of unlocking the thematic meaning of these poems as well as the process of creating their own original poems. Students can respond to activities in their journals or Writer's Notebooks and then select a poem to explicate for a formal essay assignment, OR opt to have students complete a portfolio in which they include a series of their own original poems along with explications of them. These mini-lessons come with several flexible options to easily integrate into your curriculum. This bundle is suitable for grades 8-12.

This guide to MLA Format contains an explanation of general guidelines along with excerpts from example essays and Works Cited. The final page contains an MLA Peer Revision Activity to guide students through editing for proper format. Find this product as part of the Mega Literary Analysis Essay Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

This from Bespoke ELA contains a series of paintings and photographs that all relate in some way to Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The Power Point begins with four guiding questions that students will answer for each work of art in order to make connections between the visual image and the play. I hand-selected these images because they illuminate a thematic idea from the play and/or character traits of key players in Macbeth. These images are excellent resources to use as bell-ringer focus activities OR as springboards for discussion and the writing process. All images are labeled for REUSE.

This 57-page pack contains TEN literary analysis essays suitable for grades 9-12 on pieces of literature such as Beowulf, Macbeth, Grendel, Brave New World, among others. Some essays are shorter at 2-3 pages while others are lengthy at 5-10 pages. There are also 2-3 timed writings included. Most essays are in MLA format with a Works Cited page and parenthetical citations. There are enough literary analysis essays here to meet all of your mini-lesson needs throughout the writing process. Find this Sample Essay Pack as part of the Mega Literary Analysis Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!! A note on copyright: All essays were written and copyrighted by me, so I have exclusive rights to sell my work. I do not grant anyone the right to reproduce or sell my work without written permission.

These Beowulf question sets take students through a close reading of the major parts of the poem and account not only for plot but also comprehension and interpretation as well. These questions also provide excellent discussion topics for small groups or the whole class. They can also serve as study guides for an objective-based test on the epic poem. Answer keys included with extended analysis and textual evidence to take your class discussion to a deeper level! These questions can also be found in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE with 25 lessons and activities/ 108 pages including answer keys! You can find the ENTIRE BUNDLE in our store sold separately.

Find this mini-lesson as part of our Literary Analysis Mega Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and save! Writing commentary is without a doubt the most difficult aspect of the literary analysis essay. It is the ONE part for which there is no formula because it's the part of the essay that contains the writer's original thoughts, or commentary/ analysis, on the evidence of the essay. In this mini-lesson, I have provided students with two methods for crafting commentary that will help them not only write analysis but also take it to a deeper level. This mini-lesson also contains sample paragraphs to show the difference between PLOT SUMMARY vs. COMMENTARY, peer revision forms, notes, teacher approval forms, and much more! This is an essential mini-lesson for the writing process because the commentary is the MOST IMPORTANT part of the literary analysis essay.

This listing is for two mini-lessons found in our mega Literary Analysis Essay bundle-- sold separately! In these mini-lessons, students answer anticipatory questions about the literary analysis essay and then compare/ contrast their responses with introductory notes on this mode of writing. Students then use the rubric to grade three sample literary analysis essays to get acclimated with how their essays will be graded. I have included my scores for the three sample essays along with explanations for where I took points off-- according to the 10-point Literary Analysis Rubric included. These lessons are an excellent way to introduce your students to the purpose, function, and format of the literary analysis essay!

In this mini-lesson, students learn about the parts of the body paragraph for writing an essay. Students read about the purpose of the body paragraph and then ratiocinate three student sample paragraphs. This is an excellent mini-lesson to introduce students to the body paragraph, OR use this mini-lesson to review with your students. Pair this lesson with our follow-up lessons on topic and concluding sentences, selecting and blending evidence, and writing commentary/ analysis. You can also find this mini-lesson as part of our Literary Analysis Essay Mega Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and Save!

This packet contains three different prompts for essays focused on analyzing character. The prompts are accompanied by a brainstorming guide along with an outline form for planning the essay. These are excellent tools for helping guide students through the process of using characterization as a lens for literary analysis. This product can be found as part of the MEGA CHARACTERIZATION BUNDLE, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

This product contains FIVE grammar editing mini-lessons for the formal, academic essays. They focus on the most common grammatical errors in student writing. These include: COMMA ERRORS SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT RUN-ONS & FRAGMENTS Each mini-lesson includes grammar rules, examples, a short application exercise, and editing task. This is a MUST HAVE for your Writer's Toolbox. Find it as part of the Literary Analysis Essay Bundle and SAVE! Bundle sold separately.

This Macbeth test contains 50 multiple choice questions that assesses interpretation of key quotes from the play, character motivation, vocabulary in context, literary elements, motifs, and rhetorical appeals. As an optional supplement, there is a written response/ essay portion that you can use along with the multiple choice questions or as a stand alone assessment. This test will measure students' understanding of the play and also assess their close reading skills and ability to construct/ support an argument.

This product contains ten different revision activities on reproducible worksheets that are ready to print and use with any argument essay: literary analysis, explication, or even persuasive! These revision activities include self-revision as well as peer revision and target skills such as: grammar, commentary, textual evidence, organization, and much more! Find these TEN REVISION ACTIVITIES as part of our Mega Literary Analysis Essay Bundle, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

These quote logs contain separate charts to help students organize analysis of plot, characterization, theme, motif, symbol, poetic devices, tragic elements, and conflicts in any Shakespearean play. They are excellent charts for students to use throughout the writing process and also work well in small group or whole class discussions. ***Common Core Standards Attached to each chart along with a Common Core reflective writing activity***

Poor TACKY THE TURKEY has been caught and will be eaten on Thanksgiving if you don’t save him first! Help Free the Bird by answering trivia questions that reveal mystery words. The trivia questions pertain to knowledge of famous authors and texts as well as literary terms and parts of speech. The object of the game is to FREE THE BIRD by earning the most points. There are FIVE rounds of this game total. Each round consists of FIVE literary trivia questions that reveal a letter for the mystery word, phrase, title, or name. For each round of the game, an assigned group member will shout out “GOBBLE” when he/she has figured out the mystery word. The first team to get the mystery word earns THREE points; the second team earns TWO points, and the third team earns ONE point. The remaining teams earn ZERO points for that round. The team with the MOST POINTS by the end of the class period (or the end of the five rounds) will FREE THE BIRD and win a prize! Teachers can decide on the prize to be won. Suggestions include candy, a homework pass, bonus points, or just good ole “brownie points”! Note that some questions reference Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet, and other titles that your students may or may not know, depending upon the grade you teach. However, the questions are stacked so that students can still figure out most answers without knowing all of the trivia questions.

This activity can go with any text centered upon diversity and/or inclusion. Students will answer some pre-reading questions about their prior knowledge and experiences with diversity and inclusion and then complete a close reading of the selected text. Finally, they will write a paragraph analysis of the text and then think about how they can show appreciation for diversity and inclusion in their own lives. Given the recent tragedies that have rocked our world, it is important to me to share lessons that can help us become more tolerant and peaceful as a "human family." Positive feedback is always appreciated.

Given all of the tragic events that have happened in our world and continue to happen in our world, I have compiled a reading list of 75 texts for grades 6-12 about DIVERSITY, RACISM, INCLUSION, TOLERANCE, and MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS. I truly believe that it is crucial to our world that we diversify our students' reading experiences beyond the standard cannon because it's only when we are able to have experiences with people different from us that we can begin to understand those differences and not fear them. I spent many hours researching the texts on this list. The list contains poems, speeches, plays, novels, and essays that address issues such as bullying, racism, LGBTQ, learning differences, and cultural identity (African American, Asian American, Mexican American, and many others). Each text is hyperlinked on the list to Amazon and/or a website where you can either find the text or read about it. Please note that some texts are more suitable for 6th-7th grades while others are only suitable for 12th grade. Please vet these texts according to the grade you teach and appropriateness for your school community and student body. The great thing I discovered by creating this list was that it was DIFFICULT keeping the list down to just 75 texts. There are SO MANY awesome texts out there about these issues, which is a great problem to have. Now, we just need to get them into our classrooms. This document also contains a list of web resources where you can find even MORE READING LISTS and lesson plans for teaching on the importance diversity. I truly hope that you are able to use this product this year in your classroom. And I'd love to hear feedback of any texts that I absolutely MUST ADD to the list. I am always looking for ways to expand reading lists for my students and can't wait to integrate some of these pieces this year. I feel that as teachers we are the harbingers for creating peace in our world, and we bear the responsibility of showing our students that we are all part of the "human family." It is only through education that the violence can end.