This resource extends beyond text comprehension, helping high school students analyze the formal elements of fiction and respond thoughtfully in writing to questions about literature. The featured short story is “Cinderella” by the Brothers Grimm. Included are the following: the public domain fairy tale, which has an estimated Lexile measure of 1000-1100; a related bell ringer activity; a set of rigorous close reading questions in both Word Doc and PDF formats; an answer key; and editable emergency substitute teaching plans. By completing this exercise, students will: Articulate what is stated in the text explicitly and implicitly Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, juxtaposition, anthropomorphism, symbolism, and more Identify the story’s inciting incident Discern the intended meaning of figurative language Discern the function of a given excerpt Analyze the author’s craft Explore relationships between complex characters Articulate character motivations Cite textual evidence in support of inferences and claims Write with clarity and precision

Support the development of close reading skills for high school with this set of analysis questions on the short story “The Bremen Town Musicians” by the Brothers Grimm. By completing this activity, high school students will demonstrate general plot recall and active engagement with fiction by answering rigorous questions. The narrative has an estimated Lexile measure of 900-1000, making it an appropriate addition to any short story unit at the high school level. An answer key and copy of the public domain text are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. Questions pertain to the following: Identifying what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Analyzing the authors’ craft, paying special attention to diction and how it contributes to the complexity of the text Applying knowledge of literary devices to the text, identifying and explaining examples of simile and situational irony in the text Defining complex words in context, taking into consideration denotative definitions and connotative associations and using reference materials as needed Responding clearly, concisely, and accurately to analytical questioning

Support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this worksheet composed of challenging questions to complement “The Wife’s Story” by Ursula K. Le Guin. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this resource helps teachers save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key is included. By completing this exercise, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly Apply knowledge of anaphora to the text Articulate how anaphora contributes to the narrator’s characterization Analyze the narrator’s statements to infer details about her husband Discern meaning in less familiar words and phrases, taking into consideration the context of the passage Analyze an excerpt to discern tone in context Analyze an excerpt to discern and articulate the narrator’s internal conflict Apply knowledge of simile to the text Articulate the significance of the narrator’s “grief howl” Analyze character statements and actions to discern and articulate character motivations Analyze the term “blessed dark” to discern and articulate what it conveys about the narrator’s mindset Cite and explain textual details that evoke a sense of sympathy within readers Revisit the text to identify details that foreshadow the major revelation near the story’s conclusion Analyze the author’s craft to explain how language contributes to the major revelation near the story’s conclusion Write with clarity and precision

Promote homework accountability and measure general reading comprehension with this quiz on Act 5 of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: The nature of the gravediggers’ conversation Hamlet’s reaction to the gravediggers’ behaviors Hamlet’s similarities to the gravediggers The nature of Hamlet’s conversation with the gravediggers A former jester named Yorick The church’s perspective on people who commit suicide Laertes’ emotional response to Ophelia’s burial Hamlet’s discovery of the plot to have him killed Hamlet’s feelings toward Laertes Hamlet’s duel with Laertes Hamlet’s assessment of his physical strength in comparison to Laertes The nature of Gertrude’s death Hamlet’s belief regarding who should be the new King of Denmark

Support the development of high school close reading skills and analysis of Shakespeare’s The Tempest with this worksheet on Act 3, scene 1. A variety of high-order question types facilitates the process of analyzing character motivations, examining how word choices influence a reader’s interpretations, applying knowledge of literary devices, and articulating ideas in writing with clarity and precision. This resource is delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A detailed answer key is included. More specifically, students will be able to: Articulate what the text says explicitly and implicitly Write with clarity and precision Cite specific, relevant textual evidence in support of a claim or idea Articulate Prospero’s intentions Analyze cause-and-effect relationships Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, situational irony, and dramatic irony Discern logical inferences about characterization in context Discern the tone of a particular excerpt Articulate why Miranda feels she betrayed her father Contrast Miranda and Ferdinand

Support the development of high school close reading skills and analysis of Shakespeare’s The Tempest with this worksheet on Act 3, scene 3. A variety of high-order question types facilitates the process of analyzing character motivations, examining how word choices influence a reader’s interpretations, applying knowledge of literary devices, and articulating ideas in writing with clarity and precision. This resource is delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A detailed answer key is included. More specifically, students will be able to: Articulate what the text says explicitly and implicitly Write with clarity and precision Cite specific, relevant textual evidence in support of a claim or idea Articulate what makes Alonso a more vulnerable target, according to Antonio’s logic Analyze how Antonio and Sebastian demonstrate cowardliness Identify textual details that contribute to the surreal tone of the scene Discern the most logical statement among four options in context Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification Identify what makes Antonio and Sebastian foolish from Ariel’s perspective Analyze Shakespeare’s use of the vague pronoun they and determine to whom Ariel refers when using the pronoun in context Determine the meaning of complex words and phrases in context Verify interpretations of language using reference materials such as a dictionary and thesaurus Identify whether Ariel believes the king’s party may avoid eternal damnation Articulate the effect Ariel’s speech has on the king’s party Conduct brief research on the mythological harpy and analyze what the creature has in common with Ariel

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

Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze chapter 29 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is provided. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, these instructional materials save teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. Copyright restrictions prohibit the inclusion of the complete chapter, so the purchaser is responsible for providing students with access to the novel. By engaging in this exercise, students will: Apply knowledge of various literary devices to passages in the text (idiom, metaphor, personification, assonance) Discern the meaning of a given word or phrase Discern a character’s intent Analyze Boo Radley’s physical characteristics to articulate the author’s intent Analyze the author’s craft Write with clarity and precision

Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze chapter 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is provided. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, these instructional materials save teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. Copyright restrictions prohibit the inclusion of the complete chapter, so the purchaser is responsible for providing students with access to the novel. By engaging in this exercise, students will: Discern the meaning of complex vocabulary and phrases in context, taking into consideration both denotative definitions and connotative associations. Analyze Scout’s dialogue to make a logical inference about Atticus’s parenting Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor Identify textual evidence in support of the claim that Jem is a dynamic character Explore the internal conflict that exists within Jem Connect a portion of a given passage to the content of a previous chapter Analyze how complex characters interact

Extend reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions about Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Focusing on Act 1, scene 2, this resource is delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. An answer key is included. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Determine the function of a particular excerpt Conduct brief research on classical mythology — more specifically the tale of Arion and the dolphin — and draw parallels between the mythological figure and Sebastian Consider the text’s allusion to Elysium to infer greater meaning Discern the tone of a character’s dialogue Come to class/depart class better prepared to discuss literary material Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Reduce teacher workload, promote homework accountability, and measure reading comprehension with this assessment on the short story titled “The Outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following: The narrator’s previous experiences Conditions of the setting The narrator’s acquisition of his education The narrator’s desire for light A discovery beyond a trap door A violation of the narrator’s expectations The cause of mass panic The effect of the mirror in terms of plot development The resolution

For many high school readers, psychological fiction and horror are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Premature Burial” by Edgar Allan Poe features elements consistent with both genres: a stream-of-consciousness technique, the intensification of an irrational fear, tales of being buried alive, and more. With this challenging worksheet composed of high-order questions, English teachers will help students extend beyond basic reading comprehension, support the development of close reading analysis skills, and save valuable time at home without sacrificing quality and rigor in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Explore dominant character traits Examine how complex characters think and behave Analyze diction to make logical inferences about the author’s intent Articulate the greater significance of a given detail Apply knowledge of various literary devices including eye dialect, onomatopoeia, allusion, dramatic irony, situational irony, and more Discern the meaning of an idiom as it is used in the text Explain how a particular word or expression is considered a pun Investigate the intended effect of narrative techniques such as the liberal incorporation of em dashes Discern the function of a particular detail Choose the most appropriate synonym to replace a word used in the story Explore nuances in words with similar denotative meanings Examine narrative structure Evaluate whether the narrator’s thinking is rational Draw parallels between the narrative and a featured nonfiction passage Defend claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Hamlet. With a focus on Act 4, scene 6, this resource saves teachers valuable time without sacrificing academic rigor. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered as printable PDFs and Word Documents. This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking. More specifically, students will do the following: Discern what the text states both explicitly and implicitly Analyze character statements and behaviors to draw logical inferences about character development and motivations Analyze how characters interact Determine the primary purpose of Hamlet’s letter to Horatio Apply knowledge of literary devices to the text Analyze complex vocabulary and phrasing in context to determine meaning and intended effect

Go beyond reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions on chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A variety of question types facilitates preparation for standardized testing scenarios. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with this resource, students will: Discern what the text states explicitly and implicitly Analyze how complex characters interact and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices including personification, simile, and onomatopoeia Analyze the author’s craft to articulate the intended effect of language and imagery Infer what is foreshadowed by a given detail using reasoned thinking Determine the most appropriate synonym for a given word in context Contrast Simon with his peers in the context of a given passage Conduct brief research on the mythological figure Triton and compare him to Ralph Identify relevant textual evidence in support of claims Write with clarity and precision

Go beyond reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions on chapter 6 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A variety of question types facilitates preparation for standardized testing scenarios. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may serve as the basis for 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 this resource, students will: Discern what the text states explicitly and implicitly Analyze how complex characters interact and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices (personification, sibilance, simile, meiosis, allusion, and idiom) Articulate the situational irony associated with Jack’s criticism of Ralph Analyze the greater significance of the air battle and dead pilot Analyze the author’s craft to explain how juxtaposition is applied in a given passage Articulate Simon’s internal conflict in the context of the chapter Write with clarity and precision

Go beyond reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions on chapter 10 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A variety of question types facilitates preparation for standardized testing scenarios. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may serve as the basis for 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 this resource, students will: Discern what the text states explicitly and implicitly Analyze how complex characters interact and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices (metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, situational irony, and syncope) Make logical inferences about Ralph’s psychological state in the context of a passage Explore character motivations Discern the greater significance of a given detail Explain how a given phrase is a euphemism and why the author chose to employ this device Articulate the purpose of Wilfred’s brutal punishment in terms of plot development Identify textual evidence in support of a claim Write with clarity and precision

Go beyond reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions on chapter 11 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A variety of question types facilitates preparation for standardized testing scenarios. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may serve as the basis for 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 this resource, students will: Discern what the text states explicitly and implicitly Analyze how complex characters interact and develop Apply knowledge of various literary devices (personification) Discern the greater significance of a given detail Demonstrate understanding of figurative language Make logical inferences about character behavior Analyze character intentions and motivations Define complex words and phrases in context Identify textual evidence in support of a claim