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.
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Spunk.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: badinage, boisterously, coarse, conjecture, dejected, derision, dingy, grit, lamentation, leer, nonchalance, rakish, saunter, skittish, strut, and timid.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: avert, descend, dismay, galvanized, gibber, habitual, hypocrite, introspection, listlessly, matrimonial, meekness, mirth, mournful, mutter, nullify, portly, scimitar, scornfully, sidle, timid, truculently, and virtue.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Roald Dahl’s short story “Beware of the Dog.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: altimeter, beckon, casual, delirious, dispersal, giddy, hoist, rickshaw, rudder, shabby, undulate, and wretched.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Roald Dahl’s short story “The Landlady.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: blotchy, briskly, congenial, dither, earnestly, emanate, peer, rapacious, sixpence, and swanky.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Gary Soto’s short story “The No-Guitar Blues.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: beam, charity, conjunto, deceitful, empanada, grimy, hijo, huevos, loose, mimic, papas, perpetual, pew, reluctantly, secondhand, strum, and wander.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “A Visit to Grandmother” by William Melvin Kelley. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Setting
The reason(s) for traveling
The protagonist’s travel companion
How the travel companion’s view of the protagonist changes
A character missing from the dinner table
An acquisition
The nature of the relationship between the protagonist and his mother
The mother’s view of the protagonist’s older brother
The mother’s admission
The protagonist’s emotional state as the narrative concludes
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Whistle” by Anne Estevis. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Due to copyright restrictions, the narrative is not included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Point of view
The narrator’s nickname
The reason the narrator’s parents are absent
Tasks undertaken by the narrator and her siblings
The grandmother’s name
The grandmother’s complications
The narrator’s mistakes
The grandmother’s treatment of the narrator
How the narrator expresses her remorse
The resolution
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The animal Mr. Peters saves
A sudden transformation
A king’s reaction to Mr. Peters’ actions
The nature of the first wish
The general characterization of Leita
Mr. Peters’ general characterization
The nature of the second wish
Rumors that later circulate about Mr. Peters
The resolution
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Flying Machine” by Ray Bradbury. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Setting
The Emperor’s name
Examples of miracles from the perspective of the Emperor
Who notifies the Emperor of the flying man’s presence
The materials used to construct the flying machine
The Emperor’s initial reaction to the flying machine
The flying man’s attitude toward his creation
The Emperor’s accusation
The Emperor’s own creativity
The fate of the flying man
The Emperor’s ominous perspective on the idea of beauty
Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and craft analysis skills with this bundle of formative assessments covering Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. A plot-based quiz, three close reading worksheets, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast two characters (Cassius and Casca)
Apply knowledge of literary devices including hyperbaton, metaphor, pun, simile, and situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss dramatic works
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Circuit” by Francisco Jiménez. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Point of view
The meaning behind the title
The name of Panchito’s younger brother
Setting
The family’s living conditions
Panchito’s first day of work
Papá’s reaction to seeing a school bus
Panchito’s grade level
The name of Panchito’s teacher
An exciting offer
The reason for Panchito’s abrupt disappointment
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “Too Soon a Woman” by Dorothy Johnson. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Point of view
A family’s mode of transportation
Mary’s background
Pa’s concerns
The reason Mary is left in charge
The narrator’s 15-mile walk
A discovery
The reason Mary does not initially share the discovery
The narrator’s self-image
The source of Mary’s scars
The resolution
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Setting
The protagonist’s age
A porter’s recommendation
The protagonist’s immediate reaction to the building
The landlady’s personality
How the protagonist learns of previous visitors
Similarities among the guests
The landlady’s eccentricities
A sign of danger
And more
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “Broken Chain” by Gary Soto. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The protagonist’s self-image
The protagonist’s request of his mother
The protagonist’s helpful nature
The name of the protagonist’s love interest
Relationships between characters
Reasons for conflict
Character transformations
And more
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Virginia Woolf’s short story “The New Dress.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: altar, annul, botany, chastise, clamor, decrepit, dingy, etymology, feeble, fructify, gesticulate, miserly, odious, paltry, pertly, peter, principle, relentlessly, satirical, scanty, simper, sordid, squint, and vacillate.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of activities for teaching the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Determine the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Discern the functions of various passages and excerpts
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast two characters (Aylmer and Aminadab)
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, imagery, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, and more
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
Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark.” An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Discern the functions of various passages and excerpts
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast two characters (Aylmer and Aminadab)
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, imagery, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, and more
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: abortive, affinity, ardent, assent, competent, countenance, credulity, detrimental, dingy, eminent, ephemeral, exuberance, fastidious, fervid, finite, folio, hastily, indistinct, inexorably, interminably, invariably, laborious, mar, melancholy, mien, nostrum, optical, placid, principle, quaff, recondite, relinquish, remonstrance, sanguine, sneer, tremulous, uncouth, unobtrusive, and verdure.
By engaging with these activities, students will:
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Aylmer’s love
Georgiana’s self-image
Aylmer’s feelings toward the birthmark
The shape, color, and location of the birthmark
The details of Georgiana’s nightmare
The role of Aminadab
The contents of Aylmer’s journals
The means by which Georgiana plans to transform
How the transformation process is first demonstrated
The outcome of the procedure
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of activities for teaching the short story “Amigo Brothers” by Piri Thomas. A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar and complex words
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
Discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast the story’s protagonists
Apply knowledge of literary devices including eye dialect, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification 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
