Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking skills with this bundle of materials for teaching Shirley Jackson’s short story titled “Charles.” A plot-based quiz, close reading analysis worksheet, vocabulary application activity, crossword puzzle, word search game, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may facilitate 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 these activities, students will: Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly Define words and phrases as they are used in the text Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings Choose the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences Determine the function of a given paragraph Discern the narrative’s dominant conflict Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, slang, situational irony, neologism, invective, and sibilance Reflect on how point of view shapes the reader’s understanding of events Consider theme in context Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence Write about fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision

Frontload assigned readings with these vocabulary games and activities to facilitate comprehension of Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World. Alternatively, stash these materials in an emergency sub folder to keep students meaningfully engaged in the book during unexpected teacher absences. Included are six vocabulary application activities, six crossword puzzles, six word search games, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A total of 79 challenging words are addressed: anguish, apoplectic, apprehension, bleakly, clamber, concede, conspicuous, continual, continuous, crude, curtly, deferential, derisive, earnestly, eccentricity, effect, emaciated, emphatic, exasperated, exultant, feebly, ferocity, flare, furtively, gaudily, genial, haggard, heretical, illicit, implore, importunately, impudent, incessant, indefatigable, indignation, inexorable, infamous, ingratiating, innocuous, irrepressibly, irresolute, keen, languish, melancholy, menial, mirth, morsel, multitudinous, obstinately, pallid, persecution, plaintive, portentously, precipitous, proffer, propagation, propitiatingly, quaint, reminiscence, respectively, reverently, scurry, shrill, shudder, sibilant, solemn, solidarity, solitude, sonorous, stealthy, suffuse, superfluous, tangible, timid, tremulous, undulate, vague, venerable, and weary. 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

For many high school students, the horror genre promotes more active engagement with literature. “The Terrible Old Man” by H.P. Lovecraft is a concise horror story featuring plot elements such as robbery, a character who dabbles in the occult, and mutilated corpses - making the narrative a particularly compelling read during the Halloween season. The following are included in this bundle: 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. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. This resource may facilitate 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 these activities, 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 Choose the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences Determine the story’s point of view Discern the overall tone of the narrative Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop Apply knowledge of literary devices including situational irony Draw parallels between the author’s life and the plot of “The Terrible Old Man” Identify relevant textual details in support of claims and ideas Write about compelling fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision