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.
Help high school students improve fluency, stamina, text comprehension, and close reading analysis of the formal elements of fiction with this resource for teaching “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield. Additional materials are included to facilitate planning for unexpected teacher absences. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Included are the following:
Public domain short story.
Close reading analysis worksheet. By engaging with this exercise, students will articulate what is stated explicitly and implicitly; define complex words and phrases in context; analyze how complex characters think, interact, and behave; explore how a particular incident contributes to the development of a dynamic character; apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor and dramatic irony; analyze the author’s craft to discern and articulate how she creates a dreamy atmosphere in the garden; compare two characters from different classes; explore shifts in tone; articulate the symbolism of a seemingly ordinary object; cite textual evidence in support of claims; and write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision. Questions are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats.
Close reading analysis worksheet answer key.
Low-prep lesson plan for unexpected absences. This comes pre-filled with learning targets and agenda items. Space is also designated for classroom teachers to identify the name(s) of their class(es), the hour(s) of their class(es), student leaders, and upcoming homework assignments and assessments.
Bell ringer activity. Help a substitute teacher engage students (and find time to take attendance) with a thematically linked writing prompt.
Miscellaneous performance tasks handout. Extend student thinking and learning in the event of unexpected absences with this item outlining creative tasks pertaining to the short story. For example, students may write poetry or journal entries from the perspective of a character; write a brief retelling of the narrative from a different character’s perspective; explore the thematic significance of stories; review the overall quality of the narrative with objectivity and supporting evidence; and more.
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: conspicuous, enigmatically, lanky, marquee, mournfully, murmur, pacify, rapturous, relish, shudder, sordid, strenuous, tactless, 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
Evaluate general reading comprehension, support critical thinking, and facilitate vocabulary development with this bundle of formative assessments covering Kate Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby,” a piece of historical fiction that, when integrated into the English Language Arts classroom, complements American History curricula, as the plot precedes the Civil War and addresses the issue of how race and ethnicity affect one’s life experiences in the South. A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the public domain short story, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable 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 materials, students will perform the following tasks:
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
Consider the effects of the author’s language and narrative techniques
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including irony and foreshadowing
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate general reading comprehension, support critical thinking, facilitate vocabulary development, and prepare for unexpected teacher absences with this bundle of formative assessments covering Katherine Mansfield’s short story “The Garden Party.” A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the public domain short story, emergency lesson plans with supplemental materials, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable 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 materials, 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
Consider the effects of the author’s language and narrative techniques
Explore tone in context
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare two characters from different classes
Contrast Laura and the majority of her family members
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, symbolism, and dramatic irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: corbeille, disquieting, espousal, exacting, imperious, layette, listlessly, muslin, peignoir, portly, suffuse, sumptuous, toddle, and unwonted.
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
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading worksheet covering Washington Irving’s short story “The Devil and Tom Walker.” An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable 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 this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials to navigate nuances in words with similar meanings
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on situational irony
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
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz on Washington Irving’s short story “The Devil and Tom Walker.” The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with fiction. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The backstory of Kidd
Setting
Ominous discoveries
The nickname of the devil
Physical characteristics of the devil
Tom’s observation about the trees around him
The devil’s parting act
The wife’s reaction to Tom’s interaction with the devil
What the wife takes with her out of the house
Negotiations between the devil and Tom
Tom’s agreement with the devil
Tom’s living conditions
How Tom changes as he ages
An important possession
Rumors about Tom
Tom’s seemingly fatal mistake
The public’s reaction to Tom’s apparent fate
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
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, and discern the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed:
askance
avarice
balk
clamor
confound
dingy
dolefully
dreary
earnest
exalt
extort
foreclose
fortitude
hoarse
immense
impregnable
melancholy
miserly
notorious
oblige
obstinate
parsimony
piety
propitiate
quagmire
refuge
saunter
scarcely
scowl
shrewd
strenuous
sulky
superfluous
termagant
thriftless
trifle
vain
wayfarer
This summative assessment measures reading comprehension of The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It also assesses a student’s ability to write claims in an analysis of the text and its characters using valid reasoning and sufficient evidence. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A breakdown of content follows.
Part 1. Character Identification.
This matching section features 20 total questions, all of which pertain to the characters of Alex, Briana, Julie, Carlos, Mami, Papi, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Lorraine, Kevin, Chris, Father Franco, Father Mulrooney, Sister Rita, and Harvey.
Part 2. Plot Recall.
This multiple choice section features 12 total questions. Students must demonstrate that they recall key incidents that occurred throughout the novel.
Part 3. Literary Term Application.
In this multiple choice section featuring 8 total questions, students will be presented with a textual detail that relates to a common literary device, such as foreshadowing, symbolism, metaphor, simile, antagonist, static character, dynamic character, dramatic irony, irony of result, theme, personification, complication, and more. Students must match the appropriate literary device to the given detail.
Part 4. Essay Writing.
Students must choose one of two prompts and write a thoughtful analysis of a character who demonstrates either the character trait of adaptability or perseverance. The student must use sufficient and compelling textual evidence to support their claims and may choose to relay personal anecdotes within their response.
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapters 3, 4, and 5 of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s dystopian young adult fiction novel The Dead and the Gone, the sequel to Life As We Knew It. 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: aimless, ambitious, amnesia, barter, cacophony, competent, convent, decimated, formidable, gaunt, genuflect, illicit, imposing, indefinitely, resentment, shudder, souvlaki, stringent, swiftly, vehemence, and vocation.
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 chapters 1 and 2 of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s dystopian young adult fiction novel The Dead and the Gone, the sequel to Life As We Knew It. 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: alarmist, anonymous, bodega, daze, devout, draconian, erode, exclusively, looter, mutter, overcast, perishable, personnel, pessimistic, quarrel, rifle, sermon, surreal, and tsunami.
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 chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15 of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s dystopian young adult fiction novel The Dead and the Gone, the sequel to Life As We Knew It. 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: compensate, contemptuously, dependent, desertion, garner, hermanita, optimistic, persist, plead, sanctuary, sleet, spitfire, stationery, stern, subside, 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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapters 9, 10, and 11 of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s dystopian young adult fiction novel The Dead and the Gone, the sequel to Life As We Knew It. 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: cardiologist, contrition, famine, gamely, humility, malice, meek, missal, nostalgia, penance, postulant, rabid, ransack, retch, scowl, and sparse.
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 chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s dystopian young adult fiction novel The Dead and the Gone, the sequel to Life As We Knew It. 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: accost, anarchy, cholera, cynical, dormant, implausible, infirm, onerous, righteous, saunter, seminary, smugly, sulky, and wane.
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
Help high school readers explore how Edith Wharton used literary devices such as direct description, characterization, figurative language, foreshadowing, and symbolism to develop a complex short story: “A Journey.” This craft analysis activity helps students go beyond general reading comprehension by making them reflect on the motivations behind the author’s word choices and narrative techniques. Delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats, this resource also helps prepare students for more meaningful classroom discussions. Through these discussions, students may evaluate peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to support claims, clarifying or challenging ideas as needed. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included.
Help high school students extend beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering Edith Wharton’s short story titled “A Journey.” An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable 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 completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the functions of given details
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare characters in the story
Apply knowledge of literary devices including ambiguity, metaphor, personification, red herring, simile, and oxymoron
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
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking skills with this bundle of materials for teaching Saki’s short story “The Interlopers,” which features elements consistent with the horror and psychological fiction genres: a moody setting, bloodlust, entrapment, and more. A plot-based quiz, close reading worksheet, craft analysis exercise, vocabulary application activity, crossword puzzle, word search game, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable 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 materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Explore how point of view shapes the readers’ understanding of the story
Articulate the intended effects of the author’s diction (“pestilential wind,” “snarled,” etc.)
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
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including metaphor, oxymoron, personification, onomatopoeia, foreshadowing, symbolism, and situational irony
Determine the function of a given passage
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking skills with this bundle of materials for teaching the short story “A Journey” by Edith Wharton. A plot-based quiz, a close reading worksheet, a craft analysis exercise, 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.
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 materials, students will:
Identify what the text states 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
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the functions of given details
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare characters in the story
Apply knowledge of literary devices including ambiguity, metaphor, personification, red herring, simile, and oxymoron
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “A Journey” by Edith Wharton. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: allusion, berth, buoyant, clamorously, disheveled, dreary, euphuism, furtively, hastily, hoarse, idle, imperturbably, importunity, inexorable, leniently, lucidity, maternal, monotonous, murmur, obscurity, pang, petulance, proffer, punctual, rebuff, recede, shudder, temperament, throng, treachery, vague, vainly, and waylay.
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 readers, horror and psychological fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe features elements consistent with both genres: a psychotic protagonist trying to rationalize his thinking, the senseless killing of an innocent man, dramatic irony, and more. With this bundle of high school resources covering “The Tell-Tale Heart,” English teachers will save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. Included are the following: a multiple choice, plot-based quiz; a close reading worksheet; a craft analysis exercise; 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 materials, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Explore narrative techniques used to establish an unreliable narrator
Discern the function of a given passage
Explain how situational irony applies to a particular passage
Examine how complex characters think, behave, and interact
Compare and contrast characters
Determine the intended effect of figurative language as it is used in the text
Discern the tone of a given passage
Articulate the significance of the narrator’s chair placement
Identify an example of literary callback and state its significance
Infer the nature of the relationship between the narrator and his victim
Analyze a detail for symbolism and make logical inferences about the narrator’s subconscious motivations based on this analysis
Defend claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision