Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this bundle of formative assessments covering Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. A plot-based quiz, three close reading worksheets (one per scene), 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: Read for literal comprehension Determine the meanings of unfamiliar and archaic 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 stylistic choices and dramatic techniques Describe tone in context Determine the functions of various passages Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Compare and contrast two characters Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor and situational irony Conduct brief research as needed to answer a question about a biblical allusion 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 support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this bundle of formative assessments covering Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. A plot-based quiz, nine close reading worksheets (one per scene), 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: Read for literal comprehension Determine the meanings of unfamiliar and archaic 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 stylistic choices and dramatic techniques Describe tone in context Determine the functions of various passages Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Compare and contrast two characters (Jessica and Portia) Consider the motif of the guest-host relationship and argue whether Portia conforms to the expectations of a good host, or whether she fails to meet expectations and represents a bad host Apply knowledge of many literary devices with emphasis on allusion, hyperbole, dramatic irony, situational irony, personification, symbolism, invective, juxtaposition, and metaphor Conduct brief online research (if necessary) to determine the symbolic value of a particular object 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 support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this bundle of formative assessments covering Act 3 of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. A plot-based quiz, five close reading worksheets (one per scene), 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: Read for literal comprehension Determine the meanings of unfamiliar and archaic 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 stylistic choices and dramatic techniques Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Compare and contrast two characters (Antonio and Shylock; Portia and Antonio) Apply knowledge of many literary devices with emphasis on metaphor, oxymoron, onomatopoeia, allusion, personification, symbolism, invective, and euphemism Consider themes in context 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 support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this bundle of formative assessments covering Act 5 of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. A plot-based quiz, a close reading 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: Read for literal comprehension Determine the meanings of unfamiliar and archaic 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 stylistic choices and dramatic techniques Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification and symbolic imagery 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

Promote homework accountability and evaluate general reading comprehension with this bundle of quizzes covering each Act of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.

Help high school students go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and craft analysis skills with this bundle of close reading activities covering each scene of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with these materials, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly as well as 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 Determine the functions of given excerpts Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop Consider the motif of the guest-host relationship and argue whether Portia conforms to the expectations of a good host, or whether she fails to meet expectations and represents a bad host Compare and contrast characters (Antonio and Shylock; Portia and Antonio; Jessica and Portia) Apply knowledge of many literary devices with emphasis on metaphor, oxymoron, onomatopoeia, allusion, personification, symbolism, invective, euphemism, juxtaposition, hyperbole situational irony, and dramatic irony Conduct brief online research (if necessary) to determine the symbolic value of a particular object 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 support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this bundle of formative assessments covering Act 4 of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. A plot-based quiz, two close reading worksheets (one per scene), 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: Read for literal comprehension Determine the meanings of unfamiliar and archaic 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 stylistic choices and dramatic techniques Describe tone in context Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on dramatic irony, situational irony, and symbolism 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

For many reluctant readers, science fiction helps to maximize student engagement. “Robot Dreams” by Isaac Asimov is a cautionary short story involving humanity’s commitment to developing artificial intelligence. This bundle of assessments helps English teachers evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of close reading skills, and promote homework accountability—while eliminating take-home assessment planning responsibilities. Answer keys are included. 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 Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Explore cause-and-effect relationships Define complex words as they are used in the text Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, pun, and personification Analyze sentence structures with emphasis on the use of an appositive phrase Analyze the author’s stylistic choice to capitalize common noun phrases Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence Write ideas 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 classic Grimm’s fairy tale “Old Rinkrank.” A plot-based quiz, a close reading worksheet, vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the short story, 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 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 stylistic choices and narrative techniques Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Evaluate the protagonist’s positive attributes and how they benefit her as the plot develops Compare and contrast two characters (Old Rinkrank and the king) Apply knowledge of literary devices with an emphasis on situational irony Consider themes in context Defend claims and ideas with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary material

“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros is a coming-of-age short story involving a girl who, for the first time, experiences public marginalization and must learn to navigate an unjust world. This bundle of assessments helps English teachers evaluate reading comprehension, support the development of close reading skills, and promote homework accountability. The brevity of the narrative also helps to fill awkward gaps in teaching schedules. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. With these resources, students will: Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly Examine nuances in words with similar meanings Isolate the story’s inciting incident Examine how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact Identify the narrative’s antagonist Evaluate the significance of the teacher’s last name (Price) given the context of the plot Argue in support of the claim that the protagonist is smarter and wiser than a typical eleven-year-old Predict how Rachel will be affected by her embarrassing classroom experience Explore the symbolic meaning behind the phrases “big red mountain” and “runaway balloon” Discern the tone of a given excerpt Explore theme Defend claims with valid reasoning and relevant textual evidence Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials