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 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
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. 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 included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The reason for the narrator’s visit to the country estate
John’s relation to the narrator
John’s deception
Jennie’s relation to the narrator
A recent life-changing event
The narrator’s hobby and her husband’s reaction to it
The effect of the wallpaper on the narrator’s psychological state
The reason for family visitation
The nature of Jennie’s support
Weir Mitchell’s profession
The narrator’s assessment of her husband’s intentions
The resolution
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the short story “The Wives of the Dead” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. 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: bereavement, comely, confederate, deluge, feeble, felicity, frugal, hasten, hinder, lamentation, middling, monotonous, morsel, pall, pang, piety, principal, repose, repress, scarcely, skirmish, successive, summons, tempestuous, wooer, and yearn.
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 the short story “The Good Deed” by Pearl S. Buck. 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: abashed, barbarous, beckon, bestow, chide, coax, denounce, exclaim, folly, gallantly, grieve, habitually, heartily, idleness, indignantly, millet, retort, revere, scarcely, sternly, tentative, till, totter, unfilial, uppish, wharf, and withered.
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 basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 7 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including foreshadowing, slang, and situational irony
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Read for literal comprehension
Consult reference materials to learn and verify word meanings as needed
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including simile and situational irony
Explore cause-and-effect relationships
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
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the ironic short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry. 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: chivalric, congenial, contempt, derision, dreary, flibbertigibbet, gnarled, goosey, merciless, satyr, scarcely, scoff, smite, solicitously, and squatty.
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 the short story “The Dinner Party” by Mona Gardner. 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: arresting, attaché, commotion, emerge, exclaim, forfeit, rafter, rupee, spacious, spirited, summon, unfailing, and veranda.
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 extend beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering Mona Gardner’s short story “The Dinner Party.” An answer key is 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
Describe tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including epiphany, metaphor, simile, and situational irony
Conduct research online in order to answer questions related to plot
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 “Home” by Gwendolyn Brooks. 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: burden, casually, emerge, emphatic, flat, graceful, jardinière, obstinate, rein, slip, staccato, stride, and suspect.
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 the short story “The Colomber” by Dino Buzzati. 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: dissuade, expedient, imploringly, indomitable, industrious, inexorable, intrepid, nocturnal, obstinately, ominously, patrimony, placid, scrutinize, trudge, vain, 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
Promote active engagement with fiction and evaluate general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz on the short story “Geraldine Moore the Poet” by Toni Cade Bambara. An answer key is included. All materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Mr. Watson’s dog
Geraldine’s lunchtime habits
The eviction
Geraldine’s mother
The reason for Anita’s return home
Geraldine’s personal and emotional struggles during classes
Geraldine’s response to her English teacher’s assignment
Mrs. Scott’s reaction to Geraldine
A surprising realization
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement the Grimm’s fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the short story, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: beguiled, bier, cunningly, delve, dwell, envy, haughty, heave, paragon, scarcely, splendor, transparent, and ween.
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 the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. 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: clabber, dingy, doctrine, envy, farthest, homely, lye, mercilessly, organdy, sidle, tacky, totter, witty, and wriggle.
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 the short story “The Mortal Immortal” by Mary Shelley, the author of the classic science fiction novel Frankenstein. 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: abhor, abode, adept, antiquated, avarice, buoyant, dingy, disdain, ephemeral, hasten, hastily, haughty, heartily, implore, imprecate, indifferent, iniquitous, murmur, natal, pecuniary, peevish, procure, quaff, refuge, renowned, reproach, reverence, scarcely, simper, studious, tedious, unintelligible, vain, and wistfully.
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 the Grimm’s fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the short story, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: avenge, contented, decree, dissuade, fain, farther, fowl, kindred, modest, pitiful, plenteously, scarcely, scullery, splendor, 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