With a decade of teaching experience, I specialize in developing student-centered ELA activities and unit plans that foster creativity and critical thinking. My resources have been tried and tested in more than 74,000 classrooms worldwide since 2013.
With a decade of teaching experience, I specialize in developing student-centered ELA activities and unit plans that foster creativity and critical thinking. My resources have been tried and tested in more than 74,000 classrooms worldwide since 2013.
Help high school students navigate William Shakespeare’s language with these vocabulary games and activities to facilitate comprehension of Romeo and Juliet. Alternatively, stash these materials in an emergency sub folder to keep students meaningfully engaged in the book during unexpected teacher absences. Included are 5 vocabulary application activities, 5 crossword puzzles, 5 word search games, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
A total of 120 words are addressed: absolve, affray, alack, aloof, ambiguity, amerce, anon, apothecary, assail, athwart, baggage, baleful, bedeck, beguiled, behoveful, beseech, beshrew, boisterous, chapless, charnel, chide, churl, conceit, corse, counsel, decree, descend, descent, detestable, discern, discourse, disperse, doff, doleful, ducat, enmity, entreat, fain, fair, fond, forbear, garish, gleek, gyves, hap, haply, haste, haughty, heavy, henceforth, hie, hoarse, idle, immoderately, inauspicious, inexorable, inundation, lamentation, languish, lenity, liege, light, loathsome, lusty, meager, mouse-hunt, moved, muffle, naught, needful, obscure, obsequy, orison, pains, parlous, pennyworth, pensive, penury, pernicious, perverse, pine, plead, portentous, pox, presage, princox, privy, procure, prorogued, provision, quarrel, rash, reeky, reign, repent, repose, runagate, scourge, sirrah, slander, slug-a-bed, smatter, soft, solace, strew, sullen, sup, tedious, tetchy, treacherous, tush, vain, vexed, wail, wander, wanny, weraday, wherefore, woo, and wot.
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 duties with this plot-based quiz covering Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Why Leonato teases Beatrice
Beatrice’s dance partner
Beatrice’s treatment of her dance partner
Borachio and Don John’s deception
Benedick’s self-reflection
Don Pedro’s promise to find Beatrice a husband
Hero’s chambermaid
The nature of Borachio’s interaction with Margaret
A plan to misrepresent Hero
Benedick’s assumptions about his future
Balthasar’s actions
The deception of Benedick
Benedick’s promise to love Beatrice
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning duties with this plot-based quiz covering Act 3 of William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Hero and Margaret’s trickery
The effect of Hero and Margaret’s trickery
Hero and Margaret’s criticism of Beatrice
Benedick’s character transformation
Benedick’s request to speak to Leonato privately
Don Pedro and Claudio’s agreement should Hero be proven unfaithful
Claudio’s comparison of Benedick and Beatrice to two bears
The identity of the magistrate
The characterization of the magistrate
Borachio’s drunken bragging
The identities of two arrested characters
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning duties with this plot-based quiz covering Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The news Leonato receives
Beatrice’s relation to Leonato
Claudio’s romantic interest
Don Pedro’s offer to Claudio
Hero’s relation to Leonato
Don John’s relation to Don Pedro
Conrade’s interactions with Don John
The quality Don John values most
Borachio’s discovery and the method by which he made it
The cause of Don John’s bitterness toward Don Pedro
Help learners go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 2, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s Othello. An answer key is included. 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 Shakespeare’s word choices and dramatic techniques
Discern tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Identify textual evidence in support of claims
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of Shakespeare
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 a meaningful excerpt from Act 4, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words and phrases in context
Discern the greater significance of a given detail
Determine the function of a particular excerpt
Discern tone in context
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion
Help learners go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 4, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s Othello. An answer key is included. 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 Shakespeare’s word choices and dramatic techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Support ideas and claims with relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of Shakespeare
This resource extends beyond text comprehension, helping high school students analyze the formal elements of fiction and respond thoughtfully in writing to questions about literature. The featured short story is “Cinderella” by the Brothers Grimm. Included are the following: the public domain fairy tale, which has an estimated Lexile measure of 1000-1100; a related bell ringer activity; a set of rigorous close reading questions in both Word Doc and PDF formats; an answer key; and editable emergency substitute teaching plans.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Articulate what is stated in the text explicitly and implicitly
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, juxtaposition, anthropomorphism, symbolism, and more
Identify the story’s inciting incident
Discern the intended meaning of figurative language
Discern the function of a given excerpt
Analyze the author’s craft
Explore relationships between complex characters
Articulate character motivations
Cite textual evidence in support of inferences and claims
Write with clarity and precision
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Liam O’Flaherty’s short story “The Sniper.” 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 general characterization of the sniper
Risks taken by the sniper
What initiates an exchange of fire
Where the sniper gets injured
A strategy to trick the enemy
The sniper’s reaction to his kill
What motivates the sniper to know the enemy’s identity
An ironic discovery
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 Act 4, scene 2, of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
Explain the intended effect of figurative language in context
Define complex words and phrases in context
Determine the function of the scene
Examine how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast the murders of Lady Macduff and her son to previous homicides
Compare and contrast the characters of Lady Macduff and Lady Macbeth
Apply knowledge of literary devices such as simile, paradox, invective, and hyperbole
Support inferences and claims with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high schoolers go beyond basic comprehension and develop critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading inference worksheet covering W. W. Jacobs’ short story “The Monkey’s Paw.” An answer key and copy of the narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Read for literal comprehension
Utilize dictionaries to ensure knowledge of word meanings
Infer the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Determine the function of a given detail
Investigate tone in context
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and change
Explore the role of setting in terms of developing characterization
Apply knowledge of literary devices including situational irony and euphemism
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Come to class better prepared to discuss literature
Evaluate general reading comprehension and promote homework accountability with this plot-based quiz on chapter 11 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate engagement with the novel. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Decisions made at an assembly
The purpose of the conch from Jack’s perspective
A dangerous discovery at Castle Rock
Ralph’s demands of Jack
Ralph’s accusations
The reason for Jack’s assault of Ralph
The nature of Piggy’s death
The identity of Piggy’s killer
Ralph’s escape
The treatment of the twins
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, explore literary devices, and improve critical thinking skills with this close reading inference worksheet covering Act 1, scene 5, of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Consider using this resource as an in-class group activity; it may facilitate deeper conversations about characters, plot developments, and literary craft. By engaging with this close reading analysis activity, students will:
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
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including euphemism, simile, personification, and hyperbole
Conduct brief research to answer a question connecting the drama to aspects of Greek mythology
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, explore literary devices, and improve critical thinking skills with this close reading inference worksheet covering Act 3, scene 1, of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and emphasizing the protagonist’s internal conflict as expressed in his famous soliloquy: “To be, or not to be?”. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Consider using this resource as an in-class group activity; it may facilitate deeper conversations about characters, plot developments, and literary craft. By engaging with this close reading analysis activity, students will:
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
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor
Determine the function of a given excerpt
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond basic comprehension, practice critical thinking skills, and explore literary elements with this close reading inference worksheet covering chapter 11 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
Draw personal connections to Jem
Argue whether Jem feels guilty for his treatment of Scout
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespearean drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Specifically, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The purpose of a chorus
A character known as a peace-maker
The reason for street-fighting in Verona
Prince Escalus’s declaration
Romeo’s cause for sadness
Lord Capulet’s attitude toward marrying off Juliet
Benvolio’s encouragement (to Romeo)
Juliet’s attitude toward marriage
Mercutio’s treatment of Romeo
A foreshadowing fear
Tybalt’s temperament
Lord Capulet’s reaction to Romeo’s presence at the party
The revelation of Juliet’s true identity
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on the ironic short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
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
Explore how characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare and contrast characters
Apply knowledge of literary devices including allusion, metaphor, personification, dramatic irony, and situational irony
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction
Help learners go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 1, scene 2, of William Shakespeare’s Othello. An answer key is included. 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 Shakespeare’s word choices and dramatic techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
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 works of Shakespeare
Help learners go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and dramatic craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering Act 2, scene 3, of William Shakespeare’s Othello. An answer key is included. 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 Shakespeare’s word choices and dramatic techniques
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor
Support ideas and claims with relevant textual evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class better prepared to discuss works of Shakespeare
