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.
Evaluate reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering “The Wives of the Dead” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a short story addressing themes of grief and illusion. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement with supernatural 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 narrator’s opinion of the story
Imagery
Mary’s general characterization
Margaret’s general characterization
Goodman Parker’s general characterization
Stephen’s general characterization
Illusion vs. reality
Help high school students reflect on their employability skills as they begin interviewing for jobs and planning for careers with this set of activities. Although these resources are intended for individuals to evaluate their own transferable skills for their own unique circumstances, they may also serve to facilitate engaging conversations among peers. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
By engaging with these materials, students will:
Communicate ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Consider how to navigate complications in the workplace while maintaining integrity
Participate in a structured process of developing coherent and compelling responses for job interviewing scenarios
Reflect on their accomplishments, personality traits, interests, and hobbies
Retain tools that may improve their commitment to growth mindset
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Shirley Jackson’s short story titled “Charles.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: cynically, deprive, elaborately, grimly, haggard, incredulously, insolently, raucous, scornfully, solemnly, swaggering, and warily.
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, 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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: concede, eccentricity, emaciated, gaudily, haggard, implore, indignation, multitudinous, obstinately, persecution, precipitous, reminiscence, scurry, and undulate.
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 3, 4, and 5 of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: emphatic, exultant, furtively, genial, incessant, keen, plaintive, proffer, shudder, solidarity, solitude, stealthy, and timid.
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 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: apoplectic, bleakly, continuous, crude, curtly, deferential, indefatigable, pallid, reverently, sibilant, solemn, suffuse, and superfluous.
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 “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan. The resource may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
The protagonist’s perception of herself
Frustrations the protagonist faces in life
A Christmas gift
The mother’s reaction to the Christmas gift
Waverly’s internal and external conflicts
How characters influence one another
Qualities of the art of invisible strength
The effects of success on the protagonist’s daily life
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Amy Tan’s short story titled “Rules of the Game,” a passage from her book The Joy Luck Club. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: benefactor, benevolently, deftly, impart, obscure, prodigy, pungent, relent, retort, solemnly, successive, and vanity.
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 “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. The resource may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
The identity of the narrator
Laurie’s tendencies upon returning home from school
The general characterization of Laurie’s teacher
Laurie’s changing behavior toward his parents
Mrs. Hyman’s concerns about Laurie’s schooling
The lesson Mr. Hyman believes Laurie must learn
The reason Mrs. Hyman cannot attend a parent-teacher conference
The general characterization of Charles
Mr. Hyman’s suggestion pertaining to Charles’ mother
A revelation in the resolution
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering Shirley Jackson’s short story titled “Charles.” 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 engaging with this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states both explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapters 9, 10, and 11 of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, 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, feebly, flare, heretical, irrepressibly, languish, mirth, portentously, quaint, sonorous, 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
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement chapters 12, 13, and 14 of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: anguish, apprehension, clamber, derisive, exasperated, ferocity, impudent, inexorable, ingratiating, innocuous, irresolute, melancholy, shrill, and tremulous.
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 15, 16, 17, and 18 of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A crossword puzzle, word search activity, vocabulary application worksheet, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: continual, earnestly, effect, illicit, importunately, infamous, menial, morsel, propagation, propitiatingly, respectively, tangible, and vague.
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
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
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing, a narrative about a boy who rises above his limitations to accomplish a goal. The resource may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the narrative. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following
The worries of Jerry’s mom
Setting
A family tragedy
Jerry’s desire to fit in with the boys
The cause of Jerry’s shame
Jerry’s motivations
Jerry’s state of mind
Jerry’s injury
The resolution
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and sharpen their critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering Doris Lessing’s coming-of-age short story “Through the Tunnel,” a narrative about a boy who rises above his limitations to achieve a goal. An answer key is included. 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 this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Discern the function of a given paragraph
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification and oxymoron
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students analyze how Doris Lessing used figurative language (simile), alliteration, descriptive language, and characterization to develop a compelling narrative and a mature, emotionally intelligent protagonist in “Through the Tunnel.” Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this resource serves well for an independent learning opportunity, as well as for small-group discussions. Through such discussions, students may evaluate peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to support claims, clarifying or challenging ideas as needed. An answer key is included.
Support vocabulary development and enhance reading comprehension with this set of games and activities to complement Louise Erdrich’s short story “The Leap.” A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: bough, commemorate, edifice, egocentrism, extricate, flair, gale, idle, perpetually, porous, superannuated, tentative, and vignette.
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 Gothic short story “The Terrible Old Man” by H.P. Lovecraft. A crossword puzzle, a word search activity, a vocabulary application worksheet, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Specifically, the following vocabulary terms are addressed: feeble, gnarled, idle, loquacious, obscure, pallid, pitifully, repute, taciturn, taunt, totter, unostentatious, and venerable.
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
