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 extend beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering chapter 3 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this worksheet saves English Language Arts teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. An answer key is provided. By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define complex words as they are used in the text
Analyze dialogue to make logical inferences
Analyze character actions and motivations
Determine which character is likeliest to challenge leadership and take interest in the world outside of Animal Farm
Make logical inferences about the author’s beliefs based on details from chapter three
Explore the purposes of a given passage
Articulate the purposes of slogans and mottos
Articulate why the pigs in particular would favor the incorporation of slogans and mottos into Animal Farm’s culture
Write about literature with clarity and precision
Justify written responses with reasoning and/or textual evidence
Help high school students extend beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on the satirical science fiction short story titled “Lose Now, Pay Later” by Carol Farley. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Examine a figurative expression (“used like a flock of sheep”) for meaning
Select expository character details that support the claim that the protagonist should be more capable of exercising discipline
Apply knowledge of literary devices including portmanteau and personification
Analyze the author’s diction to discern the intended effect of a particular word (staggered)
Visualize a particular scene to make a logical inference about the author’s intent
Explore the author’s description of the slimmer to make a logical inference about the safety of the contraption
Read a passage to determine its tone
Evaluate nuances in word meanings and use reference materials as needed
Articulate how satire is present throughout the story, indicating aspects of modern society that are being critically targeted
Write clearly, concisely, and accurately in response to analytical questioning
Exercise rational thought
Cite textual evidence in support of claims
Help high school students extend beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills with this set of rigorous, text-dependent questions on the science fiction short story “Backward Step” by Paul Jennings. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Analyze the author’s decision to have the narrator directly address the reader in the exposition
Apply knowledge of literary devices including euphemism and onomatopoeia
Discern the intended effect of a given detail (“People from the university wanted to study me”)
Make logical inferences about what a given excerpt reflects about the human condition (“Fortune-tellers and mystics claimed they had moved me in time. I was on television all over the world.”)
Articulate similarities between the five-year-old protagonist and his grandmother
Determine the function of a given excerpt (“I was lying on a seat on the other side of the road. An old man sitting next to me looked as if a ghost had just appeared in front of him. He screamed and ran off as fast as he could go.”)
Identify techniques used to convey the narrator’s childlike voice
Conduct brief research into the Grandfather Paradox
Determine a theme that is reinforced by the story’s resolution
Write clearly, concisely, and accurately in response to analytical questioning
Exercise rational thought
Cite textual evidence in support of claims
For many high school readers, psychological fiction and horror are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Premature Burial” by Edgar Allan Poe features elements consistent with both genres: a stream-of-consciousness technique, the intensification of an irrational fear, tales of being buried alive, and more. This multiple choice quiz covering “The Premature Burial” helps English teachers promote homework accountability, evaluate reading comprehension, and save time at home without sacrificing quality in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The exposition
The identities of those mentioned who suffered premature burials
The intentions of Julien Bossuet
The narrator’s beliefs concerning premature burials
The narrator’s medical condition
Precautions taken by the narrator to avoid death by premature burial
Where the narrator seeks shelter during a storm
How a premature burial scare affects the narrator’s life moving forward
The narrator’s evaluation of human imagination
For many high school readers, horror and supernatural fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe features elements consistent with both genres: a Gothic mansion, psychological deterioration, heightened emotions, grim imagery, and more. This multiple choice quiz covering “The Fall of the House of Usher” helps English teachers promote homework accountability, evaluate reading comprehension, and save time at home without sacrificing quality in the classroom. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Questions pertain to the following key details:
How the narrator comes upon the House of Usher
The narrator’s descriptions of the House of Usher
What the narrator means when he refers to “shadowy fancies”
A characterization of the relationship between the narrator and Roderick
The content of the letter Roderick wrote the narrator
What the narrator means when he refers to Roderick’s “reserve [which] had always been excessive and habitual.
The Ushers’ ancestry
A description of the narrator as he first explores the House of Usher
Roderick’s ill appearance
Madeline’s relationship to Roderick
Madeline’s unusual medical condition
Roderick’s ability to play the guitar
Why Roderick wants to keep Madeline’s corpse in the house
A realization that Roderick and Madeline were twins
A strange sight through the window
Peculiar noises
Roderick’s terrible fear regarding Madeline
Roderick’s death
The narrative’s resolution
For many high school readers, realistic fiction is a genre that maximizes relatability and engagement with literature. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a story about self-image, generational clashes, cultural conflicts, and more. With this challenging worksheet composed of high-order questions, English teachers will help students extend beyond basic reading comprehension, support the development of close reading analysis skills, and save valuable time at home without sacrificing quality and rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Analyze the narrator’s sense of self-image
Explore the author’s use of language to convey a sense of realism
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including but not limited to dialect, syncope, and malapropism
Contrast how two characters perceive the concept of heritage
Analyze why the narrator takes offense to another character’s actions and evaluate whether her reaction is justified
Examine how point of view shapes the readers’ understanding of Dee’s character
Apply objectivity in order to infer a character’s true motivations
Articulate the greater significance of a given detail (Maggie’s smile)
Support claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
For many high school readers, realistic, historical, and young adult fiction are genres that maximize relatability and engagement with literature. “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird” by Toni Cade Bambara is a short story focusing on a Black family whose ways of life are being infringed upon by opportunistic, politically motivated filmmakers. With this challenging worksheet composed of high-order questions, English Language Arts teachers will help students extend beyond basic reading comprehension, support the development of close reading analysis skills, and save valuable time at home without sacrificing quality and rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Explore how complex characters think, behave, and interact with others
Infer character motivations
Articulate the function of a specific character (Cathy)
Make logical inferences about the author’s intent
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including metaphor, idiom, and onomatopoeia
Isolate an example of figurative language from among several options
Choose an opinion with which Granny would most likely agree based on an anecdote she shares with her family
Determine which character or characters are represented in the character of Goldilocks
Identify several ways in which the filmmakers dehumanize Granny and members of her family
Draw parallels between the American folk hero John Henry and the character of Granddaddy Cain
Support claims and ideas with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate general reading comprehension and promote homework accountability with this set of quiz questions on Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (chapters 1 through 3). An answer key is provided. The materials are delivered in a zip file as both Word Documents and PDFs. By completing this quiz, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
How Huck came into possession of money
The current arrangement for managing Huck’s money
Huck’s dissatisfaction with living under others’ rules
Tom’s behavior in contrast to Huck’s
The location of the gang’s initiation meeting
The pledge each gang member makes to guarantee secrecy
The illness that afflicts Huck’s father
The situational irony related to the gang’s decision not to meet on Sundays
Huck’s scrutiny of prayer
The speculation surrounding a corpse in the river
Huck’s feelings about the possibility that his father is dead
The influence of literature on Tom’s thinking
Huck’s scrutiny of Tom’s imagination
Incorporate narrative nonfiction into the English Language Arts classroom and measure general reading comprehension with this editable quiz on “Not Poor, Just Broke” by Dick Gregory. This autobiographical account addresses the author’s formative years with emphasis on the transformational incident that caused him to feel personal shame for the first time. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By taking this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The mother’s perspective on life
The mother’s job and how it complicates life for the family
How the narrator demonstrates anger at his mother’s treatment
An item hidden in the family closet
The reason for hiding the item
The importance of Helene Tucker
Why the narrator gathers ice from the grocery store
How the teacher treats the narrator
The narrator’s motivations
Why the mother called her son, the narrator, a “little rat”
A terrible incident at the diner and its effect on the narrator
The narrator’s reaction to a visitor
Why the narrator throws a brick through the grocery store window
For many high school readers, fairy tales and fantasy fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Andersen is about a peasant girl whose obsession with her footwear leads to supernatural events, seemingly divine punishment, and eventual redemption. With this editable quiz on “The Red Shoes,” English teachers will promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
How the protagonist demonstrates his obsession with clothes
The motivations of the visitors
The visitors’ outlandish claims
The protagonist’s motivations
The protagonist’s internal conflict
Means by which the visitors deceive the community
The emperor’s participation in the procession
The resolution
Reinforce the standard conventions of academic writing and perform a quick check of students’ knowledge with this grammar worksheet on resolving capitalization errors. Delivered in printable Word Document format, as well as in PDF format, this resource conveniently offers the option to edit. An answer key is provided. By completing this activity, students will demonstrate an ability to:
Capitalize the first word in a sentence
Capitalize names and other proper nouns including names of places, businesses, languages, days, months, holidays, historical events, religions, nationalities, and more
Capitalize family titled like Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa when they are used as a placeholder for a name
Capitalize the first word in a quotation if the quotation is a complete sentence
Capitalize most words in titles, namely the first word, verbs, nouns, proper nouns, adjectives, and adverbs
Capitalize A.M. or P.M. and A.D. and B.C.
Reinforce the standard conventions of academic writing and perform a quick check of students’ knowledge with this grammar worksheet on misplaced and dangling modifiers. With this multiple choice resource, teachers will be able to expedite the grading process. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will demonstrate an ability to:
Identify and avoid misplaced adjectives
Identify and avoid misplaced adverbs
Identify and avoid misplaced phrases
Identify and avoid misplaced clauses
Identify and avoid dangling gerund phrases
Identify and avoid dangling participle phrases
Identify and avoid dangling infinitive phrases
Identify and avoid dangling elliptical phrases
Make corrections to poorly phrased sentences to resolve issues of clarity and logic
For many middle and high school readers, realistic and young adult fiction are high-interest genres that maximize engagement with literature. “A Red Dress” by Alice Munro is a coming-of-age short story told from the perspective of a teen girl who strives and struggles to achieve ordinary happiness. With this editable quiz on “A Red Dress,” English teachers will promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Details concerning the dress
The narrator’s attitude toward a school dance
The reason for the narrator’s dissatisfaction at school
The narrator’s attitude toward her mother
Details concerning secondary characters
Embarrassing complications
The narrator’s emotional reaction to conflict
Mary Fortune’s criticisms
The nature of the narrator’s interaction with her mother in the resolution
This media project complements broadcast journalism courses or feature writing units.
The primary objective of this project is for students to produce a feature segment on an extracurricular club of their choice, which may then be used by the school for promotional purposes.
This project reinforces the principles of quality interviewing skills, as well as organization and prioritization of details using the inverted pyramid technique. Further, it promotes the conventions of broadcast writing.
This .zip file contains all the materials I use for this project. The items are .docx files for easy editing.
Included are:
1. A project description.
2. Brainstorming materials designed to maximize student learning about their chosen club (functionally speaking, a KWL).
3. A document on which students jot down open-ended questions to ask an interviewee, plus a reflective piece to ensure students have written quality questions.
4. A prewriting document designed to help students discern vital information from lesser information, aligned to the inverted pyramid concept.
5. An exemplar script modeling the conventions of writing for broadcast, plus instructions for how to write for broadcast.
6. An evaluation rubric.
For many high school readers, horror and supernatural fiction are genres that maximize engagement with literature. “Before I Wake” by Jim Cort features elements consistent with both genres: psychological deterioration, heightened emotions, grim imagery, a suspicious death, and more. This multiple choice quiz covering “Before I Wake” helps English teachers promote homework accountability and evaluate reading comprehension. An answer key is included, but since the short story is not in the public domain, purchasers are responsible for acquiring their own copy of the text. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Questions pertain to the following key details:
Leonard Zanelli’s profession
Events preceding David Conklin’s arrest
A fear of falling asleep
Details of Conklin’s terrifying dreams
Physical effects of the dream
Factors contributing to Conklin’s suicide
The medical examiner’s report
Details of Zanelli’s personal letter
Gothic fiction and horror are genres that maximize many high school students’ engagement with literature. “In the Vault” by H.P. Lovecraft is one such short story. It features elements such as entrapment, mutilated corpses, and the avenging of wrongdoing—making the narrative a particularly chilling read during the Halloween season. This rigorous worksheet on “In the Vault” helps English teachers support the development of close reading analysis skills and save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, secondary students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including foreshadowing, situational irony, allusion, and theme
Analyze context clues and draw logical inferences about characterization/character motivations
Define complex words as they are used in the text
Identify relevant textual details in support of a claim
Analyze the author’s craft to determine the his intent
Discern the tone of a passage
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
For many high school students, supernatural fiction is a genre that maximizes engagement with literature. “The Moon Bog” by H.P. Lovecraft features strange beings, mind manipulations, and even implied social criticism of humanity’s greed and treatment of the environment. This rigorous worksheet on “The Moon Bog” helps English teachers support the development of close reading analysis skills and save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Articulate what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Analyze context clues and draw logical inferences about character mindsets and motivations
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including foreshadowing, situational irony, and dramatic irony
Define complex words as they are used in the text by taking into consideration denotative and connotative meanings
Support responses with relevant textual evidence
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Support the development of close reading skills for middle and high school with this set of comprehension and analysis questions on “The Godfather,” a short story by the Brothers Grimm. The variety of question types will also help prepare students for standardized testing scenarios; emphasis is placed on how the Brothers Grimm use direct description to create a complex narrative with a surreal tone. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story (estimated Lexile measure of 700-800) are provided. This resource is most suitable for a short story unit at the middle school level, and it may also be useful for struggling readers in a high school setting. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
Questions pertain to the following:
Identifying what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Demonstrating understanding of the narrative’s surreal tone, identifying several pieces of textual evidence that advances the tone
Exploring character motivations, whether explicitly stated in the text or implied through character actions, and articulating responses clearly
Analyzing character interactions to discern character intent
Responding clearly, concisely, and accurately to analytical questioning
Analyzing textual details to draw inferences and support rational arguments
Applying knowledge of literary devices to the text, articulating how the title is ironic
Exploring cause-and-effect relationships
Writing with clarity and precision
Support the development of close reading skills for high school and facilitate analysis of fiction with this rigorous worksheet on Hans Christian Andersen’s short story “The Leap Frog,” also called “The Leaping Match.” A variety of question types are included to help prepare for standardized testing scenarios: vocabulary-in-context questions, main idea questions, detail questions, author’s craft questions, and more. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which has an estimated Lexile measure of 1100-1200, are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly
Analyze the author’s craft to discern where and how literary devices are applied including inversion and dramatic irony
Discern cause-and-effect relationships
Analyze the author’s word choices to discern and explain where and how double-denotation is applied
Analyze a character’s statements and beliefs to articulate how they are contradictory
Interpret and explain the meaning of unique phrases in context
Analyze the characters of the king and the frog to discern several qualities they have in common
Discern which theme is best supported by a particular excerpt
Cite textual evidence in support of claims and ideas
Write with clarity and precision
Support the development of close reading skills for high school with this set of comprehension and analysis questions on the short story “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” by the Brothers Grimm. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which has an estimated Lexile measure of 900-1000, are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
By engaging with these materials, students will:
Demonstrate general comprehension of the plot
Analyze the author’s craft to determine how diction affects the reader
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on foreshadowing, metaphor, and dramatic irony
Analyze character actions to draw reasoned inferences about interests and motivations
Write with clarity and precision