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 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
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “Priscilla and the Wimps” by Richard Peck. 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:
Point of view
The identity of the main antagonist
The name of the group of bullies
How the narrator deals with the school’s bullies
The physical characteristics of Priscilla Roseberry
The nature of the relationship between Priscilla and Melvin
The narrator’s reason for why gang members don’t need names
The interaction between Priscilla and Monk
The reason Monk’s ego seems bruised
The reason for a week-long cancellation of school
An inference to be drawn from the resolution
“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 plot-based quiz covering the short story helps English teachers promote homework accountability and evaluate general reading comprehension—while eliminating take-home assessment planning responsibilities. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in a zip file containing editable Word Documents and printable PDFs. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Point of view
The significance of the title
The narrator’s perspective on aging
The general characterization of Mrs. Price
The reason the narrator is upset
How the narrator attempts to cope with emotional turmoil
Why the narrator is instructed to put on a sweater
The actual owner of the red sweater
The narrator’s assumption about Sylvia
The narrator’s desire for her mother’s comfort
The narrator’s self-perception
Save time and measure general reading comprehension with this printable quiz on “Old Woman Magoun,” a short story by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this multiple choice assessment makes it easier to quickly and efficiently gather data on student recall and reading habits. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are provided.
By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
The social significance of the grocery store
Magoun’s reputation
The construction of a bridge
Lily’s relation to Magoun
Lily’s general characterization
Sally Jinks’ suggestion
The purpose of Barry’s visit to Magoun
Barry’s feelings toward Magoun
Mason’s profession
A request Magoun makes of Mason
The cause of Lily’s illness
Magoun’s intentional inaction
Magoun’s attempts to comfort her dying granddaughter
The significance of an object
Save time and measure general reading comprehension with this printable quiz on “A Mild Attack of Locusts,” a short story by Doris Lessing. Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this multiple choice assessment makes it easier to quickly and efficiently gather data on student recall and reading habits. An answer key is provided.
By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Richard’s relation to Margaret
Stephen’s relation to Margaret
Margaret’s personal background
Socioeconomics
The frequency with which locusts appear
Methods used to combat the locusts
The threat posed by female locusts
Margaret’s concern for Stephen
An act of Stephen’s that temporarily lifts Margaret’s spirits
Margaret’s imagination
Topics of discussion between Richard and Stephen
Stephen’s past experiences with locust swarms
Margaret’s self-perception
“Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston is a short story about a woman of color who must reconcile the resentment she feels toward her abusive husband with her faith—a task that threatens to compromise the integrity of her soul. This multiple choice quiz covering “Sweat” helps English teachers evaluate general reading comprehension while eliminating take-home assessment planning responsibilities. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
Delia’s line of work
Items with which Sykes attempts to instill fear
Sykes’ attitude toward Delia’s Sunday work
The length of time Delia and Sykes have been married
Aspects of Sykes’ antagonistic characterization
Delia’s motivations
Delia’s observation while passing the store
Sykes’ affair with Bertha
Delia’s remarks that leave Sykes nearly speechless
The fate of Sykes
Delia’s intentional inaction
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Saki’s short story “The Open Window.” 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 editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
The reason for Framton’s visit to the country
The concern of Framton’s sister
The nature of the relationship between Framton and Mrs. Sappleton
Vera’s relation to Mrs. Sappleton
The details of Vera’s fanciful story
Mrs. Sappleton’s general disposition toward Framton
The reason for Framton’s aprupt departure
Vera’s storytelling to conclude the narrative
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Anton Chekhov’s short story “The Lady with the Dog.” The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with literature. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
Gurov’s occupation
Gurov’s initial impressions of Anna
Gurov’s unfaithfulness
How Gurov tries to appeal to Anna
Anna’s self-image
Gurov’s reaction to Anna’s vulnerability
Gurov’s philosophy on life
A letter Anna receives
What surprises Gurov when he returns to Moscow
A reunion between Gurov and Anna
Anna’s assessment of her relationship with Gurov
The resolution
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “Jorinda and Jorindel.” Alternatively, the assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active reading. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The antagonist’s physical form in both the daytime and the nighttime
What happens to both men and women when they approach the antagonist’s house
The source of mournful singing
The nature of the relationship between the titular characters
Abrupt changes in Jorindel’s life
The content of Jorindel’s dreams
The length of time it takes Jorindel to find an item with magical properties
The resolution
Gothic fantasy and horror are genres that maximize many high school students’ engagement with literature. “The Cats of Ulthar” by H.P. Lovecraft is a macabre short story featuring savage neighbors, an avenging curse, and flesh-eating felines—making it an especially chilling choice for the Halloween season. This multiple choice quiz on “The Cats of Ulthar” 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 narrator’s perception of cats
The longtime existence of cats
The old couple’s terrible reputation
The community’s general disposition toward the couple
The paintings on the travelers’ caravan
The characterization of Menes
The sudden disappearance of the cats
A change in the cats’ physical appearance upon their return
The fate of the old couple
Peculiar discoveries inside the old couple’s house
A change in the law
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering “The Tomb” by H.P. Lovecraft, a short story with elements of Gothic fantasy that evokes the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative, which is especially fitting for the Halloween season, are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The narrator’s confinement
The protagonist’s self-image
The name of a long-gone family
The legend surrounding the long-gone family
The protagonist’s interest in the legend from a young age
The protagonist’s attempts to gain access to a tomb
The reason the protagonist stops trying to access the tomb
Aspects of the protagonist’s characterization that astound his family
The protagonist’s ancestry
A discovery in the attic
A discovery inside the vault
How the narrator’s parents demonstrate concern for their son
Events that seem to transpire when the protagonist enters the cellar
The protagonist’s intensifying phobia
The contents of an antique box
A servant’s actions to help the narrator
Promote active engagement with ironic fiction and evaluate general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz on the short story “After Twenty Years” by O. Henry. 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:
Point of view
The location where a promise was made twenty years previously
How the location has changed in the present day
The ambiguity surrounding Bob’s wealth
How Bob views his relationship with Jimmy
Aspects of Bob’s physical appearance
Aspects of Jimmy’s physical appearance
The actions of the Chicago police department
Details pertaining to the arrest of Bob
The content of Jimmy’s letter
Evaluate reading comprehension, promote homework accountability, and save valuable time with this printable quiz on the Gothic short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Additionally, a self-grading Easel Assessment is included. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The prince’s name
The number of people he has isolated at the abbey
Forms of entertainment provided
The prince’s intentions
The collective attitude toward fear and grief
The length of time from isolation to the announcement of a ball
The prince’s declaration regarding party attire
The prince’s reaction to the Red Death costume
The time of the Red Death’s arrival
A weapon the prince intends to use for defense
An unsettling discovery about the suspicious figure
Fairy tales are not just for elementary readers; even middle and high school students may use fairy tales as tools for evaluating reading comprehension skills. “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen is a story of resilience, offering an uplifting resolution. English Language Arts teachers may administer this editable assessment to evaluate reading comprehension and promote homework accountability. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The reason for the mother duck’s impatience
The absence of the ducklings’ father
A suggested reason for one egg’s lack of hatching
Lessons the mother duck teachers her babies
The mother duck’s internal conflict
The treatment of the ugly duckling
The ugly duckling’s interactions with wild ducks
Threats that soon face the ugly duckling upon running away
How the duckling’s appearance may have saved its life
The reason the ugly duckling enters an old cottage
The inhabitants of the cottage
The treatment of the ugly duckling by the cottage’s residents
An awe-inspiring sight
How the ugly duckling survives the cold winter
A request the ugly duckling makes of the swans
The resolution
Looking for a high school horror story resource for the Halloween season? Looking for a text to pair with “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe or a similar narrative? Use this plot-based quiz to evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities. The quiz may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate student engagement with the short story. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
What the protagonists do with the artifacts they collect
The conditions under which the protagonists prefer to do their work
Setting
Surprising discoveries inside a coffin
A physical description of the amulet
The effect the amulet seems to have on the protagonists
The manner of St. John’s death
Details of an assault against the narrator
The narrator’s epiphany
An ironic turn of events
The disturbing visual of the corpse inside the coffin
The fate of the narrator
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning with this plot-based quiz covering Katherine Mansfield’s short story titled “The Garden Party.” 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 editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Point of view
A distinguishing quality of Laura as compared to her family members
Mrs. Sheridan’s instructions for Laura in the exposition
The fate of a working class man
The effect that news of the working class man has on Laura
The rest of the family’s assumptions about the working class man
What causes a change of heart in Laura
Mrs. Sheridan’s instructions for Laura after the party is over
How the sight of a corpse influences Laura
The family member who searches for Laura
The nature of Laura’s conversation with that family member
Save time and measure general reading comprehension with this printable quiz on “A Haunted House,” a short story by Virginia Woolf. Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this multiple choice assessment makes it easier to quickly and efficiently gather data on student recall and reading habits. An answer key and a copy of the public domain narrative are provided. By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
Signs of a supernatural presence
The nature of the ghosts’ discussions
The background of the ghostly couple
How the ghostly husband (when alive) reacted to his wife’s death
The ghosts’ courteous demeanor
The living couple’s new understanding of the ghosts’ purpose
The personification of the house
The effect of the moonlight
An appropriate classification of the narrative
“Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin is an example of historical fiction that, when integrated into the English Language Arts classroom, complements American History curricula, as the plot precedes the Civil War and addresses the issue of how race and ethnicity affect one’s life experiences in the South. With this multiple choice quiz covering the short story, teachers will be able to evaluate general reading comprehension, promote homework accountability, and save valuable 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. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
Setting
How Désirée came to be part of the Valmonde family
Armand’s initial attitude toward marrying Désirée
Madame Valmonde’s reaction to the sight of the baby
How Armand’s treatment of others changes after the birth of his child
Désirée’s observations of the plantation visitors
Désirée’s demands of her husband
Madame Valmonde’s response to a letter from Désirée
The final interaction between Armand and Désirée
Désirée’s final action in the story
The fate of Désirée’s belongings
Armand’s surprising discovery
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the classic Grimm’s fairy tale “Rumpelstiltskin.” Alternatively, the assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active engagement. An answer key and copy of the public domain short story are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The miller’s feelings toward his daughter
The miller’s feelings toward the king
The king’s greed
A task the maiden is assigned
An offer the king makes the maiden
Offerings made to the hobgoblin
A new task for the maiden
The length of time the maiden has to complete her new task
A messenger’s observations
The hobgoblin’s response to failure
The court’s reaction to the hobgoblin
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering the short story “The New Dress” by Virginia Woolf. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with the text. An answer key and copy of the public domain narrative are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF Formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following aspects of plot:
The reason for Mabel’s limited fashion
Mabel’s distinguishing characteristic
Mabel’s assumptions about her treatment at a party
Robert Haydon
Mrs. Barnet
Clarissa Dalloway
The reason for Mabel’s frustration with herself
Mabel’s perception of the partygoers
The effect a memory involving a dressmaker has on Mabel
Mabel’s opinion of her parents