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 chapter 6 of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. 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: diffidently, embroiled, emphatic, flitter, leviathan, mutinously, relentlessly, scurry, sensibly, shudder, sneer, and unhandily.
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
Save time and maintain rigor with these printable resources supporting reading comprehension and analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (chapters 14-15). General comprehension quizzes are included, as are rigorous close reading activities and vocabulary development resources. These materials may be used to facilitate differentiated instruction in the classroom. Answer keys are provided.
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 will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
Copyright restrictions prohibit the inclusion of the complete literary works, so the purchaser is responsible for providing students with access to the novel.
By engaging in these exercises, students will:
Discern the meaning of complex vocabulary and phrases in context, taking into consideration both denotative definitions and connotative associations
Discern the intended effect of the author’s language upon the reader
Identify the significance of a given detail
Use context to make a logical inference about character motivations
Use context to make a logical inference about character intentions
Use context to make a logical inference about a character’s psychological state
Use context to make a logical inference about a character’s intellectual capacity
Use context to make a logical inference about a character’s family life
Use context to discern the tone of a particular excerpt
Use context to discern the primary function of a particular excerpt
Apply knowledge of literary devices and figurative language to a particular excerpt
Analyze how a complex character has developed
Write with clarity, logic, and precision
Cite relevant textual evidence in support of claims
Identify the factors that contributed to the “placid week” preceding the mob incident
Analyze what the fact that “Jem would struggle…through the speeches of Henry W. Grady” suggests about his character development
Explore the shift in tone once Scout approaches Mr. Cunningham
Analyze Mr. Underwood’s values set
Articulate a significant misunderstanding Atticus has about his own community
Explore how Atticus demonstrates courage
Save time and maintain rigor with these printable resources supporting reading comprehension and analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (chapters 29-31). General comprehension quizzes are included, as are rigorous close reading and vocabulary reinforcement activities. These materials may be used to facilitate differentiated instruction in the classroom. Answer keys are provided.
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 will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.
Copyright restrictions prohibit the inclusion of the complete literary works, so the purchaser is responsible for providing students with access to the novel.
By engaging in these exercises, students will:
Apply knowledge of various literary devices to passages in the text (idiom, metaphor, personification, assonance)
Discern a character’s intent
Analyze Boo Radley’s physical characteristics to articulate the author’s intent
Analyze the author’s craft
Discern the meaning of complex vocabulary and phrases in context, taking into consideration both denotative definitions and connotative associations
Discern the tone of a character’s remarks
Use context to determine the symbolism of a tree in context
Analyze an excerpt to discern its significance
Cite evidence to support the claim that Scout’s world perspective has matured
Make a logical inference about why Alexandra would be proud of Scout
Write with clarity and precision
Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze chapter 20 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. An answer key is provided. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, these instructional materials save teachers valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom.
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 resource, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Clarify a character’s remarks
Consider historical context in relation to the plot
Consider cause-and-effect relationships
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Conclude a unit on The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood with this printable summative assessment. Delivered in Word Document and PDF formats, this test includes 55 multiple choice questions. In addition to objective questions on character, plot, literary devices, and quote/passage analysis, an essay section is featured, requiring high school students to explore the author’s warnings about totalitarianism and its influence on ordinary people. An answer key and sample essay response are provided.
By completing this assessment, students will demonstrate an ability to:
Correctly identify characters based on given details and descriptions
Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, simile, allusion, dramatic irony, portmanteau, pun, and more
Analyze passages and make logical inferences in the context of those passages
Write a brief essay in which students convey ideas with relevant textual evidence and adhere to the standard conventions of written English
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills for high school with this close reading analysis worksheet covering the science fiction short story “The Star Beast” by Nicholas Stuart Gray. A detailed 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
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques with emphasis on how the author helps the audience empathize with a non-human protagonist
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices including hubris and situational irony
Consider themes in context
Articulate how the narrative conforms to standard conventions of science fiction
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 chapter 3 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. 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: cryptic, hoist, humble, indefatigable, leisure, maxim, obstinate, principle, quarrel, seclusion, shirk, and toil.
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 chapter 2 of Animal Farm by George Orwell. 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: contrary, expound, feebly, gambol, idle, inventive, irrepressible, nimble, reign, reproach, shrill, and unanimous.
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 analyze how Ray Bradbury used figurative language (personification, onomatopoeia, metaphor, and simile) and direct description to develop a compelling work of science fiction in “There Will Come Soft Rains.” 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 the short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. 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: apathetically, appeasingly, chide, conflagration, conjectural, ensue, flotsam, intangible, mincing, poignant, reiterate, smite, subtle, temperament, and undulation.
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 Kate Chopin’s short story “A Pair of Silk Stockings.” 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: acute, appreciable, consternation, decipher, deft, fastidious, gaudy, gaunt, judicious, laborious, matinee, muse, poignant, and shabby.
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 general reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking skills with this close reading analysis worksheet covering Sonnet X, also known as “Death be Not Proud,” by metaphysical poet John Donne. An answer key is included. 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:
Read for literal and interpretive comprehension
Apply knowledge of setting, characterization, conflict, and literary devices
Be better prepared to engage in collaborative discussions about poetry
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering John Steinbeck’s short story “Flight.” 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:
The cause of Papa Torres’ death
The items Pepé takes with him on a trip
The reasons for Pepé’s trip
Events culminating with a fatal injury
Mama Torres’ reaction to her son’s departure
What happens to Pepé’s horse
The cause of Pepé’s hand injury
How Pepé treats his injury
The cause of Pepé’s death
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 4 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespeare’s drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
The nature of Antony’s conversation with Octavius and Lepidus
What Antony intends to do with Caesar’s will
Antony’s intentions for Lepidus
The changing nature of Brutus and Cassius’s relationship
Brutus’s observations about Cassius’s behavior
Information provided to Brutus by Lucilius
Why Brutus punished Lucius
Brutus’s accusations against Cassius
Cassius’s self-image
Cassius’s emotionally charged offer to Brutus
An unexpected visitor to the tent
A supernatural encounter
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 3 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The assessment may double as a guided reading worksheet to facilitate active engagement with Shakespeare’s drama. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Caesar’s decision involving Artemidorus’s letter
Why Cassius fears the conspiracy has fallen apart before Caesar speaks
Cassius’s extreme reaction to his fear
Brutus’s motivation for kissing Caesar’s hand
Caesar’s self image
Brutus’s motivation for having Antony brought to him
Antony’s apology to Caesar’s corpse
Antony’s ominous prediction for the region
The basis on which Brutus asks the public to trust him
How Antony manipulates the public into distrusting Brutus
The reading of Caesar’s will
Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills while teaching Act 5 of William Shakespeare’s King Lear with this bundle of formative assessments. Included are the following: a quiz on characters and plot, three close reading worksheets addressing the author’s craft, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
Materials in this bundle may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using these resources 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 do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings
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 metaphor, personification, simile, onomatopoeia, and oxymoron
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 dramatic works
Eliminate assessment planning responsibilities and evaluate high school students’ knowledge of plot and literary craft with this summative test covering William Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. An answer key is included, as well as a standards-based rubric for scoring a thematic essay response tied to a significant quotation (“Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides, / Who covers faults at last with shame derides”). Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Students are responsible for demonstrating an understanding of the following characters, details, concepts, and quotes:
Cordelia
Goneril
Regan
King Lear
Edmund
Edgar
Kent
Albany
Cornwall
The Fool
Gloucester
Oswald
The King of France
Tom of Bedlam
The play’s setting
Edmund’s status as an illegitimate child and associated consequences
Edmund’s promotion to Earl of Gloucester
Cornwall’s torture of Gloucester
Edgar’s philosophies on life
Edmund’s desire to kill his father
King Lear’s epiphany regarding power and its benefits
King Lear’s imprisonment
Metaphor
Simile
Foreshadowing
Situational irony
Dramatic irony
Paradox
Alliteration
Hyperbole
Personification
Internal conflict
External conflict
Dynamic character
Symbolism
“Nothing will come from nothing.” (Act 1, scene 1)
“I love your Majesty / According to my bond; no more no less.” (Act 1, scene 1)
“Let his knights have colder looks among you.” (Act 1, scene 3)
“Fortune, good night; smile once more; turn thy wheel!” (Act 2, scene 2)
“The younger rises when the old doth fall.” (Act 3, scene 3)
“I will have my revenge ere I depart this house.” (Act 3, scene 5)
“Out, vile jelly!” (Act 3, scene 7)
“I have no way, and therefore want no eyes; / I stumbled when I saw.” (Act 4, scene 1)
“Was this a face / To be opposed against the warring winds?”(Act 4, scene 7)
“You have some cause; they have not.”(Act 4, scene 7)
“Ripeness is all.” (Act 5, scene 2)
“My master calls me, I must not say no.” (Act 5, scene 3)
Evaluate general reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills while teaching Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s King Lear with this bundle of formative assessments. Included are the following: a quiz on characters and plot, four close reading worksheets addressing the author’s craft, and answer keys. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. By engaging with these activities, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words/phrases as they are used in context
Explore nuances in words with similar meanings
Verify interpretations of language using reference materials
Demonstrate general awareness of the characteristics of an Elizabethan audience
Describe tone in context
Determine the primary functions of given excerpts
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Compare Gloucester and Lear
Compare and contrast Edgar and Lear
Apply knowledge of literary devices including situational irony, metaphor, assonance, onomatopoeia, inversion, personification, juxtaposition, dramatic irony, and situational irony
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate take-home assessment planning responsibilities with this plot-based quiz covering Act 2 of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. The assessment may otherwise double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active reading experiences and subsequent class discussions. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Edmund’s newest methods of compromising Edgar’s reputation
A physical confrontation and its instigator’s punishment
Gloucester’s reluctance to offer help
Edgar’s decision to assume a new identity
King Lear’s reaction to Kent’s punishment
King Lear’s efforts to seek clarification on what led to Kent’s situation
An argument among father and daughters
King Lear’s isolation
Evaluate general reading comprehension and eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle of plot-based quizzes covering each Act of William Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. The assessments may double as guided reading worksheets to facilitate active engagement with Shakespearean drama. Answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats.