Save time without sacrificing rigor by utilizing resources designed for teachers to measure their students' skills in areas such as close reading, analytical thinking, and creative writing.
Save time without sacrificing rigor by utilizing resources designed for teachers to measure their students' skills in areas such as close reading, analytical thinking, and creative writing.
Help high school students go beyond general reading comprehension and facilitate analysis of Shakespeare’s craft with this close reading worksheet covering Act 2, scene 2, of The Tempest. 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 completing this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Determine several functions of a particular excerpt
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Describe the tone of a particular excerpt
Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on situational irony
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
Extend reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions about Shakespeare’s Othello. Focusing on Act 3, scene 3, this resource may serve as the basis for 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. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Analyze what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Discern the meaning of complex words and phrases in context
Analyze how complex characters interact
Explore character motivations
Demonstrate knowledge of multiple literary devices including dramatic irony, verbal irony, situational irony, and metaphor
Make logical inferences in context
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Support claims with relevant textual evidence and valid reasoning
Write with clarity and precision
Extend reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions about Shakespeare’s Othello. Focusing on Act 3, scene 1, this resource may serve as the basis for 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. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.
By completing this exercise, students will:
Analyze what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Make logical inferences in context
Explore character motivations
Analyze how complex characters interact
Discern the meaning of complex words and phrases in context
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Cite textual evidence in support of claims
Write with clarity and precision
Extend reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions about Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Focusing on Act 1, scene 5, this resource is delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. An answer key is included. By engaging with this close reading activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Discern the tone of a given excerpt
Explore nuances in words with similar meanings
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on metaphor
Defend claims with reasoned thinking and relevant textual evidence
Write ideas with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Come to class/leave class better prepared to discuss literary materials
Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 3, scene 1, of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. 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.
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.
With this close reading activity, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Define words and phrases as they are used in the text
Demonstrate knowledge of the effects of punctuation in context
Discern tone in context
Explore how complex characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Help high school students go beyond basic plot recall and develop close reading analysis skills with this set of high-order questions covering Act 4, scene 1, of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. 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.
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.
More specifically, students will do the following:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Examine nuances in words with similar meanings
Discern the tone of dialogue in context
Discern the intended effect of narrative techniques
Examine how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop
Articulate the internal conflicts of two characters (Beatrice and Benedick)
Apply knowledge of literary devices including pun, hyperbole, oxymoron, allusion, metaphor, imagery, and more
Write about Shakespearean drama with clarity, accuracy, and precision
Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant textual evidence
Measure high school reading comprehension and support analysis of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello (Act 2) with this bundle that features a quiz and close reading activities. Answer keys are included. 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 in these exercises, students will:
Discern the intended meaning of various complex words and phrases
Analyze actions and statements to discern character motivations
Discern the tone of a passage
Analyze the author’s craft, demonstrating knowledge of how Shakespeare’s language shapes the audience’s perception of Iago
Apply knowledge of various literary devices to the text including metaphor, simile, situational irony, and more
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language
Locate textual evidence in support of claims
Write with clarity and precision
Support the development of high school close reading skills and analysis of Shakespeare’s The Tempest with this worksheet on Act 1, scene 1. A variety of high-order question types facilitates the process of analyzing character motivations, examining how word choices influence a reader’s interpretations, applying knowledge of literary devices, and articulating ideas in writing with clarity and precision. This resource is delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A detailed answer key is included.
More specifically, students will be able to:
Articulate what the text says explicitly and implicitly
Write with clarity and precision
Cite specific, relevant textual evidence in support of a claim or idea
Apply knowledge of literary devices with emphasis on hyperbole
Articulate the responsibilities of a boatswain
Cite textual evidence in support of the claim that the king’s loyalists are arrogant
Define complex words or phrases in context
Verify interpretations using reference materials including a dictionary or thesaurus
Identify what dialogue reveals about characterization
Articulate why Gonzalo is less concerned about dying than others onboard the ship
Analyze Gonzalo’s dialogue to discern his philosophical perspective on life
Articulate how Nature influences class systems based on this scene
Support the development of close reading skills with this worksheet composed of challenging questions designed to help high school students analyze Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Othello. With a focus on Act 2, scene 1, this resource saves teachers valuable time without sacrificing academic rigor. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered as printable PDFs and Word Documents.
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:
Discern tone in context
Explore character motivations
Discern the meaning of complex words and phrases in context
Analyze the author’s craft, discerning how Shakespeare’s language influences the audience’s perception of Iago
Locate textual evidence in support of claims
Apply knowledge of figurative language to the text
This assessment measures general reading comprehension, gathers formative data to inform instructional planning, and holds students accountable for the assigned reading of King Lear by Shakespeare (Act 5). An answer key is included. The material is delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Questions pertain to the following relevant details:
Edmund’s deception as it relates to the nature of his relationship with Goneril
The delivery of a letter to Albany
Edmund’s motives
Edgar’s viewpoints on life
Cordelia’s attempts to console her father
King Lear’s perspective on being held prisoner
Goneril’s evil deeds
A deadly duel
Albany’s motives
Edmund’s reaction to his brother’s account
Goneril’s suicide
One of Edmund’s final acts
The death of Cordelia
The death of King Lear
Kent’s loyalty to the king
Edgar’s promotion
This assessment measures general reading comprehension, gathers formative data to inform instructional planning, and holds students accountable for the assigned reading of King Lear by Shakespeare (Act 4). An answer key is included. The material is delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. Questions pertain to the following relevant details:
Edgar’s changing perspective on life
Gloucester’s criticism of the gods
Gloucester’s concern for a beggar
Goneril’s assumptions about her husband
Goneril’s adulterous desires
King Lear’s concerns about Cordelia
Cordelia’s desires for her father
Edmund’s intensifying desire to commit murder
Edgar’s efforts to save his father from his suicidal desires
A second fake trial
King Lear’s struggle to understand his daughters
King Lear’s thoughts about powerful people
A duel
The intent of a letter
Cordelia’s request of Kent
A moment of mental clarity
Support the development of high school close reading skills and analysis of Shakespeare’s The Tempest with this worksheet on Act 3, scene 1. A variety of high-order question types facilitates the process of analyzing character motivations, examining how word choices influence a reader’s interpretations, applying knowledge of literary devices, and articulating ideas in writing with clarity and precision. This resource is delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A detailed answer key is included.
More specifically, students will be able to:
Articulate what the text says explicitly and implicitly
Write with clarity and precision
Cite specific, relevant textual evidence in support of a claim or idea
Articulate Prospero’s intentions
Analyze cause-and-effect relationships
Apply knowledge of literary devices including personification, situational irony, and dramatic irony
Discern logical inferences about characterization in context
Discern the tone of a particular excerpt
Articulate why Miranda feels she betrayed her father
Contrast Miranda and Ferdinand
Extend reading comprehension and support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this set of rigorous questions about Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Focusing on Act 3, scene 2, this resource is delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. An answer key is included. Specifically, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Examine narrative techniques used to make Portia seem emotionally flustered
Explore how characters think, behave, develop, and interact
Isolate an opinion with which Bassanio would most likely agree
Discern the tone of a given passage
Isolate a false statement from a set of true statements
Analyze the author’s craft with emphasis on the effect created by the incorporation of figurative language
Apply knowledge of various literary devices including oxymoron, onomatopoeia, allusion, personification, symbolism, invective, and more
Make a logical inference based on the rhyme scheme of a featured song
Write ideas with accuracy, clarity, and precision
Defend claims with reasoned thinking and textual evidence
Help high school readers go beyond basic reading comprehension and support the development of critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this close reading worksheet covering the prologue of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. By completing this activity, students will:
Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word and phrase meanings (“Two households, both alike in dignity,” “Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean,” “What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend,” and more)
Discern the intended effects of the author’s word choices and narrative techniques
Consider historical context
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 dramatic works
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
Evaluate general reading comprehension with this multiple choice quiz covering Act 5 of William Shakespeare’s Othello. The plot-based assessment may double as a guided reading handout to facilitate active reading experiences. An answer key is included. Additionally, a short answer worksheet is provided for re-assessment purposes. Materials are delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Iago’s concern that Roderigo could expose him
Iago’s irrational jealousy of Cassio
Cassio’s injury
Fatal wounds
The arrest of Bianca
Othello’s verbal exchange with Desdemona
The subsequent killing
Emilia’s news
The brief revival of a character
The ensuing stabbings, one fatal
Othello’s subsequent perception of himself
The fatal flaw of the hero
With this printable test covering the entirety of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, English teachers will be able to evaluate students’ comprehension of key characters, plot developments, and literary craft. An answer key is provided. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. A breakdown of content follows.
Part 1. Knowledge of Plot. Students will demonstrate comprehension of the following:
Christopher Sly’s disruptive behavior
An activity in which Christopher Sly participates
Baptista’s terms for his daughters’ marriages
Lucentio’s persona, “Cambio”
The quality in women about which Petruchio cares most
Hortensio’s persona, “Litio”
Petruchio’s intentions for Katharina
Baptista’s preferences to be his son-in-law
Petruchio’s tardiness to the wedding
Petruchio’s appearance on his wedding day
Bianca’s assessment of her sister’s relationship
An accident involving a horse
Petruchio’s strictness
Hortensio’s feelings toward Petruchio
Petruchio’s eccentric behavior
Hortensio’s marriage
A test of the wives’ loyalty
Katharina’s closing speech
Part 2. True/False. Students will identify whether a statement is true or false. Questions focus on:
“Cambio’s” area of expertise
The nature of the relationship between Bianca and Katharina
The first character to reveal his true identity to Bianca
Hortensio’s dwindling affection toward Bianca
Katharina’s reaction to her husband’s strange behavior
Baptista’s negotiating the terms of his daughters’ marriages
Baptista and Vincentio’s forgiveness of their children
The false Vincentio’s reaction to meeting the real Vincentio
Part 3. Quotations in Context. Students will match an excerpt with its appropriate context.
Act 1, scene 1: Hark, Tranio! thou may’st hear Minerva speak.
Act 1, scene 1: No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en: / In brief, sir, study what you most affect.
Act 2, scene 1: Her silence flouts me, and I’ll be revenged.
Act 2, scene 1: O slow-wing’d turtle! shall a buzzard take thee?
Act 3, scene 2: Go, girl; I cannot blame thee now to weep; / For such an injury would vex a very saint, / Much more a shrew of thy impatient humour.
Act 3, scene 2: That, being mad herself, she’s madly mated.
Act 4, scene 2: …here I firmly vow / Never to woo her no more, but do forswear her, / As one unworthy all the former favours / That I have fondly flatter’d her withal.
Act 5, scene 1: Fear not, Baptista; we will content you, go to: but / I will in, to be revenged for this villany
Act 5, scene 2: A woman moved is like a fountain troubled, / Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty…
Part 4. Application of Literary Devices. Students will be given a detail or excerpt from the drama and must determine which literary device is best reflected. Literary devices addressed include:
Sibilance
Allusion
Hyperbole
Anaphora
Oxymoron
Aposiopesis
Idiom
Metaphor
Consonance
Simile
Onomatopoeia
Conclude a unit on William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with this fifty-question test delivered in Word Document and PDF formats. An answer key is included. This assessment is divided into four sections and breaks down as follows.
Part 1. Multiple choice. Students will demonstrate knowledge of character and plot details.
Part 2. True/False and Either Or. Students will identify whether a statement is true or false, or they will identify the correct option between two choices.
Part 3. Matching. Students will match an excerpt with its appropriate context.
Part 4. Multiple choice. Students will be given a detail or excerpt and must determine which literary device is best reflected.
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 eliminate assessment planning responsibilities with this bundle of plot-based quizzes covering each Act of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. Answer keys are included.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the following:
Setting
The motivation of a crowd
Marullus’s perception of Caesar
A coinciding event
Flavius’s perception of Caesar
Cassius’s fear
The actions of a Soothsayer
Cassius’s efforts to diminish Caesar
Caesar’s medical condition
Cassius’s plan to manipulate Brutus
Casca’s fear
Cinna’s role in a conspiracy
The role of Lucius
How Brutus rationalizes murdering Caesar
How Brutus feels about his men taking an oath
Individuals not permitted into the group
The nature of Antony’s relationship with Caesar
Portia’s concern for her husband
How Brutus’s secrecy affects Portia
Ligarius’s loyalty
Calpurnia’s nightmares
Ominous occurrences that foreshadow tragic events
Decius’s influence on Caesar
The purpose of Artemidorus’s letter
Information from the Soothsayer
Portia’s grievances
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
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
Antony’s assumption about Brutus and Cassius’s motives
Conflict between Antony and Octavius
Brutus and Cassius’s denigrating assessment of Antony
Cassius’s opinion on superstitions
Messala’s role in the battle
The death of Cassius’s flag-bearer
Titinius’s scrutiny of Brutus’s battlefield decision-making
The cause of Cassius’s death
Lucilius’s persona
Antony’s motives with regard to his treatment of Lucilius
The cause of Brutus’s death