$10 - $20 12th Grade English Language Arts Activities (by date, oldest first)

Bundle includes 46 Pages total & 3 Google Forms

I made these after realizing that my students in high school needed practice with the mechanics of how to construct a sentence before I could begin instructing them on best practices for structure in their essays. There are pages for them to practice (on paper) or you can use as a quiz for after instruction! All of the Google quizzes will self-grade and they are editable.

This is the essential Test Prep Bundle for students testing for state or district exams.

They're also adaptable for students who are doing self-directed learning as each includes a short teaching page for students to reference as they are working through the activities.

Word Meaning with Nonsense Words

Why teach word meaning through nonsense words (context clues only)?

• Students must use critical thinking to solve
• Students must read the whole passage for context clues
• Students must problem solve to find the best word that makes the most sense.
• They can't find the answer except through problem solving.

All of these are things we want every student to do! This is something that is already adapted for high and low learners.

Starting with three nonsense words gets students going so they can work in groups or independently to decode the meaning of 7 REAL words (selected from the SAT vocabulary list).

This is a perfect activity for group problem solving and critical thinking!

Finding the meaning of words: in context, with a definition and from the Latin or Greek base. Four teaching pages are included for self-guided learning along with 7 student pages for practice with various shortened reading passages.

INCLUDED:

• 3 Self-grading Google Forms
• Editable Word Doc
• PDF
• Reading Passage
• Teaching pages
• Answer Key

BUNDLE & SAVE: ELA Test Prep, Study Guide & Activities Bundle

Word Meaning with Greek & Latin

✔️Need to teach Greek & Latin along with Context Clues?

✔️Looking for way to get your students thinking critically & making connections?

✔️Need to integrate vocabulary in a meaningful way?

This activity includes worksheets, task cards and Google Quizzes for vocab practice

Students will use key words from the definitions in the first activity to determine the meaning of the Greek or Latin prefix. By recognizing the prefixes in words they recognize (and some they won't) students will begin making connections to other words they hear and read. This is a natural way to build in vocabulary to daily instruction that includes context clues and the Greek and Latin.

Included:

• Greek & Latin Roots Exploration: Dive into 45 carefully selected words, each featuring 9 impactful prefixes from the rich realms of Latin and Greek languages.
• Word Definitions: Equip your students with a solid understanding of each word, laying the foundation for deeper language comprehension.
• Fill in the Blank Sentences: Immerse your class in the learning process with cloze sentences that challenge them to apply their newfound knowledge in context.
• Task Cards: Make learning interactive and enjoyable with task cards that encourage independent exploration and reinforce language skills.
• Google Quizzes: Easily accessible quizzes that provide instant feedback, saving you valuable time and promoting a tech-savvy learning environment.

Vocabulary Starter

NEED TO TEACH VOCABULARY IN YOUR MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM AND YOU'RE NOT SURE WHERE TO START?

You came to the right place! I have been teaching for 5+ years, I have my Master's in Education with a focus on Literacy and I didn't know where to start.

So, I went back to everything I learned in my graduate program and re-read everything I could find.

I wrote & designed a student-engaging template to help students in my classroom to deeply internalize a word. I gathered key word lists when I didn't have a word from our daily reading, and thought about how to teach vocabulary so my love of etymology and words could be shared with my 10th graders. I've included all that and a guide to help other teachers get started with implementing and teaching vocabulary in THEIR classrooms.

Is this book for me?

• You want to teach vocabulary explicitly
• You want flexibility to choose your words daily based on what you’re reading
• You need versatility to choose your own words from a given list
• You want your students to deeply internalize the vocabulary they learn
• You’re not sure where to start

Then this book is for you!

Adaptable to every classroom in every situation, this is more than a fill-in-the-blank activity. Your students will have a guide to build a vocabulary for a lifetime of learning.

WHY TEACH VOCABULARY EXPLICITLY?

Generating curiosity and delight in playing with words supports long-term memory, enhances the connection between orthography and meaning, and develops a disposition which stimulates word consciousness. It also builds vocabulary! All of these are a part of a vocabulary rich classroom environment.

This is a bundle that includes activities to go alongside reading "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". This is sure help keep your students engaged as your class reads this novel and discovers the answer to life, the universe, and everything!

Murder on the Orient Express Complete Teacher's Unit is the ultimate resource for English teachers seeking to bring this classic tale by Agatha Christie to life for their students. This comprehensive package contains everything needed to teach the novel in a meaningful and engaging way.

The unit begins with an Introduction Power Point that sets the stage for the novel and provides important background information. This presentation is a valuable tool for engaging students and generating interest in the story.

The Study Guide is a comprehensive resource that includes about the author, a character map. and questions that encourage critical thinking and analysis. With this guide, teachers can easily guide their students through the plot and ensure a deep understanding of the themes and symbolism present throughout the text.

The Characterization Flipbook is a fun and interactive way for students to explore the characters in the novel. With this flipbook, students can create character sketches and analyze the motivations and actions of each character.

Graphic Organizers are also included, providing students with a visual way to organize their thoughts and ideas. These organizers are designed to help students explore key themes and concepts in the novel, making it easier for them to make connections and analyze the text.

The Vocabulary Lists and Quizzes are essential tools for building students' vocabulary and understanding of the language used in the novel. These lists and quizzes are comprehensive and designed to challenge students at all levels.

The Vocabulary Crossword Puzzles provide an entertaining way for students to review and reinforce their understanding of the novel's vocabulary.

Ultimately, Murder on the Orient Express : Complete Teacher's Unit is a must-have resource for any English teacher. With its comprehensive materials and engaging activities, this unit is sure to capture the attention of students and foster a love of literature that will last a lifetime.

Teaching The Joy Luck Club? Don't know where to start? This bundle includes many activities to do before, during, and after reading the novel. This is a complete unit for the novel The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Don't miss this multiple point of view novel filled with touching stories between mothers and daughters .

Teaching The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian? Don't know where to start? This bundle includes many activities to do before, during, and after reading the novel. This is a bundle for the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. We got you covered!

Reading The Red Badge of Courage? Looking for resources that pertain to the novel? This bundle is for you. It includes Vocabulary Lists and Quizzes, a flip book study guide, a characterization flip book, graphic organizers, and an introduction power point to help your students stay engaged from beginning to the end of the novel. Each of these products are available individually, but you save time and money by buying them as a bundle.

The Red Badge of Courage Introduction Power Point which introduces your students to concepts and themes present within the text.

The Red Badge of Courage Flipbook Study Guide ensure your students are keeping track with key ideas and details of the text.

The Red Badge of Courage Characterization flipbook ensures your students understand characterization and character development.

The Red Badge of Courage Graphic Organizers Ensure your students are keeping track of the Plot, Vocabulary, Theme, Symbols, and aid in comprehension of the text.

The Red Badge of Courage Vocabulary Lists and Quizzes which introduces your students to new vocabulary words they will see inside the novel.

The Phantom of the Opera Complete Teacher's Unit is the ultimate resource for English teachers seeking to bring this classic tale by Gaston Leroux to life for their students. This comprehensive package contains everything needed to teach the novel in a meaningful and engaging way.

The unit begins with an Introduction Power Point that sets the stage for the novel and provides important background information. This presentation is a valuable tool for engaging students and generating interest in the story.

The Study Guide is a comprehensive resource that includes about the author, a character map. and questions that encourage critical thinking and analysis. With this guide, teachers can easily guide their students through the plot and ensure a deep understanding of the themes and symbolism present throughout the text.

The Characterization Flipbook is a fun and interactive way for students to explore the characters in the novel. With this flipbook, students can create character sketches and analyze the motivations and actions of each character.

Graphic Organizers are also included, providing students with a visual way to organize their thoughts and ideas. These organizers are designed to help students explore key themes and concepts in the novel, making it easier for them to make connections and analyze the text.

The Escape Room is a fun and engaging way to bring the novel to life. With this activity, students work together to solve puzzles and clues based on the novel's themes and characters.

Ultimately, the Phantom of the Opera : Complete Teacher's Unit is a must-have resource for any English teacher. With its comprehensive materials and engaging activities, this unit is sure to capture the attention of students and foster a love of literature that will last a lifetime.

Covering the The Hate U Give? Don't know where to get started? This bundle includes everything you need for your students to analyze the text for plot development, characterization, language, and more. Makes learning fun and easy for your students!

Complete Unit.

Covers the entire novel of The Hate U Give!

Great for differentiation.

Includes:

⭐The Hate U Give Introduction Power Point

⭐The Hate U Give Study Guide

⭐The Hate U Give Characterization

⭐The Hate U Give Vocabulary Crossword Puzzles

⭐The Hate U Give Vocabulary Lists and Quizzes

⭐Graphic Organizers - Any Novel

A GREAT VALUE!

Looking for an engaging way to cover the novel 1984? Look no further! This is a GROWING bundle for the classic novel 1984. Great activities to go alongside the novel and incorporate differentiation in your classroom to meet the needs of multiple learners. Includes an intorduction powerpoint, a characterization flipbook, a study guide, graphic organizers, and a film adaptation worksheet. All of which can be used in TeachShare Digital Activities for distance learning!

Covering the As You Like It? Don't know where to get started? This bundle includes everything you need for your students to analyze the text for plot development, characterization, language, and more. Makes learning Shakespeare fun and easy for your students.

Complete Unit.

Covers the entire play of As You Like It !

Great for differentiation.

In need of engaging activities for a novel study? Teaching Frankenstein but don't know where to get started? We bundled some of our best resources here for Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein (also known as The Modern Prometheus) to help you and your students have a successful novel study.

Frankenstein Introduction Power Point which introduces your students to concepts and themes present within the text.

Frankenstein Flipbook Study Guide ensures your students are keeping track with key ideas and details of the text.

Frankenstein Characterization flipbook ensures your students understand characterization and character development.

Graphic Organizers for ANY Novel! ensures your students are keeping track of the Plot, Vocabulary, Theme, Symbols, and aid in comprehension of the text.

Film Analysis Worksheet for Novels Helps your students analyze one of the many Frankenstein Films.

Covering The Kite Runner? Don't know where to get started? This bundle is just for your! Includes a Introduction Power Point, study guide, graphic organizers, film analysis, novel project choice board, and characterization flip book. Great for differentiation.

Covering The Boy in the Striped Pajamas? Don't know where to start? We have you covered! This bundle includes six different products to help: an introduction power point, a holocaust web quest, a study guide, a characterization flip book, graphic organizers, and a film analysis. Great for differentiated instruction!

*Study Guide and Characterization flipbook are both the Google Drive Version; however, to access them you will need to click on the bonus file and follow the links.

Covering The Picture of Dorian Gray? Don't know where to get started? This bundle includes everything you need for your students to analyze the text for plot development, characterization, vocabulary, and more. Makes learning fun and easy for your students.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Introduction Power Point which introduces your students to concepts and themes present within the text.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Flipbook Study Guide ensures your students are keeping track with key ideas and details of the text.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Characterization flipbook ensures your students understand characterization and character development

Graphic Organizers for ANY Novel! Ensures your students are keeping track of the Plot, Vocabulary, Theme, Symbols, and aid in comprehension of the text.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Vocabulary Lists and Quizzes which introduces your students to new vocabulary words they will see inside the novel.

Studying One Hundred Years of Solitude? Don't know where to begin? Then this product is for you! This is a GROWING bundle! Includes many resources for your unit on One Hundred Years of Solitude.

This includes a power point, study guide, graphic organizers, characterization flipbook, and film analysis. Five products bundled together around the classic play The Crucible. * The Study Guide is the Google Drive version. You must have Google Drive to access it.

Covering Things Fall Apart? Don't know where to get started? This bundle is for you, it includes study guide, characterization booklet, introduction power point, essay on colonization is Africa, and graphic organizers.

*Update* TeachShare activities has been added to all activity files for distance learning so that you may use these products for online learning with your students.

Covering The Scarlet Letter? Don't know where to get started? This bundle is for you, focusing on Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel The Scarlet Letter it includes an introduction power point, flip book study guide, characterization flip book, graphic organizers, and a film analysis worksheet.

Looking for the "green light" in a sea of Gatsby resources? Look no further, old sport! This 240-page MEGA-BUNDLE on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The pre-reading slideshow, symbolic settings exercise, color symbolism activity, higher-order discussion questions, figurative language exercises, creative writing assignment, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights. The unit was designed to have more than enough rigor for Honors, IB, and AP courses!

Everything you’ll need to teach Fitzgerald’s masterpiece is included in this bundle. The abundance of materials will give you tons of options to play with, making the experience of teaching Gatsby not just easy but invigorating! Every page is fully EDITABLE so that you'll be able to customize the materials to suit your teaching style and/or the skill levels of your students — year after year!

Here are some highlights from this editable 240-PAGE curriculum:

• Slideshow on F. Scott Fitzgerald & the “Roaring Twenties”: Introduce the novel with a slideshow about the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the cultural climate in which he was writing The Great Gatsby. Students learn about Fitzgerald’s humble upbringing in Minnesota, his exposure to wealthy socialites at Princeton, his courtship of a debutante named Zelda, his codification of the “flapper,” and his experiences at lavish parties in Gatsby-esque mansions on Long Island. What's more, students learn about how American life in the 1920s was radically transformed by the proliferation of automobiles (like the “death car” that kills Myrtle), billboard advertisements (like “the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg”), and electric lights (like the “green light” at the end of Daisy’s dock). And they learn about how modern life in New York City was depicted by artists like Georgia O’Keefe, Alfred Stieglitz, Joseph Stella, and others. Lecture included. (40 slides + 8 page lecture)

• Soundtrack for The Great Gatsby: A playlist on Spotify featuring the “jazz age” songs played at Gatsby's parties. Expose students to the upbeat ambiance of the Roaring Twenties by playing the songs that Fitzgerald embedded into his book. How is the novel’s content enhanced by songs like “Ain’t We Got Fun” and “The Sheik of Araby”?

• Discussion Question Handouts (x9): Over thirty pages of higher-order chapter questions guaranteed to inspire profoundly thoughtful class discussions! This unit features double-sided handouts with 8-10 discussion questions for each of 9 chapters. The discussion questions are the beating heart of these lesson plans. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence — leading to keen interpretive insights! Guaranteed to foster deep thinking and dynamic discussions! (32 pages)

• Discussion Question ANSWER KEYS (x9): While every part of this unit has an answer key, the answer keys for the discussion questions feature an extremely high level of detail. Every answer is grounded in concrete textual evidence that gets submitted to careful analysis. The keys have been informed by the best scholarly articles and books on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. (90 pages)

• Character Analysis Worksheets (x18): Studying Fitzgerald’s nuanced construction of his characters is crucial for understanding his character-driven novel. This bundle contains 18 worksheets with carefully selected passages that challenge students to explain what textual details reveal about the main characters. Two worksheets per chapter provides choice for teachers and/or students! Builds skills in close reading! (18 pages)

• Social Class Worksheets (x3): These 3 worksheets help students not only to understand the social hierarchy and but to decode the signs of social status in The Great Gatsby. What are the differences between “West Egg” and “East Egg”? Between “New Money” and “Old Money”? These handouts demonstrate how Fitzgerald's depiction of social class was informed by his careful reading of sociologist Thorstein Veblen’s Theory of the Leisure Class (1899). Answer keys included. (5 pages)

• Color Symbolism Worksheets (x4): Each student chooses one of four colors from Fitzgerald's novel — green, yellow, white, and blue — and then explains its symbolic significance by analyzing 6-8 quotations. Students come to appreciate the dual meanings of each color: for example, while green symbolizes hope and wonder, it also represents envy. Answer keys included. (8 pages)

• Figurative Language Quizzes (x3): Each quiz challenges students to identify the types of figurative language — metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, paradox, etc. — used in 25 quotations from The Great Gatsby. The quizzes cover the figurative language used in chapters 1-3, chapters 4-6, and chapters 7-9 — so you can roll out each quiz after your class finishes three chapters and see whether they're improving. Also included is a glossary with definitions of the types of figurative language as well as examples of how they're used in the first chapter Fitzgerald's novel — so you can begin reviewing the types of figurative language with students before they tackle the quizzes. Answer keys included. (15 pages)

• Sound Devices Exercise: This exercise invites students to explain how Fitzgerald's use of sound devices — such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and onomatopoeia — contributes to the novel's meaning. Also included is a glossary with definitions of these sound devices. Answer keys included. (3 pages)

• Quotation Race (x2): Students work in pairs to identify the speakers of 25 quotations. One handout features 15 quotes from the main characters, while a second handout features 10 more challenging quotes from various secondary characters. Introduce this fun activity when you need to mix things up — or to review for the AP Exam! Answer keys included. (4 pages)

• Vocabulary Lists (x9): Lists of 10-12 vocabulary words for every chapter, complete with a definition and a sample sentence with the word as used in The Great Gatsby. A total of over 100 SAT-worthy words. (9 pages)

• Vocabulary & Reading Quizzes (x9): Quizzes with 10 questions per chapter. Build students’ vocabularies while holding them accountable for the nightly reading homework. Each quiz contains 7 questions on vocabulary words plus another 3 questions on reading comprehension. Grading these quizzes is simple and quick. They’re an easy way to log up to 9 grades in your gradebook. Answer keys included. (9 pages)

• Creative Writing Assignment: Invite students to write in Fitzgerald’s virtuosic prose style while filling in a missing scene from the novel. What did Gatsby write in his letter to Daisy? What was said when Gatsby and Daisy finally reunited at Nick’s house? This assignment can be given mid-unit after students finish reading Chapter Six. Answer key included. (2 page)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Fitzgerald’s wonderfully complex novel. Let students choose from one of five profoundly thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop an original topic of their own. Rubric included. (4 pages)

• Q3 Practice Essay: Designed for AP Lit teachers, this in-class essay assignment will enable students to practice the "Q3" essay from the AP Literature and Composition Exam. Included are three recent Q3 prompts that feature The Great Gatsby as one of the recommended works of literary merit. The assignment asks students to respond to one prompt by composing a well-written essay in 40 minutes. (5 pages)

• Poetry Pairings (x5): Wrap things up with four poems that tackle many of the themes addressed in Fitzgerald's novel: the dignity of work, the signifiers of class status, etc. A fifth poem about teenage romance features a subtle allusion to the green light from The Great Gatsby. This fifth poem is followed by a page of discussion questions as well as a 3-page teacher’s guide with detailed answers to each of the questions. I use this poem year after year to teach students how to analyze imagery — and students delight in the "a-ha" moment when they catch the allusion to the light at the end of Daisy's dock! (14 pages)

This unit is filled with dozens of visual images that shed light on important scenes from Fitzgerald’s novel: newspaper headlines, documentary photographs, paintings by modernist artists, magazine covers, portraits of Scott and Zelda. But what really distinguishes this curriculum is how the discussion questions, close-reading exercises, and writing assignments are all designed to deepen students' thinking and help them arrive at profound interpretive insights!

This unit includes 240 pages and 40 slides of content-rich lessons. The entire unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word docs *and* PDFs. Because the Word docs are fully editable, you'll be able to customize every page to suit your teaching style and/or the needs of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access the entire unit as PDF files, which are easy to navigate and quick to print. The pre-reading slideshow will come to you in both PowerPoint and PDF formats.

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

P.S. Don't forget to click “follow” for email updates on new products by Rigorous Resources. New products will be 50% OFF for the first 24 hours!

Rigorous Resources is your one-stop shop for resources on American literature. Every unit was created by a Ph.D. who specializes in American literature. Feel free to check out these units on canonical texts by diverse American authors:

Complete Unit on Tommy Orange's There There

Complete Unit on Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Complete Unit on Frederick Douglass's Narrative

Complete Unit on Nella Larsen's Passing

Complete Unit on Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

Complete Unit on J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye

Complete Unit on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun

Complete Unit on Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye