Less than $5 12th Grade Close Reading Handouts (by date, latest first)
Author and Text Charts Writing Activities
By Beth Hammett
These step-by-step charts make it way to teach literature genres, sub-genres, and authors' styles. Comes with two graphic organizers: 1 with Genre, Sub-genre, Type of Short Story, Subject, Theme, Time Period 1 for Author's Information, Birth/Death, Personal Information, Education, Works Written, Author's Style, Other Important Facts Handouts Include: Fiction and Non-Fiction Genres and Examples Types of Short Stories: Novel, Novella, Novellete, Short Story, Flash Fiction Types of Author's Style: Argumentative, Description, Expository, Narrative, Persuasive These simple to use graphic organizers make it easy for students to make connections between types of works and authors' backgrounds. Great for AP, GT, as well as at risk, ELL, and homeschooling. Use for AP test prep and assessment for analysis. Meets ELA CCSS and state reading guidelines.
Shakespeare's Hamlet | Pre-Reading Handout on Major Themes in Hamlet | Free
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
This 3-page pre-reading handout introduces students to the most prominent themes in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. By having your class read and discuss this thematic introduction together, students will be captivated by the complex questions invoked in Shakespeare's play before they begin reading the enigmatic first scene.
If you like this 3-page pre-reading handout, you'll definitely want to check out my 200-page Complete Teaching Unit on Hamlet. The complete unit features worksheets on every scene in Shakespeare's longest play. Because the complete unit is both professionally designed and academically rigorous, it is especially well-suited for courses like Honors English and AP Literature.
Wishing you an amazing experience with teaching this complex play. If you have any questions along the way, please don't hesitate to get in touch. And don't forget to check out the Complete Teaching Unit on Hamlet...
Happy teaching,
Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.
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!
Please check out these complete units on Shakespeare's masterpieces:
COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Romeo and Juliet
COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Julius Caesar
COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Macbeth
COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Othello
COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Hamlet
COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Much Ado About Nothing
INTRO TO SHAKESPEARE: Biography, Globe Theater, Language, & Meter
Sonnets: Poem Analysis, Quizzes, Writing | Shakespeare to the Harlem Renaissance
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
This 45-page EDITABLE unit tracks the development of the sonnet from Shakespeare's day through by Harlem Renaissance. How are traditional sonnets written by English poets like Shakespeare and Keats similar to and/or different from modern sonnets written by Harlem Renaissance poets like Claude McKay and Countee Cullen? This unit invites students to compare traditional sonnets focused on love with modern sonnets focused on socioeconomic equality....
The twelve poems are divided into two reading packets, with the first packet focusing on early sonnets about romantic love, and the second packet focusing on modern sonnets about the black experience. Each reading packets is followed by a classwork packet that contains a quiz on literary devices, discussion questions for two poems, and quick writes. Finally, a third packet features a writing assignment, sample student paper, and glossary of literary devices.
Here's a detailed account of what you'll find in this 45-page curriculum:
• Homework Packets with Poems: The two homework packets contain a total of 12 love poems by award-winning poets such as William Shakespeare, Christina Rossetti, John Keats, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others. While the first packet focuses on traditional love poetry, the second packet focuses on modern love poetry. Thus, the two packets will set you up to facilitate fascinating discussions about how the sonnet has been put to different uses over the centuries! (12 pages)
• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, sound devices, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)
• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether students can accurately identify the literary devices found in poems from the packet: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. Answer keys included. (4 pages).
• Discussion Questions: This unit features a list of discussion questions for two poems in each of the two homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that each class discussion is focused and productive. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (16 pages)
• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (4 pages)
• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)
This entire 45-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print!
My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!
Happy teaching!
Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Thematic Introduction (Pre-Reading Handout)
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
This four-page handout introduces students to the themes which are most prominent in Mary Shelley's literary masterpiece, Frankenstein (1818). By having your students read and discuss this thematic introduction together, you will have them captivated by the complex questions invoked by Frankenstein before they open the novel's cover.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein asks a series of profound questions about human nature. Are human beings inherently benevolent or malevolent? Are humans better off when they live alone in isolation or when they live together in society? Can the development of modern technology have the effect of transforming human nature?
This handout is part of a larger bundle of Frankenstein resources which includes discussion questions, short writing prompts, vocabulary lists, daily quizzes, and an analytical writing assignment. To view my comprehensive bundle of Frankenstein resources, visit the following link:
Thank you for choosing "Rigorous Resources"!
Happy teaching,
Adam Jernigan
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!
"A Temporary Matter" by Jhumpa Lahiri | 20-page EDITABLE Lesson Plan + Writing!
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
Rigorous! Thought-provoking! Discussion-based! This 20-page EDITABLE curriculum has everything you'll need for profoundly stimulating lessons on Jhumpa Lahiri's extraordinary short story, "A Temporary Matter"! Invite your class to engage in student-driven discussions without compromising on intellectual rigor. The reading quiz, discussion questions, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!!
Hold your students accountable for completing the homework by beginning class with a quick reading quiz. Then facilitate a dynamic discussion that motivates students to become attached to the thrill generating shared knowledge. Challenge students to explicate textual details using a wide range of interpretive lenses: formalist, psychoanalytic, cultural studies, etc.
Here are some highlights from this 20-page curriculum:
• Reading Quiz: The reading quiz contains 10 questions focused on important details from the plot of "A Temporary Matter." For this story, I chose to create a fill-in-the-blank quiz that takes the form of a summary of the story's plot. There are 10 blank lines within the summary where students are expected to provide a missing word, name, or number. As a result, grading this quiz is simple and quick. Answer key included. (2 pages)
• Discussion Question Handout: One double-sided handout featuring 12 discussion questions on Jhumpa Lahiri's "A Temporary Matter." The discussion questions are the divided into 5 sections, each of which focuses on a different literary element or theme: characterization, setting, sharing secrets, etc. As with all of my resources, the discussion questions are the beating heart of this lesson plan. Every question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! (2 pages)
• Discussion Question Answer Key: This unit features a detailed answer key that's informed by many of the best scholarly essays on "A Temporary Matter." But please note that there is rarely a single "correct" answer for any question. Rather, the discussions questions are designed to foster lively exchanges and interpretive debates among students. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence! (8 pages)
• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Lahiri's wonderfully complex story. Let students choose from one of two thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop a similar topic of their own. Rubric included. (4 pages)
My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the units feature rigorous, content-rich lessons guaranteed to boost your students' close-reading and critical-thinking skills. What distinguishes this unit is how the discussion questions and writing assignment are designed to help student arrive at an abundance of interpretive insights!!
This entire unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word doc *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to CUSTOMIZE the materials to suit your teaching style and/or your students' skill levels — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access the unit as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print. Click on the green “preview” button to see exactly what you’ll get....
Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!
Happy teaching!
Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.
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 designed by a Ph.D. in English with a research specialization in American literature. 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
LOVE POETRY: Discussion Questions, Writing Prompts, Literary Devices | 12 Poems
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!... This 40-page EDITABLE unit focuses on the most beautiful and compelling love poems in the history of love poetry! The unit on promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor.
The twelve poems are divided into two reading packets, with the first packet focusing traditional love poems, and the second packet focusing on modern love poems. Each reading packet is followed by a classwork packet that contains a quiz on literary devices, discussion questions for two poems, and quick writes. Finally, a third packet features a writing assignment, sample student paper, and glossary of literary devices.
Here's a detailed account of what you'll find in this 40-page curriculum:
• Homework Packets with Poems: The two homework packets contain a total of 12 love poems by award-winning poets such as William Shakespeare, Anne Bradstreet, Christina Rossetti, John Keats, Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, E. E. Cummings, and others. While the first packet focuses on traditional love poetry, the second packet focuses on modern love poetry. Thus, the two packets will set you up to facilitate fascinating discussions about how our understanding of love has changed over the centuries! (12 pages)
• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, sound devices, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)
• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether students can accurately identify the literary devices found in poems from the packet: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. Answer keys included. (4 pages).
• Discussion Questions: This unit features a list of discussion questions for two poems in each of the two homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that each class discussion is focused and productive. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (14 pages)
• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (4 pages)
• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)
This entire 40-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print!
My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!
Happy teaching!
Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.
Links to all of the poetry units in this collection:
Poetry Unit #1: Sensory Imagery in Poetry
Poetry Unit #2: Figurative Language in Poetry
Poetry Unit #3: Love Poems
Poetry Unit #4: Ethical Dilemmas in Poetry
Poetry Unit #5: Family Dynamics in Poetry
IMAGERY IN POETRY: Poems with Vivid Sensory Images | 3-Day Lesson | High School
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
This 40-page EDITABLE poetry unit promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The 10 poems in this unit all pivot on vivid and evocative SENSORY IMAGERY.
Because even our strongest students often have difficulty analyzing poetic imagery, I designed this unit to help students learn to "unpack" images and to explain how images deepen a poem's meaning. The literary devices quizzes, discussion prompts, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!!
Here are some highlights from this 40-page curriculum:
• Homework Packets with Poems: The two homework packets contain a total of 10 poems by award-winning poets such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Hayden, Mary Oliver, Gary Soto, Sharon Olds, Mark Doty, Yusef Komunyakaa, Tony Hoagland, and others. The poems in each homework packet derive their meaning from the deft use of sensory images. These carefully selected poems will set the stage for your class to have fascinating and profoundly productive discussions!! (10 pages)
• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)
• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. The digital versions of the quizzes on Google Forms will grade every student's work and generate a list of their scores. Answer keys included. (4 pages).
• Discussion Questions: Lists of discussion questions for the first poems in each homework packet. The discussion questions will ensure that your class discussions get off to a productive start. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (8 pages)
• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (2 pages)
• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)
This entire 40-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print! Finally, as a free bonus, I'm including links to digital copies of every document in user-friendly platforms like Google Docs and Google Forms.
My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing Rigorous Resources!!
Happy teaching!
Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.
Links to all of the poetry units in this collection:
Poetry Unit #1: Sensory Imagery in Poetry
Poetry Unit #2: Figurative Language in Poetry
Poetry Unit #3: Love Poems
Poetry Unit #4: Ethical Dilemmas in Poetry
Poetry Unit #5: Family Dynamics in Poetry
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE in POETRY: Analyze Poems w/ Metaphors, Similes, Symbols, etc
By Rigorous Resources for High School English
This 50-page EDITABLE poetry unit promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The 12 poems in this unit pivot on the use of FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, etc.
Teach your students how to analyze figurative language through a series of engaging lessons on poems that students are guaranteed to love. The literary device quizzes, discussion prompts, and analytical writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!
Here are some highlights from this 50-page curriculum:
• Homework Packets with Poems: The two homework packets contain a total of 12 poems by award-winning poets such as Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Bishop, Richard Wilbur, Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, Julia Alvarez, Mark Doty, Sharon Olds, and others. The poems in each homework packet derive their meaning from the deft use of sensory images. These carefully selected poems will set the stage for your class to have fascinating and profoundly productive discussions!! (12 pages)
• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)
• Literary Devices Quizzes: Open each class with a quiz of 10 questions to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices found in poems from the packet: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. The digital versions of the quizzes on Google Forms will grade every student's work and generate a list of their scores. Answer keys included. (4 pages).
• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for two poems in each of two homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that your class discussions get off to a productive start. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (16 pages)
• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (4 pages)
• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (3 pages)
This entire 50-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Word *and* PDF. Because the Word doc is fully editable, you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print! Finally, as a free bonus, I'm including links to digital copies of every document in user-friendly platforms like Google Docs and Google Forms.
My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!
Happy teaching!
Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.
Links to all of the poetry units in this collection:
Poetry Unit #1: Sensory Imagery in Poetry
Poetry Unit #2: Figurative Language in Poetry
Poetry Unit #3: Love Poems
Poetry Unit #4: Ethical Dilemmas in Poetry
Poetry Unit #5: Family Dynamics in Poetry
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 1 of the play Julius Caesar. Complete with Answer Key.
By Educate and Create
Quiz for Act 2 includes 5 multiple choice questions and 2 written short answer sheet. Easy way to check for comprehension. Comes complete with answer key for easy grading.
By Educate and Create
Quiz for Act 4 includes 5 multiple choice questions and 2 written short answer sheet. Easy way to check for comprehension. Comes complete with answer key for easy grading.
By Educate and Create
Quiz for Act 5 includes 5 multiple choice questions and 2 written short answer sheet. Easy way to check for comprehension. Comes complete with answer key for easy grading.
Taming of the Shrew Act 5 Quiz
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 2 of the play Taming of the Shrew Complete with Answer Key
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 2 of the play Julius Caesar. Complete with Answer Key.
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 1 of the play Macbeth. Complete with Answer Key.
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 4 of the play Macbeth. Complete with Answer Key
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 5 of the play Macbeth. Complete with Answer Key
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 3 of the play Julius Caesar. Complete with Answer Key.
By Educate and Create
5 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer questions on Act 4 of the play Julius Caesar. Complete with Answer Key.
By Educate and Create
Basic quiz for Act 5 of Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Includes 7 multiple choice questions and two short answer questions. Comes complete with answer key.