$5 - $10 8th Grade Close Reading Independent Work Packet (by date, latest first)

Looking for a versatile resource that works with any fiction novel? This Lit Circle Packet is perfect for Upper Elementary and middle school students, offering a wide range of engaging activities designed to encourage deep analysis, creativity, and critical thinking, regardless of the novel being studied. Whether you're working on a class novel, independent reading, or small group book clubs, this resource provides a comprehensive approach to exploring literature.

What’s Included: This packet includes 20 flexible and meaningful activities that can be applied to any fiction text. From character analysis to creative writing, each activity is designed to help students engage with and understand the story on a deeper level.

Activities:

1. Summary – Students summarize key events of each chapter to track the story’s development.
2. List the Characters – Identify characters and describe their roles or actions in the chapter.
3. I Predict... – Students make predictions based on text evidence, promoting critical thinking.
4. Significant Quote – Choose a key quote and explain its importance to the story’s themes or characters.
5. Illustrate an Important Scene – Draw and explain a pivotal moment from the chapter.
6. Vocabulary – Define new words, use them in context, and draw pictures to reinforce meaning.
7. Character Adjectives – Describe the protagonist with three adjectives and support one with text evidence.
8. Musical Playlist for the Main Character – Create a playlist that represents the character's journey or emotions.
9. Character Identity – Explore six key elements of the character’s identity and support with text from the novel.
10. Window and Mirror – Compare and contrast yourself with the main character, identifying similarities and differences.
11. Conflict Analysis – Identify and explain three types of conflict (e.g., character vs. character, self, society, etc.).
12. Text Conversation – Write a text message conversation between yourself and a character to help them solve their conflict.
13. Setting Analysis – Explore how different settings impact the characters and the story’s events.
14. Imagery of Setting – Use sensory details to describe a setting and analyze the mood it creates.
15. Theme Statements – Write three universal theme statements that apply to the novel’s message or lesson.
16. Rewrite the Ending – Get creative by rewriting the final chapter or scene using the author’s tone and style.
17. Comic Strip – Draw a comic strip of four key moments from the story, showing the progression of the plot.
18. Breaking News – Write a newspaper article about a major event in the story, reporting it as breaking news.
19. Expository Essay – Write an essay explaining how the protagonist changes throughout the novel, supported by evidence.
20. Argumentative Essay – Argue whether the protagonist’s critical decision was justified, using textual evidence to support your claim.

Why You’ll Love This Resource:

• Flexible for Any Novel: These activities can be applied to any fiction text, making this packet a versatile tool for any reading assignment, novel study, or literature circle.
• Engaging and Interactive: Activities encourage students to think critically, make connections, and engage creatively with the story.
• Multiple Skills: Students will practice a variety of skills, including summarization, analysis, prediction, creative expression, and essay writing.
• Ready-to-Use: Simply print and go! Perfect for class novels, independent reading, or book clubs.

Use this Lit Circle Packet to foster a deeper understanding of any novel while encouraging meaningful discussion and creative expression in your classroom!

This Teaching Bundle contains the following items:
* PowerPoint Presentation
* Reading Assignment and Worksheet
* Analyzing Primary Sources

PowerPoint Presentation

This 15-slide PowerPoint presentation covers the women during the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age. It is an ideal lesson for the post-Civil War period or as a stand-alone resource for women’s history. It is also a good resource during Women’s History Month.

Each slide contains information and graphics that highlight women’s changing roles due to industrialization. It highlights the different experiences based on social classes as well as work experiences and early organizational efforts.

The PowerPoint slides are available both as PPT and PDF. Check the Bonus section for the additional file.

There is also an Easel Assessment. For Home Schoolers or for asynchronous learning, this is a valuable digital tool.

Reading Assignment and Worksheet

This three-page Reading Assignment and Worksheet provides an overview of the various activities, attributes and activities of women between 1865 and 1910 as the United States faced dramatic changes due to the Industrial Revolution. Students will learn about the growing divisions between social classes as well as early efforts to combat some of the issues facing the nation.
Students can read this on their own as a homework assignment or it can be a group activity in a classroom. It is also ideally suited for home-schoolers or independent learners who want to learn more. A Worksheet with questions based on the reading is included, along with an Answer Key.
Reading Assignment - 2 pages
Worksheet - 1 page

The worksheet is also available as a digital resource through Easel so students may complete it online.

Primary Source Analysis and DBQs

This 20 page Primary Source Analysis activity gives students a chance to delve deeper into women’s experiences and contributions during the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age. In addition, there are Document-Based Questions (DBQs) for students to complete.

Included is a one-page sheet that explains what primary sources are and how to analyze them using specific questions through a process called HAPPY. Primary sources include speeches, essays, a declaration and cartoons. Each page of primary sources includes questions. There is also a page at the end for students to apply the HAPPY process to one source. An Answer Key to all the questions and the HAPPY process is available at the end of the packet. This is excellent practice for all high school students, particularly Honors and APUSH students, but all students will find these resources engaging.

Students can read this on their own as a homework assignment or it can be a group activity in a classroom. It is also ideally suited for home-schoolers, college students or independent learners who want to learn more. Teachers can assign just a few sources to analyze or the entire packet. Student time will vary.

There is also an Easel Activity which allows students to answer the questions at the end of each primary source online. For homework purposes, Home Schoolers or for asynchronous learning, this is an especially valuable digital option.

This is part of the Women in American History Series which includes PowerPoint lessons as well as Reading Assignments and Worksheets, Primary Source Analysis and DBQs and Activities for other eras.

If you like World War II historical fiction, I have written a book called Hearts of War about a Nisei soldier who served in the Military Intelligence Service and a woman who served in the Women Army Corps. In writing this book, I wanted to bring an unknown aspect of history to light. Available on Amazon or Kindle and I appreciate any reviews!

Deepen your students' understanding of these eras!

This Teaching Bundle includes four Reading Assignments and Worksheets from 1800-1900:

* Early Women's Rights Movement Reading Assignment and Worksheet

* Women during the Civil War

* Women during the Industrial Revolution

* Women's Suffrage Movement

Convenient and quick to complete!

Each Reading Assignment and Worksheet is designed to take one class period or for students to complete on their own as independent study or to complete as homework. These close reading assignments will help students learn more about women's contributions in American society as well as the challenges that women faced during each of these eras.

Worksheets provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their reading. Worksheets are available as a printable or as a digital option through Easel.

Other Women in American History Series Reading Assignments and Worksheets are available:
Women in the 1920s: Reading Assignment and Worksheet
Women during the Great Depression: Reading Assignment and Worksheet
Women in the U.S. Military during WWII

Other Women in American History Reading Assignment and Worksheet bundles include the following:
U.S. Women's History Reading Assignments Bundle: 1600-1920
U.S. Women's History Reading Assignments Bundle: 1600-1860

Looking for an exciting way to teach your students about soils and weathering? This New York State Escape Room is the perfect blend of social studies content, close reading, and gamified learning! In this activity, students will explore the geography of New York State including cities, landmarks, and state/country/body of water borders through an engaging close reading article and four unique challenges.

Overview of the Activity: Students begin by reading a two-page informational passage about New York state geography, borders, cities, important landmarks within the state, etc.. The article includes essential vocabulary like state, city, lake, country, border, river and mountain, providing a solid foundation for students before they tackle the four interactive challenges.

Each challenge targets a different skill:

• Challenge 1: Matching vocabulary terms to their definitions (reinforcing social studies concepts).
• Challenge 2: True/false questions based on key facts from the reading (to build comprehension).
• Challenge 3: Multiple-choice questions (testing understanding of key concepts).
• Challenge 4: Identifying the paragraph where certain information is found (developing close reading skills).

For each correct answer, students receive a clue—a one-digit number. After completing all four challenges, students use their numbers to solve a final puzzle and “escape” the room.

**Why Use Close Reading?:**Close reading is an instructional approach that encourages students to carefully analyze and interpret a text. In this escape room, students must return to the passage multiple times to find the answers to the questions, helping them:

• Improve their reading comprehension.
• Strengthen critical thinking skills.
• Become more independent readers who can tackle complex information.

Benefits of Gamified Learning: Using an escape room format transforms a traditional lesson into an adventure! Students love the thrill of solving puzzles, working together, and completing challenges, which boosts their engagement and motivation. Here’s why gamified learning is a hit in the classroom:

• Increases engagement: Students are naturally motivated by challenges and competition, making learning more interactive and exciting.
• Enhances problem-solving skills: Escape rooms require students to use logic and critical thinking to solve clues and progress through tasks.
• Encourages teamwork: As students collaborate, they practice communication and teamwork, skills essential for success in group settings.

**Perfect for Social Studies and Literacy Integration:**This escape room seamlessly integrates social studies content with reading comprehension, making it a powerful resource for interdisciplinary learning. While students strengthen their understanding of New York State geography, they’re also developing literacy skills by interpreting information, analyzing key details, and practicing vocabulary.

Whether you’re teaching about New York states borders, geography within the state itself, or just looking for a fun, engaging way to challenge your students, this New York State Escape Room is sure to captivate their attention while reinforcing key learning objectives.

Introduce your students to the thrilling no prep Ancient Egyptian Scavenger Hunt! This engaging and interactive activity puts students in the shoes of a detective trying to find a long lost burial site of an unknown pharaoh who was said to have more riches than even King Tutankhamun.

Each student, or group of students, will receive 10 reading task cards related to Ancient Egypt, how the Egyptians modified their environment, how they used their local resources, the role of artifacts and archaeological features. The task is not only to read the cards but to solve 10 questions—the catch is that the answer to each question is found on a different card, encouraging students to read all the information thoroughly.

How It Works:

• Students will need to determine the code word for each card by answering the fill-in-the-blank questions.
• Once all the code words have been found, students must unscramble the letters from each code word to discover the final mystery word.
• In addition, they will collect clues to uncover a 4-digit code, which will help them successfully complete their journey.

Failing to unscramble the mystery word or crack the 4-digit code will result in the tomb remaining sealed forever, and the expedition will be lost to the sands of time. However, completing the mission means students will have made one of the greatest discoveries in history, uncovering the forgotten pharaoh’s solid gold burial site, filled with unimaginable riches, artifacts, and secrets of Ancient Egypt!

What Makes This Activity Perfect for Your Classroom:

• Engaging and Educational: Your students will be excited to play the role of an explorer while learning about Ancient Egypt and how the Egyptians used/modified their environment.
• Critical Thinking Skills: By having to cross-reference information from multiple task cards, students practice comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail.
• No-Prep Needed: Simply print the task cards and hand them out to your students! It’s ready to go with minimal prep.
• Flexible Usage: This scavenger hunt can be used independently, as a group activity, or even as a fast-finisher task. It works perfectly as a history lesson, or as a fun, educational activity!

Ideal for Different Learning Styles

Whether done individually or in groups, this scavenger hunt provides the perfect opportunity for students to collaborate and share ideas as they solve the puzzles. If students are working independently, it gives them a chance to practice self-paced learning while still engaging with the history of Ancient Egypt.

Perfect for History Lessons or Fun Themed Activities This activity fits seamlessly into your classroom’s history curriculum. It’s a perfect way to introduce and reinforce learning about Ancient Egypt.

This Ancient Egypt Scavenger Hunt is not only a fun, no-prep classroom activity, but it also ensures that students gain a deeper understanding of history while developing important reading and comprehension skills. Bring the excitement of the search for the Ancient Egyptian burial site into your classroom with this adventure-packed scavenger hunt.