$5 - $10 8th Grade Literature Activities (by date, oldest first)

DEEP DIVE into literature with Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart"

Perfect for Horror/Gothic Literature units in English

8 activities focusing on skills for fiction with this masterful text. Students will have the opportunity to practice comprehension, questioning the text, engage in class discussions, and respond.

What's Included:

1. Powerpoint Guide for each activity
2. Pre-reading activity to activate prior knowledge
3. Two Word Documents that allow students to form questions while reading, or make their own annotations (with the abridged text)
4. A guide to facilitate class discussions after reading
5. Summarizing activity and questions
6. Examining Story Elements page with plot diagram
7. Analyzing Characters practice
8. Inferencing
9. Constructed Responses

**All documents are in Word with a PDF - Also translated for Spanish speaking students - Answer Keys included (including sample responses for the constructed response)**

Depth not Breadth

The benefits of 'depth not breadth' are seen in many scholarly journals. When teachers & students spend more time with a text, they have more opportunities to interact and respond to literature.

• Deep Understanding: When students delve deeply into a text, they gain a thorough understanding of its themes, characters, and nuances. This deep engagement allows them to appreciate the complexities of literature, fostering a richer and more meaningful reading experience.
• Critical Thinking: Depth encourages critical thinking. Students learn to analyze, interpret, and evaluate texts, which enhances their ability to think critically about what they read. This skill is crucial not only for academic success but also for making informed decisions in everyday life.
• Skill Development: Engaging deeply with a few texts helps students develop essential literacy skills, such as close reading, analytical writing, and evidence-based argumentation. These skills are foundational for success in higher education and beyond.
• Connection and Retention: Students are more likely to form connections with the material and retain information when they study it in depth. This approach allows them to see the interconnectedness of themes and ideas, making the learning experience more cohesive and memorable.
• Personal Engagement: When students spend more time on a text, they have the opportunity to relate personally to the material, fostering a greater sense of engagement and motivation. Personal connections to literature can inspire a lifelong love of reading.
• Addressing Complexity: Many literary works are complex and require time to unpack fully. By focusing on depth, students can explore these complexities, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of literature's multifaceted nature.
• Application of Concepts: A deep dive into a text allows students to apply literary concepts and theories in a meaningful way. They can practice applying various analytical lenses, which deepens their understanding and prepares them for more advanced literary study.
• Quality Over Quantity: The quality of learning is often more important than the quantity. By focusing on a few key texts, teachers can ensure that students are engaging with high-quality literature and getting the most out of their reading experience.

Looking for a fun way to get your students talking, moving, and collaborating? Look no further!

The focus of this breakout is Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night. The activities in this breakout game are designed to help students review what they have read in the play. A great review game before a test or quiz. Comes complete with answer key.

Looking for a fun way to get your students talking, moving, and collaborating? Look no further!

The focus of this breakout is Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The activities in this breakout game are designed to help students review what they have read in the play. A great review game before a test or quiz. Comes complete with answer key.

*Teaching Much Ado About Nothing?

Check out some of our other products.

Much Ado About Nothing Characterization flipbook

Much Ado About Nothing Quizzes Acts 1-5

Much Ado About Nothing Flip book Study Guide

Much Ado About Nothing: Benedick Soliloquy Analysis Compare and Contrast Act 2

Shakespeare Comedies (All Plays)

Looking for a fun way to get your students talking, moving, and collaborating? Look no further!

The focus of this breakout is The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The activities in this breakout game are designed to help students review what they have read in the novel. A great review game before a test or quiz. Comes complete with answer key.

Task #1 Plot

See if your students can figure out the overall plot for the story using a diagram and plot cards. When put in the right order students get a secret code.

Task #2 Characters

A way for your students to work together figuring out who is who from the novel with character cards and an answer sheet. Once solved students gain a code word.

Task #3 Close Read

Students must close read an excerpt from the novel and acurately answer questions about the excerpt to reveal the last code word.

Task #4 Encrypted Message

Using all the clues from the previous three tasks students must solve the encrypted message to escape the room.

Your students will love competing against the other groups in their class to solve these knowledge based puzzles around the novel.

Need more resources for The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Look no further...we got you covered!

The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde Introduction Power Point

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Characterization Flip book

Looking for a fun way to get your students talking, moving, and collaborating? Look no further!

The focus of this breakout is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. The activities in this breakout game are designed to help students review what they have read in the book. A great review game before a test or quiz. Comes complete with answer key.

Looking for a fun way to get your students talking, moving, and collaborating? Look no further!

The focus of this breakout is The Count of Monte Cristo. The activities in this breakout game are designed to help students review what they have read in the novel. A great review game before a test or quiz. Comes complete with answer key.

Task #1 Plot

See if your students can figure out the overall plot for the story using a diagram and plot cards. When put in the right order students get a secret code.

Task #2 Characters

A way for your students to work together figuring out who is who from the novel with character cards and an answer sheet. Once solved students gain a code word.

Task #3 Close Read

Students must close read an excerpt from the novel and acurately answer questions about the excerpt to reveal the last code word.

Task #4 Encrypted Message

Using all the clues from the previous three tasks students must solve the encrypted message to escape the room.

Your students will love competing against the other groups in their class to solve these knowledge based puzzles around the novel.

Need more resources for The Count of Monte Cristo?

Look no further...we got you covered!

The Count of Monte Cristo: Introduction Power Point

The Count of Monte Cristo: Characterization Flipbook

The Count of Monte Cristo: Flip book Study Guide

The Count of Monte Cristo: Vocabulary Lists and Quizzes

The Count of Monte Cristo : Vocabulary Crosswords

The Count of Monte Cristo: Graphic Organizers

Looking for a fun way to get your students talking, moving, and collaborating? Look no further!

The focus of this breakout is both Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night Dream. The activities in this breakout game are designed to help students review what they have read in the play. A great review game before a test or quiz. Comes complete with answer key.

This power point covers the elements of tragedy found in all Shakespeare's tragedies. It goes over important elements such as iambic pentameter, irony, poetry vs prose, character foil, symbolism and more. It gives some brief background on Shakespeare as well as his influences. This is an excellent way to introduce any Shakespearean Tragedy in your class. If you are teaching a specific play feel free to check out my bundles to save even more. ************************ Want to earn credits for future TeachShare purchases? Write us a review. Your feedback is important and appreciated.

Looking for a fun way to get your students talking, moving, and collaborating? Look no further!

The focus of this breakout is both Shakespeare’s As You Like It. The activities in this breakout game are designed to help students review what they have read in the play. A great review game before a test or quiz. Comes complete with answer key.

A power point which serves as an introduction to archetypes. This goes over character archetypes, situational archetypes, and symbolic archetypes. A great addition to any unit on literary archetypes.

Teaching a play by William Shakespeare? Want to provide students with a fascinating overview of the author's life, the construction of the Globe Theater, the language of early-modern English, the rhythm of iambic pentameter, and more? This 50-page EDITABLE resource has EVERYTHING you could possibly want to introduce ANY play by William Shakespeare....

This comprehensive bundle includes a Biography of the Bard, an account of the construction of the Globe Theater, handouts and exercises to help students understand Shakespeare's language, a Shakespearean insult generator, worksheets and quizzes introducing students to iambic pentameter, and more.

Here's what you'll find inside this 50-page resource bundle:

• William Shakespeare Biography: This 4-page biography of William Shakespeare explains the conditions of his early life and schooling in Stratford-upon-Avon, how he became involved in the London theater scene, the impact which the death of his son Hamnet had upon his writing career, his gradual transition from comedies to tragedies, and more. Includes a comprehension check with answer key. (5 pages)

• The Globe Theater: A 2-page handout on what inspired Shakespeare's acting company to build the Globe Theater. A dispute with the landlord of their old theater motivated Shakespeare's company to meet with lanterns in the middle of the night, disassemble their old playhouse, and transport the timber across the Thames River to the plot of land where they would build the Globe. How did the construction of the Globe infuse new life into Shakespeare's company? How would Shakespeare make reference to the Globe in plays written after its construction in 1599? Includes a comprehension check with answer key. (4 pages)

• Shakespeare's Language: A 3-page handout on the crucial topic of Shakespeare's language. Literary scholars have pointed out that "the life of Shakespeare's plays is in the language." What's so special about Shakespeare's language? Did he really invent 1,700 new words? What kinds of words did he invent, and how do they contribute to the meaning of his plays? Includes a comprehension check with answer key. (5 pages)

• Renaissance Glossary: This 2-page glossary features 50 words that appear frequently within Shakespeare's plays but are no longer used in modern-day speech: adieu, beseech, ere, fain, naught, prithee, troth, wot, etc. Familiarizing students with this words will make their reading experience much smoother! This glossary includes a definition for each word as well as an example of how it's used in Shakespeare's plays. (2 pages)

• Translation Practice: This 2-page worksheet features 20 brief quotations from a diverse range of Shakespeare's plays. Challenge students to translate each quotation into modern English. This exercise gives students a change to demonstrate their understanding of the words in the Renaissance Glossary. Includes answer key. (4 pages)

• Decode the Idiom: This 1-page worksheet features 12 quotations that feature idioms which Shakespeare invented: wear my heart on my sleeve, all that glitters is not gold, I have a charmed life, as good luck would have it, and more. Challenge students to identify the idiom by filling in the word missing from the quotation. Then have students explain the meaning of the idiom. Includes answer key. (2 pages)

• Blank Verse: A 2-page handout on the when and why Shakespeare employs blank verse (i.e. unrhymed iambic pentameter). This handout explains how blank verse emerged as a popular verse form as well as what distinguished Shakespeare's usage of blank verse. When and why do some of Shakespeare's characters break with the regular rhythms of blank verse? Why might some characters alternate between using verse and prose? (2 pages)

• Scansion Practice: Students learn to identify iambic pentameter by scanning 10 well-known quotations from Shakespeare's plays. Includes answer key. (4 pages)

• Quizzes on Meter (x2): The 2 quizzes on meter are designed to asses whether students are able to accurately scan Shakespearean lines. Each quiz features 10 quotations from Shakespeare's plays. Includes answer keys. (8 pages)

• Shakespearean Insult Generator: Shakespeare's characters are exceptionally creative in their elaboration of insults. Indeed, some scholars have suggested that the insults in Shakespeare's plays amount to their own education in wit. If your students are sufficiently mature, you could use this exercise to invite them to generate their own original Shakespearean insults. (2 pages)

The resource will download as a Zip folder which contains the entire 50-page unit in two separate formats: Word Doc *and* PDF. Because the Word Doc is fully EDITABLE, you'll be able to customize it to match your teaching style and/or the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access a PDF version of the full unit — which is easy to navigate and quick to print!

If you have questions about ANYTHING related to Shakespeare, please don't hesitate to get in touch! This unit was designed by a Ph.D. in English who has devoted over 20 years to studying Shakespeare — and who currently teaches a course called "Shakespeare's Masterpieces." I LOVE hearing from fellow teachers who share a passion for great literature. Wishing you an amazing experience with the Swan of Avon!

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!

Feel free to 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

Your students will be transported back in time to hunt dinosaurs! They will have to find the various time guides to gather information necessary to prevent the disturbance of the timeline. Only by carefully following all of the employees’ directions will they be able to return to the present, thus successfully completing the escape room!

The seven stations address the elements of the short story, including characterization, symbolism, summary, vocabulary, syntax and diction, foreshadowing, and figurative language. This is a rigorous review and analysis activity. Students should read the text BEFORE they do the escape room.

Download one of the 7 stations to preview here! Freebie Station!

Thanks for checking out my product! Please let me know if you have any questions!

My students are absolutely addicted to escape rooms, and LOVED Roald Dahl’s story “The Landlady”. I created this escape room to review the elements of the short story, including foreshadowing, characterization, figurative language, vocabulary, plot, and author's craft/ diction/ syntax. Students should read the text BEFORE they do the escape room.

Students will act as detectives trying to solve the mystery of the landlady’s true identity. The escape room will take place in the infamous Bed and Breakfast. You’ll set up your room with the different areas of interest from the story for your students to examine. They will visit each station and complete the task there in order to gather information to add to their dossier (answer sheet). Some stations will take longer/ shorter than others. It is up to you if you want to have your students work individually, with a partner, or in a small group.

Once all stations are complete, students will use the clues and information they’ve recorded on their dossier to identify which suspect is the murderer. My students had A TON of fun with this activity!

Did you like this escape room? Try my other escape rooms based on Bradbury's "The Veldt" or "A Sound of Thunder!

Ray Bradbury's "The Veld"t Mystery Escape Room

Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" Mystery Escape Room

This “Escape from the Veldt” escape room will have your students analyzing the text for elements of the short story, such as foreshadowing, irony, characterization, figurative language, summarizing, mood, tone, and symbolism, all while having a lot of fun! Students should read the text BEFORE they do the escape room.

Each “station” is represented by an animal from the veldt that they must “escape” from. The answers to each puzzle will be recorded on their answer sheet. After they’ve escaped from each animal, there is one last puzzle they need to solve. Once they do, they’ve successfully escaped from the veldt!

This 32- page product includes everything you'll need: detailed directions for the teacher, animal signs for each station, the activities you'll place at each station, an answer sheet for the students, and an answer key for you! It also includes some ideas for making the experience especially memorable for your students.

The room took about 60 minutes for my students to complete from start to finish. They had a blast! It's a lot of fun, all while analyzing the story! I typically read this short story after reading Fahrenheit 451, but you could incorporate it into any short story unit!

If you'd like to try a free sample of this escape room, please check out my store's primary freebie! The Veldt Mystery Escape Room Free Sample!

This bundle includes 2 speed dating activities and a Socratic Seminar final assessment! The speed dating activities are for "The F-Word" and "America, Land of the Free". Please check out the product descriptions for each item individually. Thank you!

Please help my little business grow!

Did you know that you can receive $ credit towards future TeachShare purchases by reviewing this product? Please leave a review at the product page or through "My Purchases" under "My Account" at TpT. Thank you!

This bundle gets you 2 Billy Collins poetry analysis activities. Your students will analyze "On Turning Ten" and "Snow Day" by chunking the text into manageable bits. Check out each product individually! Thank you!

***Interested in checking out what a foldable poetry analysis from my store looks like? Please download my freebie here! Foldable Poetry Analysis for The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel: FREEBIE ***

This resource bundles two products from Stephen King's Night Shift! You'll get a Speed Dating Discussion Activity and a set of Socratic Seminar booklets + rubric! Please check out each product individually using the links below. Thank you!

This bundle includes 4 products:

1. a set of Socratic Seminar packets

2. a creative writing assignment that requires students to write their own set of vignettes in the style of Cisneros

3. a Diction Deep Dive Collaborative Activity for "My Name"

4. A Figurative Language/ Poetic Devices Question Trail for review

Please check out each product individually below and let me know if you have any questions! Thank you!

Please help my little business grow!

Did you know that you can receive $ credit towards future TeachShare purchases by reviewing this product? Please leave a review at the product page or through "My Purchases" under "My Account" at TpT. Thank you!

This bundle includes resources for analyzing Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks" and "Two Kinds". Please check out the resources individually below. Thank you!

Please help my little business grow!

Did you know that you can receive $ credit towards future TeachShare purchases by reviewing this product? Please leave a review at the product page or through "My Purchases" under "My Account" at TpT. Thank you!

This product bundles 4 of my foldable poetry analysis activities by William Carlos Williams together for one low cost! You'll get "This is Just to Say", "The Dance", "The Great Figure", and "The Red Wheelbarrow". Please watch my video to see how foldables work, and check out each product link individually. Than you so much!