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Murder Mystery Inference Activity: Lamb to the Slaughter Mini Unit
By TooBookedUp
Engage your middle school students with a thrilling 5-day detective unit centered around Roald Dahl's gripping short story, "Lamb to the Slaughter." This comprehensive unit combines critical thinking, inferencing, and multimedia analysis, making it perfect for ELA classrooms. Students will step into the shoes of detectives, analyze texts, watch film adaptations, and compare their experiences, all while meeting key CCSS standards.
What’s Included:
Day-by-Day Breakdown:
Day 1: Introduction to the Detective Activity
Day 2: Writing an Opinion Essay
Day 3: Reading "Lamb to the Slaughter"
Day 4: Comparing Text and Film
Day 5: Final Analysis and Discussion
CCSS Alignment:
This unit aligns with CCSS standards for grades 5-8, focusing on quoting accurately from texts, citing textual evidence, and analyzing multimedia elements. Standards covered include:
Benefits:
Bring excitement and depth to your ELA classroom with this 5-day detective unit on "Lamb to the Slaughter." Your students will love stepping into the role of detectives while honing their reading and analytical skills.
BUNDLE: Every Stephen King resource in my store!
By The Red-Haired Reader
This product bundles all of my resources based on the work of Stephen King. Please check them out individually using the links 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!
Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push by Walter Dean Myers Short Story Lesson
By Ms. J's ELA
This resource should accompany Walter Dean Myers's short story Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push. The story is not included but can be found in the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories.
This resource includes 5 worksheet pages in color for posting online and in b/w for easy printing. A presentation aligns with the worksheets and includes an answer key for vocabulary and short answer questions.
This resource has:
- a pre-reading journal prompt
- story vocabulary
- tiered reading questions
- a focus on the standard: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
- answer keys
Harrison Bergeron Activity Bundle
By Language Arts Excellence
This resource features a bundle of all of our lesson plans, materials, activities, and classroom decor for the study of Kurt Vonnegut's cautionary tale of government overreach, Harrison Bergeron. The numerous activities as well as full-length lesson plans provide an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for the short story and encourage students to think critically about literary elements, theme, and symbolism. An Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint and Crossword Puzzle helps to set the groundwork for the dystopian tale. All the materials needed for a formal set of Socratic Seminars are included to ensure deep thinking and close reading of the text. A full answer key is provided along with student-tested lesson plans to help guide you through teaching the story. Also included is our wildly popular Escape Room with tasks on characters, vocabulary, plot, quotes, and literary elements of the story - perfect for a review before the final test (also included!). The wide range of lessons in this unit will keep your students engaged from start to finish and help them to gain a deep understanding of Kurt Vonnegut's enduring dystopian tale.
Product Includes:
By purchasing this bundle, you are saving 35% off the price of all resources. Suitable for middle and high school students.
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Bundle of Stephen King Short Story activities!
By The Red-Haired Reader
This product bundles together activities for 9 of Stephen King's short stories and includes an analysis of King's short essay "Why We Crave Horror Movies". Please check out each product individually!
Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds Lesson
By Ms. J's ELA
This lesson should accompany the short story Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds. The story can be found in the anthology Fresh Ink.
This lesson focuses on making inferences and identifying themes. Students will provide and explain textual evidence that supports inferences and themes that they identify from the story.
This resource includes 6 slides for display at the front of the class and 2 student worksheet pages which come in color and b/w.
The Lottery Escape Room Bundle - In-Class and Digital
By Language Arts Excellence
This bundle includes the in-class and digital version of our The Lottery Escape Rooms!
There is no wonder why escape rooms are so popular; they are highly engaging and encourage people to work together and think creatively in order to solve different puzzles... all while trying to beat the clock. Now, you can facilitate our popular The Lottery Escape Rooms in the classroom and at home for distance learning with this meticulously-crafted bundle. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys so that yours run smoothly from start to finish. All tasks are skills-based so that with these fun lessons, learning is not sacrificed. Whether they are in school or at home, your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize how much they've learned about the short story.
How does it work?
In this escape room, students will try to escape the picturesque American town with a dark secret by solving 5 different skills-based puzzles, deciphering an encrypted message, and finding clues along the way.
In-Class Escape Room Includes:
- Escape Room Basics
- Detailed Day-Of Instructions
- Escape Room Print Checklist
- Student Teams Chart
- Welcome Sign for Your Door
- Materials for 5 Tasks: task signs to be folded upright, task instructions (2 per page for easy printing), and necessary information to be kept at stations
- Student Answer Booklet
- Teacher Answer Keys
- Escape Room Reflection for homework or in-class writing activity
- Theme Reflection for homework assignment or in-class writing activity
Digital (Paperless) Escape Room Includes:
- Instructions for how to access and share escape room and answer key through Google Drive
- Materials for 5 Tasks: digital task signs, detailed task instructions, and worksheets
- Digital Student Answer Booklet
- Digital Teacher Answer Key
*Note that this is the digital version of the escape room; tasks are identical, just reformatted for digital experience. Requires use of Google Slides.*
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Bundle of 59 Socratic Seminar Booklets! Great Final Assessments/ Lit Circles!
By The Red-Haired Reader
Please check out the video preview for my line of Socratic Seminars!
This bundle includes every product in my Socratic Seminar Bundle line. Multiple novels and short stories are included for grades 6-12! My students LOVE Socratic Seminars, and I often use them as their final assessment grade. The can be used in small literature circle groups, or with a full class. Please ask if you have any questions!
The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn by Kelly J. Baptist LESSON
By Ms. J's ELA
This resource should accompany the short story The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn by Kelly J. Baptist. The page numbers listed in this resource align with the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories. This resource includes 4 pages of both color and b/w worksheets which include a pre-reading journal question, tiered reading questions, vocabulary, and a focus on supporting analysis with textual evidence. A 10 page presentation accompanies the worksheets and includes an answer key.
This is a sensitive story. One of the tiered reading questions addresses coping strategies in times of grief. This question needs to be approached in an open, honest, non-judgmental way. If this is not the way you operate, skip this resource.
Full Year of ELA Escape Rooms BUNDLE - Volume 3
By Language Arts Excellence
This bundle features a full year's worth (one escape room per month) of our rigorous and engaging escape rooms for your secondary Language Arts classroom - third edition.
There is no wonder why escape rooms are so popular; they are highly engaging and encourage people to work together and think creatively in order to solve different puzzles... all while trying to beat the clock! This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct 12 full-length ELA Escape Rooms. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys so that yours run smoothly from start to finish. These activities involve movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. Plus, all tasks are skills-based and aligned to the Common Core so that with each escape room, learning is not sacrificed. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of these games!
How does it work?
Your students must work to escape your classroom by solving 5 different Language Arts skills-based puzzles, discovering hidden messages, and finding clues along the way.
Each Escape Room Includes:
- Escape Room Basics
- Detailed Day-Of Instructions
- Escape Room Print Checklist
- Student Teams Chart
- Welcome Sign for Your Door
- Materials for 5 Tasks: task signs to be folded upright, task instructions (2 per page for easy printing), and necessary information to be kept at stations
- Student Answer Booklets (small and large options)
- Teacher Answer Keys
- Code Word Theme Open Response for homework or in-class writing activity
- Escape Room Reflection for homework or in-class writing activity
Suggested Escape Room Progression:
Purchasing this bundle saves over 30% off the cover price of a year's worth of escape rooms. All are suitable for middle-high school students.
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If this combination of escape rooms isn't exactly what you're looking for, check out volumes 1 & 2 as well as our digital escape room bundle:
⭐ Full Year of ELA Escape Rooms BUNDLE
⭐ Full Year of ELA Escape Rooms BUNDLE - Volume 2
⭐ Full Year of Digital ELA Escape Rooms BUNDLE
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BUNDLE! Bradbury short story unit 4 stories and final synthesis assessment!
By The Red-Haired Reader
This bundle includes products to teach a mini unit of 4 short stories by Ray Bradbury! Included is:
1. Mystery Escape Room for "The Veldt"
2. Speed Dating Analysis Activity for "A Sound of Thunder"
3. A mystery escape room for "A Sound of Thunder"
4. Station activity for "All Summer in a Day"
5. Tabletop Twitter Silent discussion for "There Will Come Soft Rains"
6. A Foldable for Poetry Analysis for the Sara Teasdale poem "There Will Come Soft Rains"
7. A Comprehension Quiz for "There Will Come Soft Rains"
Also included as a bonus file is a final writing assignment that requires students to synthesize what they've read by writing about a theme that is present in multiple texts. I use this writing assignment as a test grade to wrap up the Bradbury mini unit.
My students LOVE Bradbury and these short stories are some of his finest! I like to do these stories before or after reading a Bradbury novel, such as Fahrenheit 451 or Something Wicked This Way Comes. Please let me know if you have any questions at SaraJoy916@gmail.com!
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!
Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains by Tim Tingle Lesson & TEST
By Ms. J's ELA
This resource should accompany Tim Tingle's short story Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains. This resource includes 4 student worksheet pages in both color and b/w. There is also a 12 page presentation to accompany the worksheets. The presentation contains answer keys for vocabulary and short answer questions. You will also get an Easel reading quiz with this resource.
This resource includes:
- a pre-reading journal question
- story vocabulary
- tiered reading questions
- questions focused on ELA standard about point of view and its impact on suspense and humor
- an Easel reading quiz
The Tell-Tale Heart Activity Bundle
By Language Arts Excellence
This resource features a bundle of all of our lesson plans, materials, and activities for Edgar Allan Poe's gruesome tale, The Tell-Tale Heart. Each product is thoughtfully crafted and allows students to think outside the box by delving deeply into the story's themes, characters, vocabulary, and plot development. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. This activity bundle provides more than a week's worth of material to bring the story to life!
Included in this Bundle:
The Tell-Tale Heart Literature Guide: This product features a comprehensive literature guide for use while reading Edgar Allan Poe's gruesome tale, The Tell-Tale Heart. The activity bundle provides an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for the short story and encourages students to think critically about plot structure, literary elements, perspective, and figurative language within the story. With newly added material like the Snap Chat graphic organizer and Figurative Language Challenge, the wide range of activities in this guide will keep your students engaged and help them to delve into the mind of one of the most notorious unreliable narrators of all time.
The Tell-Tale Heart Anticipation Guide and Lesson Plan: This resource features an anticipation guide for Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale of murder and mutilation, The Tell-Tale Heart, and a meticulously-explained lesson plan that I believe is the absolute best way to approach a new story. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of The Tell-Tale Heart and your overall Poe unit. This lesson is particularly useful for Poe's tale which can be difficult for students to understand at first, thus going in with knowledge of themes will help them connect. I am confident that your students will enjoy this thoughtful, engaging activity and beg you to begin reading one of the most notoriously gruesome stories in American literature.
Unreliable Narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart Lesson Plan: This resource features a full-length lesson plan, accompanying materials, and creative writing assignment that asks students to delve into the crazed mind of the narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart. Through an engaging "True/Untrue Storytelling" activity, precise mini-lecture on the unreliable narrator, guiding questions, and follow-up assignment, your students will be able to understand the sometimes daunting concept of the unreliable narrator and discuss how a story is affected when told through the eyes of one. This lesson plan opens up a new world for students as they realize that many of the books, movies, and tv shows that they have read or seen in the past may have been influenced by an unreliable narrator. Thus, not only is this lesson important, it is intrinsically fascinating to students and the "oohs" and "aha" moments that tend to arise from the discussion make it a blast to teach! I am confident that you and your students will love this lesson as much as mine have for years.
The Tell-Tale Heart Creative Writing Assignment on Perspective (also included within Literature Guide): This engaging assignment asks students to think critically about the events detailed by an unreliable narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Did the old man truly have no inkling of the narrator's hatred of him? Did the police officers really "chat pleasantly" as they interrogated the increasingly agitated man? In the assignment, students must consider these questions and more, then write a short narrative through the perspective of either the old man or a police officer at the scene. The assignment is fun but more importantly, it leads to sophisticated discussion about the concept of an unreliable narrator. This is a perfect supplement for any unit on Edgar Allan Poe!
The Tell-Tale Heart Socratic Seminar Materials: A Socratic Seminar (or a "Fish Bowl" Conversation as I like to call them with my students) is a higher order way of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class texts. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, this student-tested resource includes everything you need to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding the short stories, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe... with very little preparation required on your end.
The Tell-Tale Heart ESCAPE ROOM: This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct a full-length Escape Room for The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task (and it is!), but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys so that yours runs smoothly from start to finish. The activity involves movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. It is the perfect activity for Halloween or any day you want to shake it up with your students without sacrificing learning. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of this game.
The Tell-Tale Heart Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game: This resource features a lesson plan and materials for the Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game, an engaging and competitive way to review Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale of cold-blooded murder, The Tell-Tale Heart. Let's face it, review days can be boring for both teachers and students, so liven them up with this collaborative game. The resource includes not only a meticulously detailed lesson plan and set-up instructions, but over 40 questions on plot, literary elements, vocabulary, and figurative language from The Tell-Tale Heart, as well as questions about Poe himself. Besides simple set-up, very little preparation is needed for this lesson and if your students are like mine, they will ask for this form of review for every unit of study.
The Tell-Tale Heart Figurative Language Challenge Activity (also included within Literature Guide): I created this "Figurative Language Challenge" activity and lesson plan several years ago for my middle school students as they were studying Poe's chilling story of murder and mutilation, The Tell-Tale Heart. Little did I know that it would become the most requested game among my students of all time. This resource includes a meticulously-detailed lesson plan using warm-up, explanation, application, and synthesis, and a one-of-a-kind game that will get your students excited about identifying the copious amount of figurative language that pervades the text. This is the perfect lesson plan for a Friday, on Halloween, or any time you need to amp up the energy in your classroom without sacrificing learning... and of course, it is Common Core aligned!
**BONUS FILE: Intro to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint: This product features a highly-engaging introductory PowerPoint Presentation for the Father of Horror himself, Edgar Allan Poe. A unit of study on Poe is not complete without learning the gory and heartbreaking details of his life and what made him into the master poet and writer whom we continue to marvel at today. This 20-slide powerpoint runs through his tragic family life and childhood, relationships, early occupations (before he was the Poe that you know), synopses of some of his most famous works, death theories, and current pop culture references. It concludes with a 10 question quiz to see how well students listened... and trust me, they will be hanging on your every word! This powerpoint encourages class participation, is fully editable to suit your class' needs, and lasts about 30-40 minutes to run through. I suggest presenting this on the very first day of your unit on Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy and let the horror begin!
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Quitters Inc. by Stephen King Speed Dating Analysis Activity + Reflection!
By The Red-Haired Reader
This set of 12 Speed dating questions are a fun alternative to a traditional class discussion and will help your students analyze "Quitters, Inc." from Night Shift by Stephen King!
In order to prepare, you simply have to copy the 12 discussion prompts below and cut them into separate strips. You can laminate them if you’d like! Arrange your classroom so pairs of students will be facing one another. My classes have about 24 students in each, so I set up my desks facing one another down the center of the classroom. Alternatively, you could do two concentric circles depending on the space you have to work with!
When it’s time for the speed dating to begin, each “couple” will flip over their question and discuss it. I usually set a timer for 60 seconds, but you can do longer or shorter depending on the needs of your students. When the timer buzzes, one row (or circle) moves one way, and the other goes in the opposite direction. In this way, each student will have the opportunity to discuss every question.
I've included a reflection/ ticket out the door half sheet question for afterwards if time allows!
Please let me know if you have any questions about this activity! I’d love to hear your feedback after you complete it in your classroom. Thank you so much!
Sol Painting, Inc. Short Story by Meg Medina
By Ms. J's ELA
This resource should accompany Meg Medina's short story Sol Painting, Inc. This short story can be found in the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories, which is an amazing compilation of short stories by diverse authors about diverse characters. This resource includes a 12 page presentation and 6 student worksheets. The worksheets and presentation include a pre-reading journal entry, a focus on theme and central idea (which I teach as two separate things), vocabulary using context clues, tiered reading questions, and post-reading questions regarding the story's themes and central idea. The worksheets come in a colored version for posting online and a b/w version for printing.
This resource defines theme as the message, lesson, or moral of the story. Central idea is defined as what the story is all about- a single sentence which unifies all elements of the story.
The Lottery Activity Bundle (Shirley Jackson)
By Language Arts Excellence
**Now with newly added material!**
This resource features a bundle of all of our lesson plans, materials, and activities for the study of Shirley Jackson's shocking tale of tradition gone wrong, The Lottery. The numerous activities as well as full-length lesson plans provide an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for the short story and encourage students to think critically about literary elements, theme, and symbolism. An Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint and Crossword Puzzle helps to set the groundwork for the dystopian tale. Social media activities will encourage your students to bring the story to modern day and all the materials needed for a formal set of Socratic Seminars are included to ensure deep thinking and close reading of the text. A full answer key is provided along with student-tested lesson plans to help guide you through teaching the story. We have now also included the wildly popular Escape Room with tasks on characters, vocabulary, plot, quotes, and literary elements of the story - perfect for a review before the final test. The wide range of lessons in this unit will keep your students engaged from start to finish and help them to gain a deep understanding of one of the most controversial tales of American literature.
Product Includes:
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A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury 10 question multiple choice quiz with answers
By The Red-Haired Reader
This is a 10-question quiz for Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder". This text-based quiz asks about symbolism, characterization, elements of suspense, figurative language, syntax, and foreshadowing. An answer key is included for your convenience!
Flying Lessons and Other Stories BUNDLE- First 5 Stories
By Ms. J's ELA
This bundle includes resources for the first five short stories in the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories. Those stories are: How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium, The Difficult Path, Sol Painting, Inc., Secret Samantha, and The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.
Each resource includes a presentation and student worksheets which come in color and b/w for easy printing.
This bundle includes:
38 student worksheet pages
52 slides
Answer Keys
Each resource includes:
story vocabulary
pre-reading activities
tiered reading questions
an emphasis on one particular ELA standard
Depending on the length of your class periods, this resource could last 4 days or 2 weeks.
Lamb to the Slaughter & The Black Cat Compare Contrast Essay
By Language Arts Excellence
This product features all the materials you need to assign a compare/contrast essay for Roald Dahl's Lamb to the Slaughter and Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat.
For this assignment, students will need to think critically and specifically about the similarities and differences between the two famous stories of marital strife taken to the extreme. A comprehensive chart is provided to prompt students to take a close look at both tales and to think beyond the obvious (like the fact that they are written by different authors) and consider the deeper similarities and differences (plot structure, mental state of the narrators, and elements of suspense, etc.) between them. These thoughtfully-constructed materials will help students develop exemplary compare/contrast essays that they can be proud of!
Product Includes:
This assignment works well in any short story unit but is best near Halloween when creepy is the way to go!
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Also, check out these great products to supplement your units on Lamb to the Slaughter and The Black Cat:
⭐ Lamb to the Slaughter Literature Guide
⭐ Lamb to the Slaughter Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan
⭐ The Black Cat Literature Guide
⭐ The Black Cat ESCAPE ROOM
⭐ Unreliable Narrator of The Black Cat Lesson Plan
⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart/The Black Cat "Breaking News" Article and Illustration Activity
⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart/The Black Cat Socratic Seminar Materials
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A Sound of Thunder Escape Room Preview/ Sample/ Freebie! Diction + Syntax
By The Red-Haired Reader
This is a sample station from my A Sound of Thunder Escape Room! The Escape Room includes 7 stations; this is the one that analyzes Bradbury's use of diction and syntax. Hopefully it will give you a taste of what the whole product is like! Please check it out in a separate listing.