9th Grade Short Stories Assessment

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:

• Detailed Lesson Plans: Each day is thoughtfully planned to guide students through reading, analyzing, writing, and discussing "Lamb to the Slaughter."
• Graphic Organizers: Scaffolded organizers for each day to help students track evidence, make inferences, and compare the text with the film.
• Texts and Multimedia: The original short story and a link to the film adaptation, complete with an introduction by Roald Dahl.
• Writing Prompts: Engaging prompts to encourage students to write opinion essays and reflections.
• Class Discussion Guides: Questions and prompts to facilitate meaningful classroom discussions.

Day-by-Day Breakdown:

Day 1: Introduction to the Detective Activity

• Students are introduced to the murder mystery and work in groups to analyze witness statements and evidence photos.
• Focus on inference and deduction skills.

Day 2: Writing an Opinion Essay

• Students write an opinion essay based on their detective work from Day 1.
• Emphasis on textual evidence and structured writing.

Day 3: Reading "Lamb to the Slaughter"

• Students read the short story in chunked sections, making inferences and annotating the text.
• Use of scaffolding techniques to support all learners.

Day 4: Comparing Text and Film

• Students watch the film adaptation of "Lamb to the Slaughter."
• They use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the text and film, analyzing differences in storytelling techniques.

Day 5: Final Analysis and Discussion

• Students discuss their findings and the differences between the text and film.
• Wrap-up activities include reflective writing and sharing insights.

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:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.1
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.7
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7

Benefits:

• Engaging and Interactive: Students love the hands-on detective work and multimedia elements.
• Skill-Building: Focus on inferencing, textual evidence, and critical thinking skills.
• Comprehensive and Ready-to-Use: All materials and instructions are included for a seamless implementation.

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.

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.

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.

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:

• Complete assignment directions
• Specific similarities/differences chart with 16 story components
• Venn diagram template
• Essay graphic organizer (Block Method)
• Rubric
• Teacher key for chart

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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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!

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

This product features a comprehensive test covering Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Raven. Questions cover: comprehension questions, figurative language, Freytag's Pyramid plot structure, vocabulary, and 2 short answer questions

Product Includes:

• 100 point test (47 questions - multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer)
• Answer Key

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Also, check out these great products by Language Arts Excellence for your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐Edgar Allan Poe Short Story BUNDLE

⭐Edgar Allan Poe Brochure – Final Project

⭐Edgar Allan Poe Compare/Contrast Essay

⭐Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐Edgar Allan Poe-bituary

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"Speed Dating" is a fun alternative to a traditional class discussion. Students have a set amount of time to discuss a question with their partner, then quickly move onto the next partner and question. This product includes directions and 12 "big idea" discussion questions for Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder". I have also included a reflection question as a ticket out the door for after the activity.

Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you!

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.

Socratic Seminar Materials for Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

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 was created to include everything you need to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe... with very little preparation required on your end.

Product Includes:

• Assignment Directions with step-by-step instructions on how to conduct fishbowls in your classroom

• Engaging Introductory Activity for Conversation Building

• 5 Discussion Questions for each “Fishbowl” conversation

• “Fishbowl” Preparation Sheet

• Conversation Builder Prompts

• Observation Sheet

• Rubric

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Check out these great products to supplement your study of The Tell-Tale Heart:

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Literature Guide

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Anticipation Guide and Lesson Plan

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Creative Writing Assignment on Perspective

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Figurative Language Challenge Activity

⭐ Unreliable Narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart Lesson Plan

More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

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This set of 12 Speed dating questions are a fun alternative to a traditional class discussion and will help your students analyze "Dark They Were, and Golden- Eyed", originally published as "The Naming of Names", by Ray Bradbury!

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!

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

This product features an engaging final project that meaningfully incorporates technology in a culmination of your unit on Edgar Allan Poe.

For this final assignment, students will showcase their knowledge of Edgar Allan Poe, his works, and his life by creating brochures using Microsoft Word. Students will love the chance to practice using technology with this project as opposed to writing the same-old same-old essay and if they are like my students, will not even realize how much research and writing they are actually accomplishing with this project.

Product Includes:

• Complete Assignment Directions
• How to Make Brochure Directions
• Scoring Rubric
• Teacher Model including proper Works Cited Page using Microsoft Word
• Pictures of Exemplary Student Examples

This project works for any of the stories you read during your Edgar Allan Poe unit.

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Save 20% off this resource when you purchase as part of a bundle of Edgar Allan Poe products:

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

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Also, check out these great products by Language Arts Excellence to supplement your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Brochure

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

Chilling literature guides to frighten your students for months:

⭐ The Raven Literature Guide

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart Literature Guide

⭐ The Black Cat Literature Guide

⭐ The Pit and the Pendulum Literature Guide

⭐ The Cask of Amontillado Literature Guide

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Literature Guide

⭐ The Masque of the Red Death Literature Guide

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Short Story BUNDLE

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Hello!

This is a Write The Room Silent Discussion activity that will aide your students in analyzing Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil"! It's an alternate way to do a station rotation and will foster a deep- thinking discussion that takes place on chart paper!

To set up, you’ll need to copy the large questions and paste them onto larger poster size paper. (I like to use those giant Post-Its so I can hang them up afterwards!) I have included 7 questions so that you can place one at each table or station. You will also need to project the page of directions onto your Smart Board, or make a copy of them and put them where students can see. My students like to write their comments in colored ink, marker, or colored pencil in order to make it a little more fun.

To begin this discussion, students will first read the question. Then they will scan the answers their classmates have already written, and write an answer that hasn’t already been said. They may put a hashtag comment for fun after their comment. As the activity goes on, they have the option of responding to a comment that a classmate has already made instead. After a set time you deem appropriate for your students has elapsed, direct them to silently move to the next station.

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.

This activity features an engaging escape room in which students tackle 5 puzzles covering plot, vocabulary, figurative language and quotes from Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher!

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 a full-length Escape Room for The Fall of the House of Usher 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, Poe's Death Day on October 7, 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!

How does it work?

In this escape room, students will try to escape out of the haunted house of Usher by solving 5 different skills-based puzzles, discovering a hidden message, and finding clues along the way.

• Plot it Out: In the first task, students must order the plot events of The Fall of the House of Usher on Freytag's Pyramid. Once solved, corresponding letters reveal the first code.
• Figuratively Speaking: In the second task, students must identify 9 types of figurative language within the short story. Highlighted boxes in the correct answers will reveal the code.
• Criss-Cross: In the third task, students must solve a crossword puzzle with questions about literary elements and plot events of the story. Circled boxes on the crossword once unscrambled will reveal the code.
• Vocab Match Up: In the fourth task, students must fill in the blanks with vocabulary words from The Fall of the House of Usher. When matched correctly, shaded boxes will reveal the code.
• Encrypted Message: In the fifth and final task, students must decipher an encrypted message (a quote from The Fall of the House of Usher) using clues they collected during the first four tasks. When the message is written on the scroll and brought to you, they can finally escape the haunted house of Usher.

Product 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 supplementary materials 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

Because this is a skills-based escape room, it is perfect for a review of the story before the test.

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Check out these great products to supplement your study of The Fall of the House of Usher:

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Literature Guide

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Digital Escape Room

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Digital Literature Guide

⭐ The Fall of The House of Usher Anticipation Guide and Lesson Plan

⭐ The Fall of the House of Usher Socratic Seminar

More resources to round out your Edgar Allan Poe unit:

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe PowerPoint

⭐ Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe's Obituary

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Quote Posters

⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle

And because your students will be begging for more escape rooms...

⭐ The Raven ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Tell-Tale Heart ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Black Cat ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Pit & the Pendulum ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Masque of the Red Death ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Cask of Amontillado ESCAPE ROOM

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⭐⭐⭐For the escape room enthusiasts out there, you can now build your own bundle at 20% off the cover price of 3 or more escape rooms! Click the link to check out all of the escape rooms Language Arts Excellence has to offer: Build Your Own Escape Room BUNDLE⭐⭐⭐

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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!

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.

This product features all the materials you need to assign a compare/contrast essay for two classic tales of irony: O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi and Guy de Maupassant's The Necklace.

For this assignment, students will need to think critically and specifically about the similarities and differences between the two famous stories. Two comprehensive literary device charts are 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 differences (like plot structure, values of the characters, and lessons the stories try to teach) between them. These thoughtfully-constructed materials will help students develop exemplary compare/contrast essays that they can be proud of!

Product Includes:

• Complete assignment directions
• 2 Literary device worksheets
• Venn diagram chart
• Essay graphic organizer (Block Method)
• Rubric
• Teacher key for charts

This assignment is perfect during the holiday season or can be used as a part of any short story unit!

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Also, check out these resources to round our your unit on The Gift of the Magi:

⭐ The Gift of the Magi Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan

⭐ The Gift of the Magi ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ The Gift of the Magi Socratic Seminar Materials

More great holiday products by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Christmas ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Christmas Poetry ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ A Christmas Carol ESCAPE ROOM

⭐‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Figurative Language Lesson Plan

⭐ The Little Match Girl Sensory Details Lesson Plan

⭐"Christmas Talk" Lesson Plan

⭐Figurative Language in Christmas Songs Task Cards

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

Hello!

This is a Write The Room Silent Discussion activity that will aide your students in analyzing Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"! It's an alternate way to do a station rotation and will foster a deep- thinking discussion that takes place on chart paper!

To set up, you’ll need to copy the large questions and paste them onto larger poster size paper. (I like to use those giant Post-Its so I can hang them up afterwards!) I have included 8 questions so that you can place one at each table or station. You will also need to project the page of directions onto your Smart Board, or make a copy of them and put them where students can see. My students like to write their comments in colored ink, marker, or colored pencil in order to make it a little more fun.

To begin this discussion, students will first read the question. Then they will scan the answers their classmates have already written, and write an answer that hasn’t already been said. They may put a hashtag comment for fun after their comment. As the activity goes on, they have the option of responding to a comment that a classmate has already made instead. After a set time you deem appropriate for your students has elapsed, direct them to silently move to the next station.