Higher Education Close Reading Worksheets

These student workbooks feature everything you'll need to deliver profoundly engaging lessons on William Shakespeare's Macbeth. With their colorful design and rigorous content, the workbooks are guaranteed to amplify student engagement and ensure that every class session is highly productive. Moreover, every page in these workbooks is fully editable! You'll be able to customize the materials to match the skill levels of your students — year after year. Recover weeks of prep time while amplifying student engagement with these rigorous and colorful literature workbooks!

Best of all, every page of this workbook comes with a detailed answer key! The answer keys are brimming with interpretive insights from Shakespeare scholars who teach at universities like Harvard and Cambridge. You'll have every student reading like a professor!

Here's what you'll find in this editable 100+ page teaching resource:

• Pacing Guide: The pacing guide features brief summaries of every scene in the play. It also provides suggestions about which scenes to assign for homework so that students' nightly workload will be manageable while every class session will be maximally productive. The pacing guide also includes a sample homework posting which teachers can copy and paste into their school's learning management system. (2 pages)

• STUDENT WORKBOOKS on Macbeth: The 50-page workbook features highly engaging worksheets on every scene in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Each worksheet is divided into sections which invite students to engage with the text in a variety of different ways:

• The Passage Analysis section invite students to analyze one or two key passages from each scene.
• The Evidence Hunt challenges students to answer an interpretive question by finding the best textual evidence to support their answer.
• The Comparing Quotations section invites students to make connections between quotations from different scenes in the play.
• The Discussion Question section features three higher-order questions designed to foster lively discussions and interpretive debates among students.
• The Quick Writes challenge students to compose short arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence — leading to keen interpretive insights!

The workbook is guaranteed to foster skills in close reading, thoughtful analysis, and lively discussion. It will have your students feeling genuinely excited to study Shakespeare every day! (50 pages)

• WORKBOOK ANSWER KEY: The 50-page answer key to the workbook provides detailed answers to the passage analysis, evidence hunt, and comparing quotations sections. The answer key is informed by the best books and articles written by leading Shakespeare scholars: Marjorie Garber (Harvard), Stephen Greenblatt (Harvard), Emma Smith (Oxford), Coppélia Kahn (Brown), Catherine Belsey (Cambridge), Susan Snyder (Swarthmore), David Bevington (UChicago), Dympna Callaghan (Syracuse), and many others. (50 pages)

These workbooks and answer keys will come to you in two separate formats: Word Docs *and* PDFs. Because the Word docs are fully editable, you'll be able to customize them to match the skill levels of your students — year after year. If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access PDF versions — which are easy to navigate and quick to print.

Rigorous Resources is your one-stop shop for top-quality resources on William Shakespeare. Wishing you an amazing experience with teaching the "Scottish play." If you have any questions along the way, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I love hearing from fellow teachers who share a passion for great literature! 

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

P.S. Remember to “follow” my store to receive 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

INTRO TO SHAKESPEARE: Biography, Globe Theater, Language, & Meter

This Figurative Language Short Passage BUNDLE includes four passages with 3 close reading and writing worksheets each - for a total of 12 high-quality worksheets! Answer Keys Included!

Figurative Language Short Passage Sets are a no-prep, printable close reading activity that's perfect for middle school and high school. Each passage has between 206-226 words and is filled with between 14-19 examples of figurative language, such as hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and personification. I’ve found that although my students can tell me the definition of these terms, simile is the only one they can truly pick out in a text. As a result, their writing is filled with overused similes that need work! These figurative language passage sets are rigorous, use higher-level words and phrases, and in addition to merely identifying the different types, students will be asked to discuss the impact it has on the reader, as they’re asked to do on standardized testing.

***Check out all my figurative language passage activities here!

Simply print and go! There is truly no preparation needed, which is why this set is perfect to leave for sub plans, bell ringers, homework, test prep, review or assessment!

*As an optional review activity, use my No-prep Four Corners Figurative Language Activity resource for a fun whole-group game, then use this passage set for assessment!

Activity:
Students can complete all three worksheets in each set as part of a packet, but I suggest using one each day. If you teach allusion, alliteration, idiom, or onomatopoeia, you can ask students to include those in Task 2 where they will be asked to continue the passage using a similar writing style. I have left some blanks on the checklist for this very purpose.

Reflection:
The class can review the answers and comments as a whole group when the activity is complete. You’ll be surprised how much better they’ll get at figurative language after being exposed to some high-quality examples!

WHAT'S INCLUDED...

12 Printable Worksheets

Each set includes...

► Task 1: Read and Highlight a Figurative Language Passage

► Task 2: Write a Similar Figurative Language Passage Using a Checklist

► Task 3: Figurative Language Analysis Graphic Organizer

⭐️ LOOKING FOR RELATABLE READING ACTIVITIES FOR TEENS?

Check out the Pop Culture ACTIVITY BUNDLE - your solution to no-stress lesson planning and easy print and go sub plans.

INCLUDES THESE HIGH-INTEREST TOPICS FOR TEENS...

⭐️ Crocs

⭐️ Netflix

⭐️ Takis

⭐️ Fortnite

⭐️ MrBeast

⭐️ Air Jordans

⭐️ TikTok

⭐️ OpenAI

6-Page Article & Activity Sets - Includes 8 Sets!

Each set includes...

► 1-page pop culture article

► Reading Comprehension - 7 multiple choice questions

► Critical Thinking - 5 short answer questions

► Crossword Puzzle

► Design Page

► Impossible MAZE

This Pop Culture Bundle for Middle School will make your students WANT to work and stay on task as they read about high-interest trending topics among teens. Also available for High School and Upper Elementary School.

Have a question?

Please check out the Q&A section or message me and I'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Don't forget to leave me feedback! I love to hear what my buyers say, how the product worked for them, and any feedback I can use to improve my product! (It also earns you points towards future TeachShare Purchases)

**For personal and single classroom use only. If using with multiple classrooms, please purchase additional licenses at the discounted rate.**

★I would love to have you as my newest follower!★ Click here to follow.

This 170-page EDITABLE curriculum has everything you'll need for profoundly stimulating lessons on Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye! Invite your class to engage in student-driven discussions without compromising on intellectual rigor. The pre-reading handouts, discussion questions, daily quizzes, 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 nightly homework by beginning every class with a quick vocabulary and reading quiz. Facilitate dynamic discussions that motivate students to become attached to the thrill generating shared knowledge. Challenge students to explicate textual details using a wide range of interpretive lenses: historicist, psychoanalytic, feminist, etc. Inspire students to arrive at a whole new depth of insight!

Here are some highlights from the 170-page editable curriculum:

• Discussion Question Handouts (x9): Thirty-five pages of higher-order questions guaranteed to inspire profoundly thoughtful class discussions! This unit features double-sided handouts with 8-10 questions for each of the novel's 9 sections. The discussion questions are the beating heart of these lesson plans. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence — leading to keen interpretive insights! Guaranteed to foster deep thinking and dynamic discussions! (35 pages)

• Discussion Question Answer Keys (x9): The answer keys are informed by scholarly articles and books written by professors who specialize in African-American literature and the novels of Toni Morrison: Alice Walker, Susan Willis, Michael Awkward, Madhu Dubey, and others. Every answer is grounded in concrete textual evidence that gets submitted to careful analysis. While every section in this unit comes with an answer key, the keys for the discussion questions are distinguished by an extremely high level of detail. (35 pages)

• Vocabulary Lists: Lists of 12 vocabulary words for every reading assignment, complete with definitions and sample sentences with the words as used in The Bluest Eye. A total of over 100 words. (9 pages)

• Vocabulary & Reading Quizzes: Daily quizzes with 10 questions on the nightly reading homework plus another 8 questions on the vocabulary words. If you choose not to have your students study vocabulary, you can still use the portion of the quiz devoted to reading comprehension. Grading these quizzes is simple and quick. They’re an easy way to log 12 grades into your gradebook. Answer keys included. (36 pages)

• Literary Devices Quiz: This quiz challenges students to identify the literary devices used in fifteen quotations from The Bluest Eye. The literary devices include metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism, foreshadowing, allusion, onomatopoeia, and more. This bundle also features a glossary with definitions of the literary devices as well as examples of how each device is used in Morrison's novel — so you can review the devices with students before they tackle the worksheet. The worksheet can be used either as a quiz or as a fun refresher. Answer key included. (3 pages)

• Quotation Race: Students work in pairs to identify the speakers of 30 key quotations from The Bluest Eye. Introduce this fun activity when you need to mix things up, or to refresh students' memories in preparation for the AP exam. Answer key included. (4 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Toni Morrison's wonderfully complex novel. Let students choose from one of four thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop a similar topic of their own. Rubric included. (4 pages)

• Poetry Pairing: Deepen your engagement with the themes in The Bluest Eye by reading and discussing several poems that touch upon similar themes. Included are a cluster of complex poems by African-American poets Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks. Discussion questions and answer keys are included. (30 pages)

This entire 170-page 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 the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access the entire unit as a PDF — which is easy to navigate and quick to print!

If you have any questions while teaching The Bluest Eye, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I love hearing from teachers who share a passion for great literature. Wishing you an amazing experience with Morrison's powerful novel!

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!

Rigorous Resources is your one-stop shop for resources on American literature. Every unit was created by a Ph.D. in English with a research specialization in American literature. Feel free to check out these complete 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 F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

Complete Unit on Nella Larsen's Passing

Complete Unit on Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

Complete Unit on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun

Complete Unit on Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese

Say goodbye to last-minute lesson planning stress with No Prep Sub Plans Bundle. Packed with engaging activities and ready-to-use lesson plans, this all-in-one bundle is meticulously designed to ease the burden of substitute teacher planning while keeping students engaged and motivated. You get 4 days of lessons that include both reading and writing. The Behavior Reward Tickets ensure a seamless teaching experience for substitute teachers.

How to use the Reward Tickets:

Don't have the time or patience to put together a sub binder? Don't worry! When I have to step out, all I leave on my desk is any work for my students and place this Sub Note sheet on top....it's everything my sub needs to see on one easy note sheet. Fun, tear-off reward tickets that students can redeem for a small prize when the teacher returns will have students fighting to behave in order to earn one of the five coveted tickets! This will be a game-changer in your classroom!

WHAT'S INCLUDED...

12 Printable Worksheets

Each set includes...

► Task 1: Read and Highlight a Figurative Language Passage

► Task 2: Write a Similar Figurative Language Passage Using a Checklist

► Task 3: Figurative Language Analysis Graphic Organizer

► Answer Keys

The Four Figurative Language Short Passage sets have 3 close reading and writing worksheets each - for a total of 12 high-quality worksheets! *Answer Keys Included! Figurative Language Short Passage Sets are a no-prep, printable close reading activity that's perfect for middle school and high school. Each passage has between 206-226 words and is filled with between 14-19 examples of figurative language, such as hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and personification. I’ve found that although my students can tell me the definition of these terms, simile is the only one they can truly pick out in a text. As a result, their writing is filled with overused similes that need work! These figurative language passage sets are rigorous, use higher-level words and phrases, and in addition to merely identifying the different types, students will be asked to discuss the impact it has on the reader, as they’re asked to do on standardized testing.

• Sub Note Sheet with tear-off reward tickets for good behavior!

***CHECK OUT THE PREVIEWS FOR MORE DETAILS!***

Simply print and go! There is truly no preparation needed, which is why this set is perfect to leave for sub plans, bell ringers, homework, test prep, review or assessment!

*As an optional review activity, use my No-prep Four Corners Figurative Language Activity resource for a fun whole-group review game, then simply leave these sub plans whenever you are going to be out!

Activity:
Students can complete all three worksheets in each set as part of a sub packet, but if you don't see them for a full block then assign only one page each day you're out (you'll get even more bang for your buck!) If you teach allusion, alliteration, idiom, or onomatopoeia, you can ask students to include those in Task 2 where they will be asked to continue the passage using a similar writing style. I have left some blanks on the checklist for this very purpose.

⭐️ LOOKING FOR RELATABLE READING ACTIVITIES FOR TEENS?

Check out the Pop Culture ACTIVITY BUNDLE - your solution to no-stress lesson planning and easy print and go sub plans.

INCLUDES THESE HIGH-INTEREST TOPICS FOR TEENS...

⭐️ Crocs

⭐️ Netflix

⭐️ Takis

⭐️ Fortnite

⭐️ MrBeast

⭐️ Air Jordans

⭐️ TikTok

⭐️ OpenAI

6-Page Article & Activity Sets - Includes 8 Sets!

Each set includes...

► 1-page pop culture article

► Reading Comprehension - 7 multiple choice questions

► Critical Thinking - 5 short answer questions

► Crossword Puzzle

► Design Page

► Impossible MAZE

This Pop Culture Bundle for Middle School will make your students WANT to work and stay on task as they read about high-interest trending topics among teens. Also available for High School and Upper Elementary School.

Have a question?

Please check out the Q&A section or message me and I'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Don't forget to leave me feedback! I love to hear what my buyers say, how the product worked for them, and any feedback I can use to improve my product! (It also earns you points towards future TeachShare Purchases)

**For personal and single classroom use only. If using with multiple classrooms, please purchase additional licenses at the discounted rate.**

★I would love to have you as my newest follower!★ Click here to follow.