Homeschool Literature Assessment

This 60-page EDITABLE unit has everything you'll need for profoundly stimulating lessons on Octavia Butler's Kindred!! Invite your class to engage in student-driven discussions without compromising on intellectual rigor. The daily quizzes, discussion prompts, and writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and unlock profound interpretive insights!

Hold your students accountable for completing the nightly homework by beginning every class with a quick vocabulary and reading quiz. Challenge students to explicate textual details using a wide range of interpretive lenses: formalist, historicist, feminist, psychoanalytic, etc. Facilitate dynamic discussions that inspire students to arrive at a whole new depth of insight!!

Everything you’ll need to teach the novel is included in this bundle:

• Unit & Pacing Guide: Suggestions for how to pace the reading homework and organize the classwork for Octavia Butler's Kindred. (2 pages)

• Author Introduction: A brief summary of the life of Octavia Butler and the research that she conducted before writing Kindred. (1 page)

• Discussion Questions: Sixteen pages of higher-order discussion questions guaranteed to inspire profoundly thoughtful class discussions! This unit features double-sided handouts with 8-10 questions for each of the novel's 8 sections. The discussion questions are the beating heart of this curriculum. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments that require the support of carefully selected textual evidence — leading to keen interpretive insights! Guaranteed to build skills in close reading and critical reasoning! (16 pages)

• Quick Writes: A "quick write" can be used at any time in a class to get students to pause and reflect on the text in writing. Introduce a quick write before you begin a discussion to allow your more reticent students to collect their thoughts. Or roll one out toward the end of a discussion to let students capture and refine their best ideas. (8 pages)

• Vocabulary Lists: Lists of 10-12 vocabulary words to accompany every nightly reading assignment. Every vocabulary word comes with a definition and a sample sentence with the word as used in Kindred. A total of over 100 words. (8 pages)

• Vocabulary & Reading Quizzes: Build students’ vocabularies while holding them accountable for the nightly reading homework. Each quiz contains 7 questions on vocabulary words plus another 3 questions on reading comprehension. Grading these quizzes is simple and quick. They’re an easy way to log up to 8 grades in your gradebook. Answer key provided. (16 pages)

• Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Butler’s wonderfully complex novel. Let students choose amongst 5 profoundly thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop an original topic of their own. (2 pages)

• Poetry Pairings: Seven thematically relevant poems by two exceptionally talented black women poets, Lucille Clifton and Natasha Trethewey. (7 pages)

This unit is filled with dozens of visual images that shed light on important scenes from Octavia Butler's novel: documentary photographs of antebellum plantations, excerpts from Butler's handwritten drafts and journals, paintings of biblical figures referenced in the novel, etc. But what really distinguishes this curriculum is how the discussion starters and writing prompts deepen students' thinking and help them arrive at profound interpretive insights!

This resource packet 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 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 PDFs, which are easy to navigate and quick to print!

Because I believe that teachers should be able to see what they'd be getting before they purchase, the preview for this resource provides direct access to dozens of actual pages from the unit. Click on the green “preview” button to see exactly what you’ll get....

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

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. 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 Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

Complete Unit on Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese

This PREDESIGNED bundle of EDITABLE POWERPOINT BOOK REPORT TEMPLATES includes BEAUTIFUL presentations for fiction, nonfiction, biography, and historical fiction. Teachers can adapt the templates to their needs and the needs of their students.

The slideshow is perfect to support Special Education students, ESL students, struggling students, or guide the entire class! These POWERPOINT templates have been designed to assist students in creating a well-organized book project. The report outline is scaffolded to support the student with slide titles, subtitles, questions and prompts to ensure students include all critical information.

The digital slides are logically organized and allow for adding text, photos or drawing . Slides can be deleted and others added where needed. The end product may be used as a Reading assessment.

Help your students return to school next year with confidence in their Reading Presentations. Pre-designed, editable slides provide the structure and organization needed to create a successful book report. This Digital POWERPOINT bundle will allow all students to complete their Book Project and present an end product they are proud no matter what genre.

This bundle includes lessons for all stories in the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh. The stories are not included in this resource. Lessons are focused on the following stories:

- How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium by Matt De La Peña

- The Difficult Path by Grace Lin

- Sol Painting, Inc. by Meg Medina

- Secret Samantha by Tim Federle

- The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn by Kelly J. Baptist

- Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains by Tim Tingle

- Main Street by Jacqueline Woodson

- Flying Lessons by Soman Chainani

- Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents by Kwame Alexander

- Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push by Walter Dean Myers

Each lesson includes WORKSHEETS and a PRESENTATION. Worksheets come in color and b/w. Presentations include answer keys.

Each lesson contains:

- Pre-reading journal prompt

- Story vocabulary (except Main Street)

- Tiered reading questions

- Questions focused on one particular ELA standard

- Answer keys

BONUS ESSAY WRITING PROMPTS ARE INCLUDED!

If you teach 90 minute block classes, you would likely get through one lesson per day. If you teach 50 minute classes like I do, each lesson could take two days. This bundle could last from 2 weeks to 4 weeks depending on your schedule.

This is a bundle of my top-selling literature packet and quizzes for the novel, Monster, by Walter Dean Myers. The comprehensive literature guide was created to correspond with the three quizzes to form a cohesive unit for your study of this great novel!

Product Includes:

Literature Guide: This 35-page product features a complete literature guide for use while reading the novel.. Monster is such a fun book to teach students about the American justice system while bringing up many moral issues and thoughtful points for discussion. This packet provides an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for Monster and encourages students to play along with the jury as they read. I am confident that it will increase your students' understanding of this spectacular novel dramatically.

This student packet includes:

• Student cover page
• Thoughtful anticipation guide
• 30 "Legal Lingo" vocabulary terms
• 70 Comprehension questions
• 4 Pages of juror's notes
• Full answer key

Quizzes: This product features 3 comprehensive quizzes for the novel.

Quizzes cover:

• Character Identifications (matching)
• Comprehension Questions (multiple choice)
• Vocabulary (fill-in-the-blank)

Full answer keys are also included.

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Though it is recommended to purchase materials together, you can also purchase them separately:

Monster Literature Guide & Monster Quizzes for Entire Novel

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

⭐ Monster (Myers) Activity BUNDLE

⭐ Monster (Myers) Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan

⭐ Monster (Myers) Socratic Seminar Lesson & Materials

⭐ Monster (Myers) vs. Murder on a Sunday Morning Compare Contrast Project

⭐ Monster (Myers) ESCAPE ROOM

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Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

A novel study unit covering The House Without a Christmas Tree By Gail Rock.

Included in Unit:

Novel Study Materials:

· Suggested Lesson Plans

· Daily Discussion Questions (with answers)

· Goals and Instruction Pages for Parent/Teacher

· Setting Worksheet

· Character Worksheet

· Conflict Worksheet

· Theme Worksheet

· Plot

· 3 Quizzes (Used weekly)- With Answer Key

· 2 Final Unit Test Options (Multiple choice or short answer)-With Answer Key

Vocabulary Materials:

· Goals and Teacher Instructions

· 3 Sets of Vocabulary Words

· Master definitions

· Student Dictionary

· 3 Crosswords

· 1 Vocabulary in Context Worksheet

· All Vocabulary Word Search

· Final Vocabulary Test

· Answer Keys

Recalling a Christmas Memory Project

Students will be able to use brain mapping worksheets to recall and answer the questions who, what, when, where, and why in reference to a Christmas memory. The project is a four-paragraph writing project.

Materials Included:

· Goals and Teacher Instructions

· Student Introduction Page

· Student Planning Page

· Grading Rubric

· Optional Writing Page

Christmas Tree Lot Project

Students will be asked to make a tree lot according to the student instruction page. Students will use special skills along with area and perimeter skills. A minor research component is included to research the types of trees to sell on their Christmas Tree Lot.

Materials Included:

· Goals and Teacher Instructions

· Student Introduction Page

· Student Planning Page

· Grading Rubric

· Optional Writing Page

· Christmas Tree Research Page

· Legends Page

· Elements and Pieces page

· 11x14 grid page

This 180-page EDITABLE unit has everything you'll need to deliver profoundly engaging lessons on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The colorful workbooks will enable you to capture and hold the attention of modern-day students. The higher-order questions will help you pivot from reading comprehension to interpretive analysis and critical thinking. Deliver top-quality lessons while inspiring students to fall in love with Shakespeare's Hamlet!!

Every page in this teacher-friendly unit is fully editable! So you'll be able to customize the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! The unit also includes an answer key filled with insights from Shakespeare scholars at universities like Harvard and Cambridge. Your students will be reading like a professor!

Here's what you'll find in this editable 180-page complete unit:

• Introduction to Shakespeare's World: The 30-page introduction includes five handouts covering topics like Shakespeare's biography, the language of Renaissance England, the construction of the Globe Theater, how to recognize iambic pentameter, and more. Every handout is followed by a comprehension check, practice exercise, or quiz. You could spend up to a week with the introductory handouts — or skip them altogether. Answer keys included. (30 pages)

• STUDENT WORKBOOKS on Hamlet: The 50-page workbook features rigorous & highly engaging worksheets on every scene in Hamlet. 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 worksheets are guaranteed to foster skills in close reading, thoughtful analysis, and lively discussion. They will have your students feeling genuinely excited to study Shakespeare every day! (50 pages)

• Workbook ANSWER KEYS: 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: Stephen Greenblatt (Harvard), Marjorie Garber (Harvard), Philip Fisher (Harvard), Coppélia Kahn (Brown), Dympna Callaghan (Syracuse), A. C. Bradley (Oxford), Frank Kermode (Cambridge), Michael Neill (Auckland), and many others. (50 pages)

• Figurative Language Quiz: The quiz challenges students to identify 8 types of figurative language — metaphor, simile, metonymy, paradox, oxymoron, personification, apostrophe, and hyperbole — used across 25 quotations from Hamlet. Also included is a glossary with definitions of the types of figurative language as well as examples of how they're used in the early scenes of Shakespeare's play — so you can begin reviewing the types of figurative language with students before they tackle the quiz. Answer key included. (5 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Let students choose from one of 5 thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop a topic of their own. Writing schedule, outline template, and rubric included. (8 pages)

• Pacing Guide: The pacing guide provides suggestions about which scenes to assign for homework to make sure the nightly workload is manageable while each class session is maximally productive. (2 pages)

This unit is hot off the presses! It was created in 2024 and is informed by the most recent academic scholarship on Hamlet. While the colorful worksheets will make it highly engaging for all students, the unit was also designed to have more than enough rigor for Honors, IB, and AP Literature courses. What a great time to revitalize your approach to this complex play!

The entire 180-page unit will come to you in two separate formats: Microsoft Word *and* PDF. Because the Word docs are fully editable, you'll be able to customize them to 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 in PDF format — which is easy to navigate and quick to print.

Rigorous Resources is your one-stop shop for top-quality units on canonical literary texts by diverse authors. Inspire students to arrive at a whole new depth of insight while falling in love with Shakespeare!

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 SUMMER READING bundle of POWERPOINT BOOK REPORT TEMPLATES includes editable presentations for fiction, nonfiction, biography, and historical fiction. Teachers can adapt the templates to their needs and the needs of their students.

The slideshow is perfect to support Special Education students, ESL students, struggling students, or guide the entire class! These POWERPOINT templates have been designed to assist students in creating a well-organized book project. The report outline is scaffolded to support the student with slide titles, subtitles, questions and prompts to ensure students include all critical information.

The digital slides are logically organized and allow for adding text, photos or drawing . Slides can be deleted and others added where needed. The end product may be used as a Reading assessment.

Help your students return to school next year with confidence in their Summer Reading Presentations. Pre-designed, editable slides provide the structure and organization needed to create a successful book report. This Digital POWERPOINT bundle will allow all students to complete their Book Project and present an end product they are proud no matter what genre.

This 90-page EDITABLE unit has everything you'll need for profoundly stimulating lessons on Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass! Invite your class to engage in student-driven discussions without compromising on intellectual rigor. The daily quizzes, discussion questions, exercises on literary devices, and writing assignment will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and unlock profound interpretive insights!

Hold your students accountable for completing the nightly homework by beginning every class with a quick vocabulary and reading quiz. Challenge students to explicate textual details using a wide range of interpretive lenses: formalist, historicist, feminist, psychoanalytic, etc. Facilitate dynamic discussions that inspire students to arrive at a whole new depth of insight!!

Everything you’ll need to teach Douglass's memoir is included in this 90-page bundle:

• Unit & Pacing Guide: Suggestions for how to pace the reading homework and organize the classwork for Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. (2 pages)

• Discussion Questions: Fifteen pages of higher-order discussion questions guaranteed to inspire profoundly thoughtful class discussions! This unit features double-sided handouts with 8-10 discussion questions for each section of Douglass's Narrative! The discussion questions are the beating heart of this curriculum. Every question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to think critically about their significance. 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! (15 pages)

• Discussion Questions ANSWER KEYS: The answer keys to the discussion questions are informed by cutting-edge scholarship by professors who specialize in African-American literature and especially Frederick Douglass: Henry Louis Gates, Saidiya Hartman, Fred Moten, David Blight, etc. Of course, there is rarely a single "correct" answer for any question; rather, the discussions questions are made up of higher-order questions designed to foster lively exchanges and interpretive debates among students. They challenge students to build interpretive arguments supported by carefully selected textual evidence. (35 pages)

• Vocabulary Lists: Lists of 10-12 vocabulary words for every section of the book, complete with definitions and sample sentences with each word as used in Douglass's Narrative. A total of over 60 SAT-worthy words. (5 pages)

• Vocabulary & Reading Quizzes: Build students’ vocabularies while holding them accountable for the nightly reading homework. Each quiz contains 7 questions on vocabulary words plus another 3 questions on reading comprehension. Grading these quizzes is simple and quick. They’re an easy way to log an additional 5 grades into your gradebook. Answer key included. (10 pages)

• Literary Devices Quiz: This quiz challenges students to identify the literary devices used in thirty quotations from Douglass's memoir_._ The literary devices include metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, apostrophe, allusion, 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 Douglass's memoir — so you can review the devices with students before they tackle the quiz. The quiz can be used either for assessment or as a fun refresher. Answer key included. (5 pages)

• Academic Scholarship: Excerpts from scholarly articles and monographs focused on specific scenes from Douglass's memoir. (1 page)

• Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on Douglass's powerful memoir. Let students choose amongst 5 thought-provoking sample topics — or invite them to develop an original topic of their own. Writing schedule included. Rubric included. (5 pages)

• Poetry Pairing: Seven thematically relevant poems by three twentieth-century African-American poets: Robert Hayden, Lucille Clifton, and Natasha Trethewey. (9 pages)

This unit is filled with dozens of visual images that shed light on important scenes from Douglass's memoir: illustrations from early editions of Douglass's memoir, documentary photographs of antebellum plantations, lyrics from the slave song that motivated Douglass to liberate himself, the masthead of Douglass's abolitionist newspaper, etc. But what really distinguishes this curriculum is how the discussion starters and writing prompts deepen students' thinking and help them arrive at profound interpretive insights!

This resource packet will come to you in two separate formats: Word docs *and* PDFs. Because the Word docs are editable, you'll be able to customize them 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 use the PDF version — which is easy to navigate and quick to print!

Finally, I believe that teachers should be able to see what they'll be getting before they purchase. So the preview for this resource provides direct access to dozens of actual pages from the unit. Click on the green “preview” button to see exactly what you’ll get...

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

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 designed by a Ph.D. 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 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 Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye

Complete Unit on Octavia Butler's Kindred

Complete Unit on Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese

UPDATED FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR: Finally, a poetry unit designed for high-school English that teenagers genuinely love!! Your students' skills in close reading and literary analysis of poems will skyrocket....

The 3-week unit features 60+ canonical poems written by a diverse spectrum of English-speaking poets. The poems and accompanying lesson plans are organized into 12 thematic packets which can be used in sequence over two weeks. That's over 200 pages worth of editable poetry resources!

This unit promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The discussion questions, quick writes, literary device quizzes, and analytical writing assignments will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!!

Here are some highlights from this editable 200-page curriculum:

• Homework Packets with Poems (5-6 Poems per Packet): The 12 homework packets contain a total of 71 poems by a diverse range of award-winning poets such as William Shakespeare, John Keats, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Robert Hayden, Theodore Roethke, Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, Mary Oliver, Gary Soto, Li-Young Lee, Ada Limón, Elizabeth Acevedo, and others. The poems are collected into ten reading packets that focus on prominent literary devices and themes: 1) poems using sensory imagery, 2) poems using figurative language, 3) love poems, 4) poems on ethical dilemmas, 5) poems on complex parent-child dynamics, and 6) poems on cultural identity. Because teenagers have a lot to say about these themes, the poems will set the stage for your class to have fascinating and profoundly productive discussions!! (75 pages)

• Literary Devices Glossary: A glossary with definitions and examples of the various types of figurative language, imagery, stanzas, and syntactic devices. Many teachers already have a glossary of literary devices, but I'm providing this in case you need one. (2 pages)

• Literary Devices Quizzes: A total of ten quizzes, each with 10 questions about a wide range of literary devices: metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, etc. Open each class with a quiz to assess whether your students can accurately identify the literary devices used in the poems from the homework packets. Answer keys included. (24 pages).

• Discussion Questions: This bundle features a list of discussion questions for the first poem in each of the homework packets. The discussion questions will ensure that every class discussion starts on a productive foot. Every discussion question is grounded in concrete textual details and challenges students to arrive at lucid interpretive insights! The questions lend themselves to a range of different pedagogical uses: 1) to focus students’ thinking prior to beginning a discussion, 2) to prompt in-class writing, 3) to assign written reflections for homework, etc. Guaranteed to elicit student engagement and foster deep thinking! Answer keys included. (60 pages)

• Quick Writes: The quick writes give students an opportunity to capture and refine the best ideas generated in the discussion. Quick writes can also help reticent students to gather their thoughts so they'll feel ready and eager to contribute. (24 pages)

• Analytical Writing Assignment: Challenge students to take their interpretations one step further by writing an analytical paper on a poem of their choice. The assignment sheet contains detailed instructions for how to generate a formalist analysis of a poem (analyzing how the poem's formal features contribute to its meaning). This kind of formalist analysis is exactly what students are asked to generate on the AP Literature exam! Sample paper included. (15 pages)

This entire resource packet 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 the materials to suit the skill levels of your students — year after year! If you don't have Microsoft Word, you'll still be able to access all of the materials as PDF documents — which are easy to navigate and quick to print!

My store is called “Rigorous Resources” because all of the resources contain rigorous content that will motivate students to engage in thought-provoking and productive discussions. Thank you for choosing Rigorous Resources.

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

Should you prefer to purchase the poetry units individually, here are links to the five poetry units:

Poetry Unit #1: Sensory Imagery in Poetry

Poetry Unit #2: Figurative Language in Poetry

Poetry Unit #3: Love Poems

Poetry Unit #4: Poems on Ethical Dilemmas

Poetry Unit #5: Poems on Family Relationships

Poetry Unit #6: Poems on Cultural Identity

Store: https://www.TeachShare.com/Store/Rigorous-Resources