Back to School Short Stories Reading Comprehension Checks Passages and Questions
By EduEnrich
Engage Your Students with Fun & Effective Reading Comprehension Passages!✨
✨Welcome back to school! Elevate your reading lessons with our specially designed Short Reading Passages for Grades 1-2, perfect for building strong foundational skills in young learners.
⭐Essential Reading Tools for Classroom Success
⭐Comprehensive Reading Resources for a Successful School Year
♥This resource includes:
♥♥♥ TERMS OF USE ♥♥♥
EduEnrich products are intended for personal use only. They cannot be used in any other products, given away as freebies, or distributed in any format. If you wish to share this product with other teachers, please purchase additional licenses.
✨You might also like:
"Can" Modal Verb Flash cards | Printable Grammar Activities For Back To School
Color by Math Operation | Seek and Find Math Worksheets Back To School
Back To School No Prep Coloring Tracing Learning Letters & Numbers Activities
Back To School Weekly Mental Health Tracker For Teachers | Check-In Planner
Back To School No Prep Feeling and Emotions Activities | Mood Match Color Learn
Back To School Under The Sea Coloring Book | Sea Animals Crafts Coloring Pages
Back To School Mental Health Word Search Puzzle | Self Love Positive Words
Back To School Tessellation Geometric Coloring Pages | Teachers and High School
Back To School Directed Drawing Calendar 2025 Editable Printable and Digital
✨Follow us for more stunning, vibrant and showy resources, bundles and new other products:
FOLLOW US
✨You can check our global store to see all of our stunning products:
OUR STORE
Grey Matter from Night Shift Stephen King Speed Dating Discussion + 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 "Grey Matter" 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!
The Gift of the Magi & The Necklace Compare Contrast Essay
By Language Arts Excellence
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:
This assignment is perfect during the holiday season or can be used as a part of any short story unit!
___________________________________________________________________
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
___________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
The Man Who Loved Flowers by Stephen King Socratic Seminar: 2 booklets + rubric!
By The Red-Haired Reader
Are you looking for a fun, interactive, student-led activity/ assessment for the end of Stephen King's "The Man Who Loved Flowers" from Night Shift?
This resource contains two different packets of Socratic Seminar packets- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains three different discussion questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with three additional questions they will ask if there’s time in their seminar. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite seminar. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase meaningful comments their partner makes. The file also contains a rubric for you to use while your students are discussing!
When you print out the file, you’ll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. Remove the rubric and print one out for each of your students. Copy the rest of the pages, cut them in half, and staple them. Each student will receive one half-sheet booklet; packet A or packet B.
Give your students adequate time to plan for their Seminar! I usually give them a full class period (40 minutes for me), but you could have them do it for homework, or over the course of a few days. The day of the Seminar, you’ll assign partners with opposite packets. Let A discuss for as long as they need (usually 25 to 30-ish minutes for me!), then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss afterwards.
My students LOVE Socratic Seminars! I have found the fishbowl discussion format works much better when you give each group three different questions so you don’t hear the same discussion two times, which is how this product is set up. I have used Socratic Seminars in small literature circle groups, as well as with the whole class at once. Please ask if you have questions!
The Boogeyman by Stephen King Set of 2 Socratic Seminar booklets + rubric!
By The Red-Haired Reader
Are you looking for a fun, interactive, student-led activity/ assessment for the end of Stephen King's horror-filled, suspenseful short story "The Boogeyman" from Night Shift?
This resource contains two different packets of Socratic Seminar packets- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains three different discussion questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with three additional questions they will ask if there’s time in their seminar. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite seminar. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase meaningful comments their partner makes. The file also contains a rubric for you to use while your students are discussing!
When you print out the file, you’ll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. Remove the rubric and print one out for each of your students. Copy the rest of the pages, cut them in half, and staple them. Each student will receive one half-sheet booklet; packet A or packet B.
Give your students adequate time to plan for their Seminar! I usually give them a full class period (40 minutes for me), but you could have them do it for homework, or over the course of a few days. The day of the Seminar, you’ll assign partners with opposite packets. Let A discuss for as long as they need (usually 25 to 30-ish minutes for me!), then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss afterwards.
My students LOVE Socratic Seminars! I have found the fishbowl discussion format works much better when you give each group three different questions so you don’t hear the same discussion two times, which is how this product is set up. I have used Socratic Seminars in small literature circle groups, as well as with the whole class at once. Please ask if you have questions!
The Most Dangerous Game Socratic Seminar
By Language Arts Excellence
Socratic Seminar Materials for Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game
A Socratic Seminar (or a "Fish Bowl" Conversation as I like to call it 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 required to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, all 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 Editable Discussion Questions for each “Fishbowl” conversation
• “Fishbowl” Preparation Sheet
• Conversation Builder Prompts
• Observation Sheet
• Rubric
___________________________________________________________________
Also, check out these great resources to supplement your unit on The Most Dangerous Game by Language Arts Excellence:
⭐ The Most Dangerous Game Escape Room
⭐ The Most Dangerous Game Reader's Theater Script
___________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
The Tell-Tale Heart Socratic Seminar
By Language Arts Excellence
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
___________________________________________________________________________
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
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
The Lottery Socratic Seminar (Shirley Jackson)
By Language Arts Excellence
Socratic Seminar Materials for Shirley Jackson's The Lottery
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 Lottery by Shirley Jackson... 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
___________________________________________________________________
Also, check out these great resources to complement your unit on The Lottery by Language Arts Excellence:
⭐ Introduction to Dystopia Powerpoint Presentation
⭐ The Lottery Literature Guide
⭐ The Lottery ESCAPE ROOM
⭐ The Lottery "Tossing Lines" Pre-Reading Activity
⭐ The Lottery Social Media Activities
⭐ Escape from Dystopia ESCAPE ROOM
___________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
The Black Cat Socratic Seminar
By Language Arts Excellence
Socratic Seminar Materials for Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat
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 Black Cat 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
___________________________________________________________________________
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
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
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!
________________________________________________________________________
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
________________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
The Landlady by Roald Dahl Socratic Seminar: 2 packets plus rubric
By The Red-Haired Reader
Please check out my video preview for my line of Socratic Seminars!
This file contains 2 different packets of Socratic Circle questions- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains 3 different questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with 3 additional questions they will ask if there's time in their circle. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite circle. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase a meaningful comment their partner made. Lastly, the file contains the socratic circle rubric.
When you print out the file, you'll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. You'll need to cut each packet page in half after you print them out, as each booklet you give to the students is only half a page. They are labeled A and B. Give half your class A, half B, and allow them to plan! The day of the circle, you'll let A discuss for maybe 20-30 minutes, then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss.
My students really enjoy Socratic Seminars! I have found it works better when you give each group three different questions, so you don't see the same discussion 2 times, which is how this packet is set up. I used the Socratic Circle as their "final test grade" for the short story. The students need to have finished the story to answer the questions included in the packet. Please email me if you have questions about this product! Thank you! sarajoy916@gmail.com
Interested in a fun, active, quote- sorting foreshadowing activity? Check out my store's #1 BEST-SELLING product!
Foreshadowing in "The Landlady"
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!
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!
________________________________________________________________________
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
________________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Socratic Seminar 2 packets plus rubric
By The Red-Haired Reader
Are you looking for an interactive, student-led activity/ assessment for the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "The Birthmark"?
This file contains two different packets of Socratic Seminar packets- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains three different discussion questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with three additional questions they will ask if there’s time in their seminar. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite circle. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase meaningful comments their partner makes. The file also contains a rubric for you to use while your students are discussing!
When you print out the file, you’ll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. Remove the rubric and print one out for each of your students. Copy the rest of the pages, cut them in half, and staple them. Each student will receive one half-sheet booklet; packet A or packet B.
Give your students adequate time to plan for their Seminar! I usually give them a full class period (40 minutes for me), but you could have them do it for homework, or over the course of a few days. The day of the Seminar, you’ll assign partners with opposite packets. Let A discuss for as long as they need (usually 30-ish minutes for me!), then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss afterwards.
My students LOVE Socratic Seminars! I have found the fishbowl discussion format works much better when you give each group three different questions so you don’t hear the same discussion two times, which is how this product is set up. I have used Socratic Seminars in small literature circle groups, as well as with the whole class at once. Please ask if you have questions!
---------------------------------
Are you looking for an activity that will help your students review and analyze "The Birthmark" before completing their Socratic Circle? Check out my Question Trail for Literary Analysis!
The Birthmark Question Trail
-------------------------------
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!
Question Trail: The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Google Slides and Form!
By The Red-Haired Reader
This is a partner or small group activity that will have students answering 15 questions related to many different literary devices in the short story "The Birthmark". The questions are on a Google Slideshow and the answer sheet is a Google Form, so you can post the whole digital activity to Google Classroom! Perfect for virtual, distance, hybrid, or in- person instruction!
The product contains 15 multiple questions that have at least 4 answer choices. Each answer will direct students to the next question they should answer. The correct answers will lead the students to each of the 15 questions exactly once. Only by getting the correct answers will students be able to complete the circle trail successfully!
The questions address literary devices such as author's word choice, figurative language, irony, foreshadowing, and characterization.
If you'd prefer this Question Trail as an activity that you can use for 100% in-person instruction that will get your students up and moving around the classroom, please check out the exact same product as a PDF that you will print and hang around your room. Birthmark Question Trail for In-Person Instruction
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!
Quitters Inc. Socratic Seminar set of 2 discussion booklets + rubric!
By The Red-Haired Reader
Are you looking for a fun, interactive, student-led activity/ assessment for the end of Stephen King's "Quitters, Inc." from Night Shift?
This resource contains two different packets of Socratic Seminar packets- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains three different discussion questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with three additional questions they will ask if there’s time in their seminar. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite seminar. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase meaningful comments their partner makes. The file also contains a rubric for you to use while your students are discussing!
When you print out the file, you’ll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. Remove the rubric and print one out for each of your students. Copy the rest of the pages, cut them in half, and staple them. Each student will receive one half-sheet booklet; packet A or packet B.
Give your students adequate time to plan for their Seminar! I usually give them a full class period (40 minutes for me), but you could have them do it for homework, or over the course of a few days. The day of the Seminar, you’ll assign partners with opposite packets. Let A discuss for as long as they need (usually 25 to 30-ish minutes for me!), then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss afterwards.
My students LOVE Socratic Seminars! I have found the fishbowl discussion format works much better when you give each group three different questions so you don’t hear the same discussion two times, which is how this product is set up. I have used Socratic Seminars in small literature circle groups, as well as with the whole class at once. Please ask if you have questions!
Popsy by Stephen King Socratic Seminar: 2 packets + rubric!
By The Red-Haired Reader
Are you looking for a fun, interactive, student-led activity/ assessment for the end of Stephen King's horror-filled, suspenseful short story "Popsy" from Nightmares and Dreamscapes?
This resource contains two different packets of Socratic Seminar packets- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains three different discussion questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with three additional questions they will ask if there’s time in their seminar. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite seminar. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase meaningful comments their partner makes. The file also contains a rubric for you to use while your students are discussing!
When you print out the file, you’ll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. Remove the rubric and print one out for each of your students. Copy the rest of the pages, cut them in half, and staple them. Each student will receive one half-sheet booklet; packet A or packet B.
Give your students adequate time to plan for their Seminar! I usually give them a full class period (40 minutes for me), but you could have them do it for homework, or over the course of a few days. The day of the Seminar, you’ll assign partners with opposite packets. Let A discuss for as long as they need (usually 25 to 30-ish minutes for me!), then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss afterwards.
My students LOVE Socratic Seminars! I have found the fishbowl discussion format works much better when you give each group three different questions so you don’t hear the same discussion two times, which is how this product is set up. I have used Socratic Seminars in small literature circle groups, as well as with the whole class at once. Please ask if you have questions!
The Reaper's Image by Stephen King set of 2 Socratic Seminar booklets + rubric!
By The Red-Haired Reader
Are you looking for a fun, interactive, student-led activity/ assessment for the end of Stephen King's "The Reaper's Image" from Skeleton Crew?
This resource contains two different packets of Socratic Seminar packets- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains three different discussion questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with three additional questions they will ask if there’s time in their seminar. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite seminar. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase meaningful comments their partner makes. The file also contains a rubric for you to use while your students are discussing!
When you print out the file, you’ll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. Remove the rubric and print one out for each of your students. Copy the rest of the pages, cut them in half, and staple them. Each student will receive one half-sheet booklet; packet A or packet B.
Give your students adequate time to plan for their Seminar! I usually give them a full class period (40 minutes for me), but you could have them do it for homework, or over the course of a few days. The day of the Seminar, you’ll assign partners with opposite packets. Let A discuss for as long as they need (usually 25 to 30-ish minutes for me!), then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss afterwards.
My students LOVE Socratic Seminars! I have found the fishbowl discussion format works much better when you give each group three different questions so you don’t hear the same discussion two times, which is how this product is set up. I have used Socratic Seminars in small literature circle groups, as well as with the whole class at once. Please ask if you have questions!
Edgar Allan Poe Brochure - Final Project
By Language Arts Excellence
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:
This project works for any of the stories you read during your Edgar Allan Poe unit.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Save 20% off this resource when you purchase as part of a bundle of Edgar Allan Poe products:
⭐ Edgar Allan Poe Resource Bundle
_____________________________________________________________________________
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
___________________________________________________________________________
Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence
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!
A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings by Marquez Write the Room Silent Discussion
By The Red-Haired Reader
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.