reading comprehension critical thinking worksheets

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Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Worksheets

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Short Story Reading Comprehension Worksheets

• Beginning Level
• Answers for this series are included at the end of each worksheet.
• "My Friend" - Low Beginning. 3 answer choices. 7 questions. 74 words.
• "My House" - Low Beginning. 3 answer choices. 7 questions. 92 words.
• "Time to..." - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 89 words.
• "My Family" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 6 questions. 90 words.
• "Rainy Day" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 78 words.
• "A Call to the Pool" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 116 words.
• "The Singing Bird" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 96 words.
• "Seeing Stars" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 92 words.
• "I Fly" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 4 questions. 113 words.
• "The Drive" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 120 words.
• "Zach's Animals" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 104 words.
• "Griffin's Talents" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 112 words.
• "A Happy Visitor" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 170 words.
• "An Adventure" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 177 words.
• "Running" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 148 words.
• "Paul Cooks" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 112 words.
• "Bella Hides" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 135 words.
• "First Prize" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 155 words.
• "What Number?" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 154 words.
• "The Interview" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 205 words.
• "Julian's Work" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 194 words.
• "Talia's Special Day" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 204 words.
• "One Hundred Dollars" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 273 words.
• "New Shoes for Maddy" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 223 words.
• "The 20" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 256 words.
• "Big City Noise" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 238 words.
• Intermediate Level
• "By the Water" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 225 words.
• "A Cold Day" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 286 words.
• "Vet Emergency!" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 247 words.
• "Late" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 284 words.
• "The Brenners" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 297 words.
• "Bullied" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 197 words.
• "The New School" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 286 words.
• "The Park" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 297 words.
• "Worth Working For" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 280 words.
• "The Rent Man" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 215 words.
• "Time with Grandpa" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 237 words.
• "The Bus Driver" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 15 questions. 294 words.
• "A Day Like No Other" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 305 words.
• "A Mystery" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 247 words.
• "Just One Touch" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 15 questions. 326 words.
• "Wanga" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 340 words.
• "Ana Finds an Apartment" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 408 words.
• "Guermo's Surprise" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 372 words .
• "Canopy of Nature" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 332 words .
• "Blizzard in Birmingham" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 319 words.
• "A Christmas in March" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 385 words.
• "Bail" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 301 words.
• "Clean Water Act" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 632 words.
• "BB" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 511 words .
• Advanced Level
• "The Mini Problem" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 291 words .
• "Flower Power" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 368 words.
• "Seeing Clearly" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 284 words .
• "Accused" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 285 words.
• "City Girl" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 429 words.
• "Fried" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 235 words.
• "Tattoo" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 350 words.
• "The Transfers" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 381 words.
• "Wild" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 493 words.
• "Scorpion" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 333 words
• "Remains of a Marriage" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 345 words.
• "Museum Hours" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 179 words.
• "Seeing Through" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 10 questions. 326 words.
• "Ursula Pugh" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 8 questions. 324 words.
• "Dreams" - High Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 357 words.
• "Tracks" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 11 questions. 531 words.
• "Love Train" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 12 questions. 646 words.
• "The Storm" - High Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 407 words.

Informational Passages Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students are asked questions about information they have read about a specific topic. each passage reads similar to a newspaper of journal article, and provides interesting information about some aspect of history, nature, mechanics, science, art, and more. questions involve critical thinking with a focus on logic and inference..

• Answer Key - This answer key is available but still under development.
• "The Sun" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Gas" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Music" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Birds" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Heart" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Butterfly" - Low Beginning. 5 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Pigs" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Brain" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Ocean" - Low Beginning. 7 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Trees" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Alligators" - Low Beginning. 6 questions. Under 100 words.
• "The Blow-Dryer" - Low Beginning. 5 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Green Grass" - Low Beginning. 6 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Taste" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Bees" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Frogs" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Beds" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Humans" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Fish" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Houses" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Soda Pop" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Tea" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Ice Fishing" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Bears" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Flags" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Leonardo Da Vinci" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words..
• "Tennis" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Dogs" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Money" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Abraham Lincoln" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Corn" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Umbrellas" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Ben Franklin" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Cars" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• Answer Key - This is the answer key for to the intermediate level informational passages.
• "Helicopters" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Yellowstone National Park" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Empress of the Blues" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "The Cactus" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Space Exploration Voyagers 1 and 2" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Television" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Hibernation and Estivation" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Marco Polo" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Movie Ratings" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Birdsongs" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Counting" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Easter Island" - High Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Mosquitoes" - High Intermediate. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Fingerprints" - High Intermediate. 11 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Mother's Day" - High Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Europe" - High Intermediate. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• Answer Key - This is the answer key for to the advanced level informational passages.
• "Chocolate" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 600 words.
• "Houses Around the World" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Cells" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Soccer" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Bathtubs" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Pollution" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Interstate Highways" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 800 words.
• "The U.S. Census" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Sleep" - Low Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "The U.S. Postal Service" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Chemical Elements" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Africa" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 1000 words.

Technical Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students are asked questions about the meaning, significance, intention, structure, inference, and vocabulary used in each passage. each passage reads like an encyclopedic or technical journal article. answers for worksheets in this section can be found at the end of each individual worksheet..

• "Water" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 300 words.
• "Paper" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 300 words.
• "The Flu" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Nuts" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The Sun" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The White House" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Soap" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Clocks" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The Robin" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Hybrid Vehicles" - Intermediate level. 4 questions with answers included. Under 500 words.
• "Photography" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 500 words.
• "Biomimetics" - Intermediate level. 4 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "The Great Debates" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Salt" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "Colony Collapse" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "Columbian Exchange" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "Ethanol" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "Generations" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "The Hubble Telescope" - Advanced level. 7 questions with answers included. Under 1000 words.
• "Intellegence Augmentation" - Advanced level. 5 questions with answers included. Under 1000 words.

Role Play Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students can increase their understanding of colloquial and idiomatic expressions and get a feel for conversational english. they also allow several students to participate at the same time - which makes them really fun great for use in school or at home..

• Answer Key - This is the answer key to the role play worksheets.
• "What Time Is It?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "How Are You?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Tie Your Shoes!" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Where Are My Glasses?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "A Cookie" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Where Are My Keys?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "City Life, Country Life" - Beginning Level. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Flu Shot" - Intermediate Level. 5 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Vinegar" - Intermediate Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Wait for Me!" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Glasses" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Hungry" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Want to Know a Secret?" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Milk and Aesthetics" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 500 words.

Dual Version Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In each of these reading comprehension worksheets, the same story is told, but with two versions: one that is basic, and one that is more advanced. this allows students to make direct comparisons between the advanced version to the more basic one, and makes for a powerful learning experience..

• Answer Key - Coming Soon!
• "An Overcast Day" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Who Knows My Name?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "A Call to the Pool" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Oh No!" - Beginning Level. 8 questions. Under 300 words.
• "An Adventure" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Happy Birthday" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 400 words.
• "My Family" - Beginning Level. 8 questions. Under 300 words.
• "My Family" - Beginning Level. 5 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Driving Directions" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 400 words.
• "A Happy Visitor" - Beginning Level. 7 questions. Under 300 words.
• "The Singing Bird" - Intermediate Level. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Violet Makes a Cake" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "A Visit to the Doctor" - Intermediate Level. 7 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Making Dinner" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "The Market" - Intermediate Level. 10 questions. Under 500 words.
• "Maria Gets Her License" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 500 words.
• "A Paper for School" - Advanced Level. 7 questions. Under 300 words.
• "A Birthday Surprise" - Advanced Level. 7 questions. Under 600 words.
• "Getting a New Job" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 600 words.
• "The Dinner Party" - Advanced Level. 9 questions. Under 600 words.

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19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking

Apr 2, 2024

There have been rumblings in different online teacher groups recently about replacing novels with short stories and informational articles in middle and high school English classrooms. I have to admit I was shocked when I first read the comments because I am a book lover at heart, but since then, I’ve considered that there are several pros and cons to this approach.

Short stories and other smaller texts can provide a briefer timeline to complete tasks, and this process is helpful when there is already SO MUCH curriculum to cover. Short stories and related activities can also be more engaging for our students because of the exposure to diverse voices and themes! Using short stories and lessons provides students with amazing choices to meet their needs and preferences!

On the other hand, incorporating mainly short stories and other shorter passages means students’ already-pressed attention spans (as a result of social media influences and pervasive sources of technology) are reinforced. Plus, students miss out on the more complex stories within longer pieces of fiction that are, dare I say, life-altering! A novel can provide opportunities for sustained reading and layers for analysis that shorter pieces of literature like short stories and related texts cannot offer.

Ultimately, no matter where you find yourself on the issue, I think we can all agree that short stories and their counterparts can be vital, effective, and helpful in the modern classroom!

Continue reading for 19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking!!

Need help with Test Prep ?  Check out this  FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities  to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

Table of Contents

19 Short Stories and Questions – Suggestions for Teaching Them

You don’t need to remove all novels to be able to include short stories and smaller passages like vignettes, articles, and narratives; there’s a time and place for all genres! But if you’re thinking about ways to include more short stories and fun activities, check out this list of 19 varied short stories and critical thinking questions as well as suggestions for teaching them in middle school and high school.

1.  “The Most Dangerous Game” 

“The Most Dangerous Game” is one of my absolute favorite short stories and overall plots to teach! This suspenseful short story by Richard Connell follows the harrowing ordeal of Sanger Rainsford, a skilled hunter who becomes the prey of a deranged aristocrat named General Zaroff. Stranded on Zaroff’s secluded island, Rainsford must outwit the cunning general in a deadly game of survival, where the stakes are life and death. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING:

• You could focus on the setting (description of time and place) and examine how the setting changes throughout the story.
• Students could learn about the plot (major events in the story) and list the major events and evidence as they read.
• Define foreshadowing (hints for what will happen by the end of the story) and encourage students to hypothesize about what will happen after every page.
• Analyze the character development (how a character changes over time) of Rainsford and highlight his traits/actions as you read along.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:

• How does the setting contribute to the tension and suspense in the story?
• How does the author use foreshadowing? How does the author hint at the danger Rainford is facing?
• What inferences can you make about the main character and the changes he undergoes from the beginning to the end of the story?

If you want to teach plot elements and plot analysis , check out this lesson bundle for the story , which includes comprehension quizzes and a variety of activities!

2.  “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

Ambrose Bierce’s story is a gripping tale set during the American Civil War, where a Southern civilian named Peyton Farquhar faces execution by hanging after attempting to sabotage a Union railroad bridge. As Farquhar falls through the trapdoor, time seems to stretch, and he experiences a surreal moment, only to realize his grim reality. 

Integrating historical texts with other short stories and passages like “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” will make history come more alive and relevant for our students!

• Teach about irony (when the opposite occurs from what is expected) and how it plays a role throughout the story.
• Explain the term characterization (how a character is depicted) by looking at direct and indirect references while reading with your students.
• Discuss the major themes (messages) of the story and how they connect to our modern era within a Socratic Seminar.
• How does the author use characterization to convey Peyton Farquhar’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations?
• What is the purpose of irony in this story? How does its use affect the reader’s interpretation and understanding of events?
• What is the significance in our contemporary/real world of the themes of the story, including reality and fantasy, the passage of time, and the consequences of actions?

Ensure students’ understanding of the story with this set of reading questions that are perfect for state test prep, too !

3.  “The Masque of the Red Death”

This chilling tale from Edgar Allan Poe is set in a secluded abbey where Prince Prospero and his wealthy guests attempt to escape a deadly plague known as the Red Death. Despite their isolation efforts, the guests are confronted with their own mortality as a mysterious figure in a blood-red mask appears.

If you have not read any short stories and poems from Poe, this story is a perfect journey into the horror genre!

• The setting (description of time and place) plays a MAJOR role in the story, so following the Prince from room to room and highlighting the imagery (description that connects to the five senses) is very important when reading.
• If you have not introduced mood  (emotion intended for the reader to experience), this story is PERFECT for delineating its progression from start to finish.
• As students read, you might guide them through identifying various examples of  symbolism  (object, person, or place that represents something else); each room, objects within, and the “antagonist” is symbolic in some way!
• How does the author convey the tone of the story? How would you, as the reader, describe the story’s mood?
• What role does the plot structure (focus on the different rooms) play in shaping the reader’s understanding of the story?
• What is the purpose of the symbolism in the story such as the clock and the masked figure?

Check out this EASY-TO-TEACH bundle , you can practice with your students, so they will feel more confident analyzing higher-level language in “The Masque of the Red Death!”

4.  “The Cask of Amontillado”

Another chilling tale from Poe is the classic story “The Cask of Amontillado.” This one is set during Carnival in an unnamed Italian city. The plot centers on a man seeking revenge on a ‘friend’ he believes has insulted him. If your students are anything like mine, they will relish the ending particularly!

This is just one more of Poe’s short stories and tales that will capture the mind of every reader!

•  As you plan for this short story, be sure to encourage your students to analyze the changing setting (description of time and place); following Fortunato from scene to scene will help your students track what is really going on.
• This story is the perfect moment to teach about dialogue (conversation within someone=internal and/or between someone and someone/thing else=external); Montresor certainly means more than what he SEEMS to say!
• You might also offer a mini-lesson on the 3 types of irony and how each plays a role in the story: verbal (when a person says the opposite of what is really intended), situational (an action occurs that is the opposite from what the reader expects), and dramatic (a character expects a result, but the opposite occurs and the audience can tell what will happen)!
• Describe Montresor. What are his motives and personality?
• What inferences can you make about Montresor’s mindset based on his dialogue?
• What is the purpose of the family’s motto and the carnival atmosphere? 

Check out this Short Story Activity & Quiz Bundle for Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” which contains questions and answers modeled after various reading standardized tests as well as pre-quiz reading comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and a writing activity to get students thinking critically about this classic short story involving REVENGE!

Want 7 more teaching ideas for one of Poe’s epic short stories and questions to go with it? Click below!

5.  “To Build a Fire”

This story by Jack London describes the treacherous journey of a man through the harsh Yukon wilderness during extreme cold. Despite warnings and the company of a loyal dog, the man’s arrogance and underestimation of nature’s power lead to a tragic end.

Short stories and ideas related to survival in nature are still relevant today! Who knows when you might get lost on a hike or crashland in no man’s land?

• This story is PERFECT for a bit of  literary analysis  (examining the impact of various ideas, elements, or themes within a piece of literature); you could hone in on literary devices, characterization, theme, etc.!
• Integrating clips from survival shows will help students see connections to the world and extend their thinking by comparing (recognizing similarities) and contrasting (recognizing differences) varied experiences!
• Write a short narrative about surviving 24 hours in a different setting (description of time and place).
• How does the author use irony? Provide an example and explain. 
• What real-world connections can be made between this story and our contemporary life? 
• What is the story’s message about preparedness and respecting nature?

Grab these engaging short stories and activities to make teaching this Jack London story stress-free!

6.  “The Cactus”

Told from the point of view of a young man at his former lover’s wedding, the narrator retells their story. Like most of O. Henry’s short stories and texts, this one has a twist that involves the titular cactus plant.

The ending will end in a bit of fun for your students!

• Introduce diction (word choice) and its impact within the story by hyperfocusing on specific words within the story . Students can look up definitions, locate synonyms, create their own sentences, replace the words, etc.
• Investigate twist endings (unexpected finish to a story); before reading the end of the story, ask students to guess why the girl “rejected” him. Some students may know the answer before reading it!
• Describe the main characters. What similarities and differences are evident? How does this affect the story’s action?
• What inferences can you make about Trysdale and his feelings about love and marriage?
• What are the real and symbolic meanings of the cactus?

This resource packed with questions and answers, graphic organizers, and writing activities is sure to get your students thinking about this love story driven by misconceptions.

7.  “After Twenty Years”

This tale of friendship and betrayal focuses on the reunion of two old friends after twenty years apart on a New York City street corner. As they reminisce, something is revealed that demonstrates the reality of their bond as well as the choices they’ve made in life.

If you have not read O. Henry’s short stories and incorporated character analysis yet, this is your chance! The story is not long and can be completed in one to two class periods!

• Sometimes, we ask students to visualize (create a picture) in their minds, but why not give them the opportunity to use their artistic skills to draw the two characters?
• As students read, annotate for a description of each character; then, students can do a character analysis (investigation of the characters’ similarities and differences).
• What type of irony is used in the story? How does its use affect your interpretation and understanding of the story?
• How does the urban setting contribute to the mood of the story?
• What is the story’s message about friendship and loyalty?

Examine the links between loyalty and duty with this set of resources designed specifically for this O. Henry story.

8.  “The Lottery”

“The Lottery” is the quintessential short story for middle school or high school English! Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” tells the story of an annual ritual that takes place in a seemingly idyllic town. When the townsfolk gather for the lottery drawing, a shocking turn of events demonstrates the dark side of human nature and their ties to (outdated) traditions.

• Introduce the terms suspense (uncertainty and/or excitement leading up to a major event) and tension (anxiety or uneasy feelings experienced by characters). While reading, identify evidence that relates to each of these concepts and chat/write about their impact on meaning and plot.
• Teach title (the name of the text) analysis. The title of “The Lottery” is perfect for teaching the impact of the title and audience expectations. Before reading, students may write what they believe the story will be about based on the title. After reading, students can complete a quick write responding to their previous expectations! You can do a text analysis for all short stories and poems!
• What role does the plot structure play in building suspense and tension? (Consider the revelation of the lottery’s ‘prize’ in particular.)
• What social commentary is being made through the story and its characters?
• Describe Mr. Summers, Tessie, and Old Man Warner. What does the story reveal about their role in the community and their feelings about the lottery?

Give yours elf a breath of fresh air with this NO PREP curriculum that integrates test prep within the teaching of literature by using Shirley Jackson’s quintessential story!

9.  “The Pedestrian”

This Ray Bradbury story follows a lone walker in a futuristic society in which everyone else is consumed by technology, particularly the television. One evening, the walker encounters a police car that questions his unusual behavior and the end is quite unexpected! (Most of Bradbury’s short stories and texts connect to the future and technology in some way!)

• This story exemplifies Dystopian Literature (texts that include a supposedly perfect future society marred in some way by governmental or societal oppression). Using this story to introduce this type of literature is always fun for students because they will easily make connections to other dystopic short stories and poems!
• Teach about mood (the emotional impact of a story’s description/action). The goal is to get students to deepen their critical thinking skills by recognizing how the mood changes and the purpose for that change!
• How does the author use foreshadowing and suspense to build the mood of the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How might it connect with our current world?
• What similes and metaphors does Bradbury use to describe the community and its members? What is notable about these comparisons?

With this resource about Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian,” you can just print and teach the lesson and activities with EASE! 

10.  “The Gift of the Magi”

This 1905 story by O. Henry relays a tale about a couple struggling to make ends meet. Throughout the story, they both figure out gifts to buy one another for Christmas and realize what love truly means!

• Review character traits (how a character is depicted internally and externally). Log the traits of each character within the story and how they are important to the meaning of the story.
• Extend (move beyond the text) critical thinking skills by encouraging students to think and write about other people. If they had $1,000 to spend on someone else, how would they spend the money and why?

• How would you describe Della and Jim, and their relationship?
• What values do the characters have, when you consider their actions and decisions?
• Explain how dramatic irony is used in the story. Is it necessary? Is it effective? Why or why not?

This tale is a great addition to your short stories and questions unit around the winter holidays! Save yourself time at that time of the year with this lesson bundle . 

11.  “The Monkey’s Paw” 

“The Monkey’s Paw” is a classic horror story about the White family who come into possession of a mystical monkey’s paw that grants three wishes. Despite warnings, they use it and then face devastating consequences as a result.

• Teach about the elements of the horror/suspense genre (Ex. Scary movies are typically dark, stormy, surprising, morbid, etc.).
• Create a thematic statement (message relayed by the text in a complete sentence). There is no perfectly created theme (message) unless it is directly stated by the author; however, students can create a theme by supporting their ideas with evidence from the story!
• What is the main theme of the story? Or how does the author communicate the themes of greed or fate? Is one stronger than the other?
• Are Mr. and Mrs. White more alike or different from one another? How do you know?
• Should we be afraid of the unknown? What message does the story share? Do you agree or disagree?

Examine W.W. Jacobs’ classic story with this set of questions and answers along with rigorous reading and writing activities . While it is ideal for a spooky season, the story is valuable for its ability to hook readers any time of year!

12.  “Lamb to the Slaughter” 

This classic story with a killer plot twist is about a woman who kills her husband and gets away with murder thanks to cooking a leg of lamb!

• You could introduce the plot elements (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), encourage students to identify major events to fit each element and write down textual evidence to support their ideas.
• Complete a film analysis (examination of film techniques and their effects) to compare/contrast the short story with the classic Alfred Hitchcock television episode.
• What is Mary Maloney’s state of mind? Does it remain the same or does it change throughout the story? Explain.
• Is the resolution of the story satisfying? Why or why not? Why do you think the author ended it as he did?
• How does irony contribute to the theme of deception in the story? Explain.

Spice up your middle school English or high school English class with this short stories and activities bundle for Dahl’s famous story!

13.  “The Tell-Tale Heart” 

Poe’s classic psychological thriller is narrated by an unnamed protagonist who insists on their sanity while recounting how they murdered an old man. The narrator is haunted by the sound of the victim’s beating heart, which ultimately drives him to confess to the crime despite not originally being a suspect. 

• Teach symbolism (object, person, or place that represents something else) by focusing on the heart and eye . The author used these symbols in various ways!
• Investigate psychology (the study of the human mind) as a part of the story. Determine what is fact and what is fiction within the narrator’s mind.
• What does the story reveal about the human psyche?
• What is the deeper meaning of the two key symbols in the story – the beating heart and the eye of the old man?
• What role do the narrator’s inner thoughts play in the development of the plot?

This Short Story Comprehension Bundle offers quick (and effective!) ways to assess students’ learning and understanding of the story. It’s easy to use and will no doubt save you time too!

14.  “The Scarlet Ibis” 

Emotional short stories and their counterparts have a place as well in English classrooms! This short story by James Hurst about two brothers is a heartbreaking must-read. Through flashbacks, the unnamed narrator tells the life story of his younger sickly brother William Armstrong, who is nicknamed Doodle. And the end…well, you’ll see.

• Define and explain the purpose of a flashback (referring back to the past within a story). Think about the implications of never thinking back on the past or always thinking about the past.
• Complete a comparison chart between Doodle and the Ibis as you read along. Then, students can create a visual of each after they have ready by using their own evidence!
• What is the meaning of the story’s title and the presence of a scarlet ibis in the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How do the events of the story support this chosen theme?
• How does the author use personification for the storm? What effect does this have on the story?

This flexible resource features critical thinking questions and answers as well as writing and reading activities for students to explore Hurst’s heartbreaking story.

15.  “The Veldt” 

This science fiction story by Ray Bradbury was first published as “The World the Children Made” and it is quite fitting as a title! The story focuses on a futuristic world in which a video screen can be controlled and it turns out to be more than simple virtual reality! By the story’s conclusion, the world the children made is the downfall of their parents. 

• Compare and contrast “The Veldt” with “The Pedestrian,” two short stories and dystopic texts by Ray Bradbury. Analyze the similarities and differences of both short stories and create a thematic statement that connects to both texts!
• Make connections to our current reality in the 21st century. Locate research about the implications of technology on young people and integrate this information as you discuss this short story.
• How does the author address the theme of technology versus humanity in the story? Do you agree with this commentary? Why or why not?
• How does the nursery reflect the personalities of Wendy and Peter in this story?
• Do you know the story of Peter Pan and his friend Wendy? What connections can you make between it and this story by Ray Bradbury?

Ray Bradbury’s classic short stories and similar passages are the BEST to teach in middle and high school English! With so much to dive into, they are sure to be a hit with your students. Grab this set of activities to extend your students’ engagement with rigorous reading and writing activities about “The Veldt.” 

16.  “The Necklace” 

A woman who longs for a life of luxury and elegance beyond her means faces consequences when she loses a borrowed necklace. Guy de Maupassant’s story ends with a twist that has the reader question the value of material possessions. 

• I love comparing this short story with O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” You might choose to focus on the theme, characterization, setting, etc.
• Summarize (writing about the main idea with details) each chunk of the story as you read with your students. Instead of asking students to write a paragraph, you could ask students to create each summary in only one sentence.
• The story explores vanity, deception, and the consequences of striving for social status. Which theme do you think is the most important? Explain with support from the story.
• Is Mathilde Loisel a likable character? Does this change during the story? Does it matter if the reader likes her? Why or why not?
• What clues does the author provide throughout the story that foreshadow the twist at the story’s end?

Focus on the standards with this Short Story Lesson Bundle for “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant!

Need help with implementing activities for “The Necklace?” See below!

17.  “A Vendetta” 

Guy de Maupassant’s late-19th-century story is all about REVENGE. A mother is obsessed with creating a plan to avenge her son’s murder and she then puts the plan into action with a morbid outcome.

• There are so many texts that involve REVENGE! Why not use this concept as a focus for a thematic unit (texts linked to a similar concept and/or message)? You could read “A Poison Tree,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “Lamb to the Slaughter” as well as “A Vendetta” with the intention of writing about all 4 for a comparison/contrast paper, presentation, or seminar.
• Analyze the development (how a character changes over time) of the mother and the dog throughout the story; you might annotate for similarities and differences as well as their motivations!
• What comment is the story making about the nature (or need) for justice? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
• What similes and metaphors does the author use to communicate the main character’s feelings about the vendetta?
• How does the author use details to explain the main character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivation?

Add these activities for this lesser-known work to your short story plans. It’s sure to keep things fresh for your short stories and activities unit! 

18.  “Thank You, Ma’am” (also known as “Thank You, M’am”)

This heartfelt story by Langston Hughes tells the story of Luella, an older woman in the neighborhood, who is nearly robbed by a young man named Roger. In response to Roger, Luella brings him back to her home and treats him with an abundance of kindness, which has a profound effect on Roger.

This tale is at the top of the list for the BEST short stories and passages for upper middle and younger high school students!

• Introduce perspective and/or point of view (how a story is told: 1st, 2nd, 3rd omniscient, 3rd limited, 3rd objective). Students might rewrite the story from another perspective or extend the story using the perspective of one of the main characters.
• Review plot elements with a focus on the exposition (introduction to the characters, setting, and conflict), climax (highest point of interest/turning point of the story), and resolution (how the story is concluded and/or resolved in some way.) You could assign an activity surrounding each concept: visualization of the scene, a journal response to the event, or a short response focused on how the element is important to the overall theme!

• Do you believe in second chances? What does the story say about second chances? 
• How might the climax of the story also be seen as the turning point in Roger’s life?
• How would you describe Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones? Are her actions expected or unexpected in the story? Consider from Roger’s and the reader’s point of view.

Click to check out all of the details for this BUNDLE with differentiated options , which includes a Test Prep Quiz (with varied options), Venn Diagrams, Graphic Organizers, and Writing Responses!! 

19.  “Click Clack the Rattle Bag”

This short story by Neil Gaiman is creepy and fun in the best ways possible! The narrator is taking care of his girlfriend’s little brother and walking him to bed when the child asks for a story. Instead of the narrator sharing a story, the boy shares about the Click Clacks who drink their prey and leave behind rattling bodies. The end is too good to be missed!

Short stories and plots like those in “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” will most certainly engage even your most struggling learners!

• We all know that test prep can be tough as many reading passages are, well, boring! Why not accomplish some test prep with your students and incorporate 5 standardized test-related questions ? You could focus on theme, structure, order of events, characterization, etc.!
• Help students make inferences (acknowledging and hypothesizing about the impact of details that are not directly referenced or stated) as the scene moves along. Students can analyze the change in the setting, the little boy himself, the story the boy is telling, and specific phrases from the story.
• What details in the story contribute to its eerie atmosphere or mood? Or what figurative language devices does Neil Gaiman use to create a sense of suspense in the story? 
• How does the author use ambiguity in the story? Is it effective or not? Explain.
• What inferences can you make about the relationship between the narrator and the young boy?

This “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” Quiz Pack for middle and high school students uses the Common Core standards and contains questions and answers modeled after various state standardized tests! Make teaching this amazing short story by Neil Gaiman SIMPLE & EASY!

Why should we incorporate more short stories and activities in our teaching?

While I would never advocate replacing all novels with short stories and smaller texts, there is still something to be said about spending quality time with short stories and excerpts. 

Including short stories and standards-based activities is an ideal option to improve reading comprehension and develop skills, especially in middle and high school English classes!

SHORT STORIES AND ACTIVITIES RESOURCES: 

This  Short Stories and Test Prep Questions ULTIMATE BUNDLE with Lessons, Quizzes, and Activities uses the Common Core standards with reading comprehension QUESTIONS and ANSWERS for 18 short stories such as “The Most Dangerous Game,” “The Monkey’s Paw,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “After Twenty Years,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Veldt,” “The Lottery,” “The Pedestrian,” etc. modeled after various state reading exams.

Make teaching short stories and activities SIMPLE & EASY!

Just PRINT & TEACH with engaging short stories and lessons!!

Need more fun ideas for teaching short stories and corresponding activities? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep !

Hi, I’m KRISTIN!

I primarily focus on  integrating multiple disciplines and subjects. The goal is to make teaching simplified and effective!

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Reading Comprehension/ Vocabulary Worksheets

Free, with Vocabulary and Critical Thinking Exercises

This site provides free vocabulary and reading comprehension worksheets. Each worksheet, suitable for middle school, high school and college level students, includes a short reading, five vocabulary words to define, sentence completion exercises, and two questions to answer. The worksheets may be used for differentiated instruction and home learning. One question tests literal comprehension, and one question asks the student to think critically.

• Free Worksheet, Tests, and Answer Keys

A student's reading comprehension and vocabulary help to increase her or his ability to write effectively. A technique I use in my classes, in addition to having students complete the worksheets, is to have them copy the reading before completing the worksheet. It seems that many students in my classes have lost (or never really mastered) the mechanical ability and endurance necessary to write an in-class essay. Try the exercise. Have students copy a passage from, say Adam Smith, and ask the student to read what he or she wrote. Both you and the student may be surprised.

I believe in the power of reading. The ability to read well has given me confidence; it has challenged me; it has entertained me; it has afforded me a decent living doing something I love. I hope to convey this passion to teachers and students who may use this site.

Free to Use

The worksheets are free for any teacher, student, tutor, school, or school system to download, copy, distribute, and use in any manner. The reading comprehension worksheets are in PDF files, and can be accessed through the pages dealing with the author whose work has been reproduced. Please notify me if you link to this site or find this site useful.

Classroom Uses and Differentiated Instruction

Teachers of developmental reading or writing in college can use these worksheets as supplements to their primary text. Thw worksheets can also be used as emergency substitute plans or for differentiated instruction. Each worksheet provides material that an average student should complete in about 30 minutes.

Reading Labs or Developmental Centers

Reading labs may copy the worksheets so that tutors work one on one with students on their reading and vocabulary. Alternatively, the computers in the writing center may link to this site and students can download and print the sheets as they are needed.

Private Tutors and Homeschoolers

Private tutors and homeschoolers can link to this site or download the worksheets to work with individual students. They may also be assigned as homework.

Featured Worksheets

"the necklace" by guy de maupassant.

• The Necklace

"Southern Horrors: Lynch Laws" by Ida B. Wells

From the awakening by kate chopin.

• The Awakening

Narrative, From Chapter 1, by Frederick Douglass

• Narrative of a Slave

I hope you found what you needed.

Proverbs 18:15

"The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."

Most Popular

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

From Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

"Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Please do not hesitate to call me or email me if you have any questions or comments. I consider this site a labor of love and I try to develop it periodically. It is not perfect, but I hope it serves the needs of some teachers or parents.

• [email protected]
• (305) 979-7040

Grade 6 Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Emmy Noether

Deciphering Antigonish

Drastic Measures

How To Get A Goldfish

Theme In Yellow

Flower Children

Scooter Love

Country Western Dancing

Songs For The People

Mark Twain’s Take On Darwin

How To Write A Petition

Literary And Scientific Worlds Collide

Ancient Persia

Nonfiction Nuggets

Diving Into Fiction

All about these 15 worksheets.

These 6th grade reading worksheets are designed to help students enhance their comprehension skills. They contain a variety of reading passages, texts, and accompanying questions that aim to improve students’ understanding, critical thinking, and interpretation of written material.

We have a wide variety activities in this series. You will find all of these skills across each of the worksheets:

Reading Passages – These worksheets provide a range of passages, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and informational texts. The passages cover various topics, such as history, science, literature, current events, and more. The length and complexity of the passages are typically suitable for your grade level.

Comprehension Questions – Following each reading passage, there will be a set of questions designed to assess your understanding of the text. These questions may include multiple-choice, short-answer, or open-ended questions. They will require you to recall specific details, infer meaning, analyze the author’s purpose, make connections, and draw conclusions.

Vocabulary Development – Grade 6 reading comprehension worksheets often focus on expanding your vocabulary. They may introduce new words within the context of the reading passages and provide definitions or context clues to help you understand their meanings. Engaging with these worksheets will help you build your word knowledge and improve your overall reading comprehension.

Critical Thinking and Inference – The questions in these worksheets are designed to develop your critical thinking skills. You will be asked to make inferences, interpret information, analyze cause-and-effect relationships, identify main ideas and supporting details, and draw conclusions. These activities encourage you to think beyond the text and develop higher-order thinking skills.

Textual Analysis – As you progress through the worksheets, you will encounter passages that require you to analyze the author’s tone, style, and point of view. You will learn to identify literary devices, such as similes, metaphors, and personification, and understand how they contribute to the overall meaning of the text. This analysis helps you develop a deeper understanding of literature and enhances your ability to critically engage with different types of writing.

What Reading Skills Should A 6th Grader Have?

By the time students reach the 6th grade, they should have developed a range of reading skills that allow them to understand, analyze, and interpret more complex texts across a variety of genres. Here are some of the reading skills that a 6th grader should ideally have:

Vocabulary Expansion – They should have an expanding academic vocabulary and be able to figure out the meaning of words based on context clues, prefixes, suffixes, and root words.

Comprehension – They should be able to comprehend complex narrative and informational texts. This involves understanding the main ideas, supporting details, inferences, and overall message or theme of the text.

Analyzing Text – They should be able to analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of ideas. This includes understanding elements like foreshadowing, symbolism, and irony.

Compare and Contrast – They should be able to compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text.

Critical Thinking – Students should be able to critically evaluate the text, identify the author’s point of view, and recognize any potential bias. They should be able to formulate their own ideas and responses to the text.

Reading Fluency – They should read grade-level text with appropriate speed, accuracy, and proper expression.

Citing Evidence – When answering questions about a text, they should be able to cite textual evidence to support their analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Understanding Different Genres – They should be able to understand and interpret different genres of texts such as fiction, non-fiction, biographies, poetry, drama, and more.

Using Multiple Sources – They should be able to integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Recognizing Theme – Students should be able to determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

A grade 6 student should be able to fluently read and comprehend a diverse range of texts, from fiction to informational pieces. They should possess an evolving vocabulary, utilizing context clues, and affixes to discern the meanings of unfamiliar words. Students should be adept at identifying the central idea of a text, supporting details, and understanding how these elements interrelate. Analytical skills are crucial; students should recognize the use of literary devices such as foreshadowing, metaphor, and irony. They should be able to determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and distinguish factual statements from opinions. Students in 6th grade should be capable of drawing on specific textual evidence to support both their interpretations and their personal responses.

These are general guidelines and some students may be ahead in some areas while needing further development in others. If a student is struggling with any of these skills, additional support and practice can be helpful.

A 6th grade student can bolster reading comprehension by setting clear purposes for reading, whether it’s to understand a concept, answer questions, or enjoy a story. They should practice annotating texts, making notes on key ideas, questions, or unfamiliar vocabulary, to engage actively with the material. Reading aloud occasionally can help in solidifying understanding and enhancing fluency. It’s beneficial to summarize each section or chapter, either verbally or in writing, to ensure they’ve grasped the main points. Engaging in discussions, either with peers or adults, about what they’ve read can offer alternative perspectives and deepen comprehension. Utilizing tools like graphic organizers or online resources can further aid in breaking down complex ideas, making connections, and reinforcing understanding.

Florida State University

FSU | Writing Resources

Writing Resources

The English Department

• College Composition

Critical Reading Activities

• Active Reading
• Appealing to an Audience 
• Finding the Commonalities
• Sofa to 5k: Active Reading
• The Verbal Shove-Off: Active Reading
• How to Eat a Poem  

Active Reading: Marking Up the Text and Dialogic Journals

Purpose: Helping students learn to actively read texts, how to take notes on readings, and gain an understanding of their preferred styles for notetaking and the possible benefits of each.

Description: This exercise asks students to try two active reading strategies using the sources they might use for their research papers. Then, they discuss in order to articulate their preferred note taking style and the benefits of each.

Suggested Time: 50 minutes

Have students bring in at least two articles they plan on using for their research. Give students the two handouts below. Give students 20 minutes to try each technique, using one article for each technique. Give 5 minutes for independent writing in which students explain which method they prefer and why. Then, have a class discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of each method.

Active Reading – Mark up the Text

• Underline key ideas – for example, topic sentences.
• Box or circle words or phrases you want to remember.
• Place a checkmark or a star next to an important idea.
• Place a double check mark or double star next to an especially significant idea.
• Put a question mark near any unfamiliar reference or a word you need to look up.
• Number the writer’s key supporting points or examples.
• Use different color highlighters.
• Don’t be afraid to write your thoughts in the margins or on a separate sheet of paper (like the dialogic journal).

Questions to Ask (and Answer) when Reading a Text

• What issue is the writer focusing on?
• Does the writer take a clear stand on this issue?
• What is the writer’s thesis (if there is one)?
• What is the writer’s purpose for writing?
• Who is the audience for this writing?
• What is the writer’s tone?  Why do you think he/she writes with this tone?
• Does the writer seem to assume readers will agree with his/her position?
• What evidence does the writer use to support the essay’s thesis/central argument?  Does the writer include enough evidence?
• Does the writer consider, address and/or refute opposing arguments?
• Do you understand the vocabulary?  If not, look the words up.
• Do you understand the writer’s references/citations?  If not, look them up.
• Do you agree with the points the writer makes?  Why/why not?
• What connections can you make between this article and others you have read?

Dialogic Journals (also called Double Entry Journal)

Before reading, answer these questions:

• Why are you reading this piece?
• What do you hope to learn as you read it?

Fold a page in your daybook in half (long ways) and follow these steps to complete your dialogue journal:

• Write the title and author of the article at the top of the page.
• In the first column, “write down anything from the reading that catches your attention, seems significant, bores you silly, confuses you, or otherwise causes you to take note (or stop taking note).” 1  Make sure to also write down the page number from which you have taken the quote.
• In the second column, explain what made you write the quote in the first column and/or respond to, question or critique the quote.

Note: You will ping-pong between the two columns.  When you find a quote you want to write down, you will write that quote in column one and then respond to it in column two. Then you will go back to reading, notice a new quote you want to write down in column one and respond in column two.  And so on…

For this assignment, I want you to choose at least two quotes per page.

When you have finished reading, answer these questions:

• How is this reading useful or not useful for my purpose (in this case, for your inquiry project)?
• If it is useful, what is useful about it, and what in the reading illustrates that use?

_____________________________

1  Adler-Kassner, Linda. Considering Literacy. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print.  (Quote taken from page 10)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Appealing to an Audience: How Publications Set a Tone with Content, Structure and Design  

Purpose: Understanding how journals and newspapers set a particular tone for their audiences. Description: This exercise asks students to analyze various features of publications. Homework assignment that turns into a discussion the next class period. Often used when students are preparing for a feature article or remediation project.

Suggested Time: 20-50 minutes (depending on discussion time)

Give students the following homework assignment:

Publication Analysis (2-3 typed, double-spaced pages)

For this short assignment, you will identify what specific publication you are going to write your feature article for, and analyze the publication in four areas:

• Content – skim through several issues of the publication, primarily paying attention to the feature articles (i.e. usually the major articles that are listed on the front cover). What subjects/topics do their authors write about? Make a list of the most common subjects you see.
• Style – pay attention to the type of vocabulary used, the tone employed, the length of the articles, paragraphs, and sentences, the persona/ethos that the writer constructs, and the overarching themes that emerge.
• Structure/Design – what kinds of organizational structures do the writers use? What about their “hook”? Do they typically start with an interesting quote, a shocking statement, the posing of a problem, factual information, an anecdote, etc.? What kinds of design elements are present? Are there off-set quotes, images/advertisements, unique fonts, subject headings, works cited, bio of the author, etc.?
• Audience - On the basis of the feature articles’ common types of content, style, and structure/design, what can you infer about the audience? Start with demographics like age, race/ethnicity, gender, religious/political affiliations, etc. but don’t stop there. What does this audience value? How do they perceive themselves? What kinds of weaknesses or desires do the advertisements tend to exploit or encourage? What kinds of knowledge or background experiences do the articles assume that their readers have?

Have students discuss what they found either in small groups, whole groups, or both.

____________________________________________________________________

Finding the Commonalities: Investing Organizational Structures and Formatting of Academic Articles  

Purpose: Helping students develop knowledge about organizational structures and formatting common to academic articles, so that  can use  this information to help them read difficult texts

Description: This exercise asks students to identify and present on the features and types of academic texts. This exercise works for particularly well for research-based classes, but can work in other composition courses as well.

Suggested Time: 2-3 class periods and outside of class work time

In groups of two or three, students choose one of the types of essays or essay features from the list at the bottom of the page and create a short presentation for the class.  (The list is by no means complete but is applicable to most of the texts students encounter in scholarly databases.)

For the article types, students should explain

• the purpose of the article (i.e. what does a review article actually do?)
•  the  kind of information in each section (i.e. what does the results section do?)
•  how each section is connected to the others (i.e. how is the lit review connected to the argument?)
•  and how knowing this information helps readers understand the text  (i.e. how can you read differently knowing the purpose of a lit review?)

For the features common to multiple article types, students should focus on

•  the purpose of those features (i.e. what do notes do?)
• the kind of information in the features (i.e. what kind of information would you find in notes?)
• how the features are connected to the content of the article (i.e what is the relationship between the subject heading and the actual text?)
• how knowing about these features helps readers understand the article (i.e. how might you read differently knowing about subject headings?)

Each group creates a PowerPoint or similar artifact that can be distributed to the rest of the class.  After the presentations, discuss what the students learned and then, during the next class period, apply this knowledge to a course reading.

List of Article Types and Features

• IMRAD Articles (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion)
• Review Essays (Introduction, Methods, Article Discussion, and Implications)
• Humanities Essays (Introduction, Lit Review, Body/Argument, and Conclusion)
• Book Reviews (Introduction, Summary, Critique, and Implications)
• Subject Headings
• Signposts / Forecasting Moves
• Notes/Endnotes/Footnotes
• Works Cited Pages

Sofa to 5k: Active Reading   

Purpose:  This exercise demonstrates the relationship between active-reading and efficient-reading. Students should learn that attentive reading habits can increase their retention and comprehension. It is well-suited for the beginning of the semester, or in conjunction with a research-based assignment.

Description: This exercise prompts students to reconsider quick and non-interactive reading by comparing the processes. It should demonstrate that retaining information is more difficult and time-consuming from a passively read passage.

Suggested Time: 40 minutes

• Ask students to read an excerpt of your choice projected on the board.
• Remove the projection and ask them to write short answers to a series of questions referencing specific content, as in phrasing or numerical details.
• Discuss their answers, and draw extra attention to their (in)ability to quote exactly from memory.
• Project the excerpt again and ask them to double-check their answers.
• ...Did it require them to essentially read the entire passage again?...
• Provide a second excerpt on a printed hand-out and ask them to read the material with a pencil in hand. Encourage them to mark the passages they think are important, especially the author’s thesis or relevant / convincing facts. Ask them to anticipate as they are reading which details you may have chosen for questions.
• Project a new set of questions for the second excerpt, and ask them to write their short answers on the same sheet of paper as the first excerpt.
• Discuss their answers. How did engaging with the text affect their ability to find the specific answers? How well did they understand the second text? Did they need to completely re-read to find the answers?
• Start a discussion about which process seemed "better" to them, or more useful for writing with research.
• Be sure to question which factors might prohibit them from physically writing in their books (they want to sell them back?), and address possible solutions (post-its).

The Verbal Shove-Off: Active Reading 

Purpose:  This exercise compels students to engage with authors in an exaggerated take on the “talking back to the text” reading strategy; and serves as a nice precursor to an opinion-editorial.  Students should be motivated by the outlandish or absurdly biased (poorly researched) essays to challenge the author with questions in the margins of their essays. Comments like, “say what?!, seriously?, really?, says who?,” are what we want.

Description: While this exercise aims to generate a conversation between the student and the author, it  invites students to scrutinize the resources used within the text. It prompts students to challenge claims in a colloquial manner, and then provides the opportunity to discuss varied viewpoints and draft a counterargument. This is aggro active-reading, or active reading with a purpose.

Suggested Time: 60 minutes

• First, you need to find an “article” which presents opinion as fact, and refers to questionable sources like Wikipedia. Here is one, for example:  Interest Convergence, FSU, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida .
• If you’re in a computer-classroom have your students respond in a document as they read the article. If not, and preferably, provide copies.
• You’ll also want to offer a brief introduction to the topic.
• Ask the students to decide—as they are reading—if they “agree” or “disagree” with the statements being made—considering a decision, means thinking.
• Liken it to the way a lawyer collects a defense.
• When they are done reacting to the piece, facilitate a discussion of the essay.
• What points did the author make well? Where did they fail? Do you agree? Etc.
• Ask them to write a response.
• Resume discussion for another 10-minutes.
• Last question, did having your paper written out help you articulate your thoughts?

How to Eat a Poem 

Purpose: When reading poetry, students so often feel pressure to find the “deeper” or “underlying” meaning. This exercise is meant to demonstrate that they can read poetry and get meaning from it, and that they don’t need to feel pressure about it.

Description: This exercise provides one way for students to “eat” a poem, meaning to digest a meaning from a poem for themselves. Basically, you’ll choose a contemporary poem and explain how to read a poem, then have students read according to that protocol.

Suggested Time: 35-50 Minutes

Step 1: Prepare for Lesson

• For this lesson, you’ll need to pick out a poem to read to the class. I recommend picking out something contemporary that easily connects with students. Examples of this could be Tony Hoagland’s “Poor Britney Spears,” Kim Addonizio’s “First Poem for You,” Matthew Dickman’s “V,” Dorriane Laux’s “Facts about the Moon,” or Sherman Alexie’s “Heroes.” Obviously these are just examples -- there are tons more out there. The point is not to pick something too archaic or hard to understand; rather, choose poetry that is contemporary and digestible.
• Make copies of the poem so that each student has one to read in class. Make sure that students have writing utensils ready.

Step 2: Dispell the Myth of the “Underlying Meaning”

• To start this exercise you’ll need to give a brief talk or have them read something that dispels a myth that has been instilled in many young adults, the myth that poetry has some “hidden meaning.” Here’s an example of what I tell my students:

People often offer me this complaint when I talk to them about poetry: ‘I don’t understand poetry. Why do poets hide meaning? I wish they would just say what they mean!” Perhaps you’ve thought this (I did when I was in college).

But thinking that poets are trying to “hide” their meaning is misleading, and hiding meaning is not what poetry is about. If the best poets could hide their meaning the most, then the “best” poetry would be unreadable to anybody else. Instead, poetry is more exact in meaning than prose or plain speech.

Let me explain: if I say “I love you,” you have some vague idea of what I mean. But I’ve said that phrase to my parents, sister, brother, ex-girlfriends, former classes I taught, pet bird, favorite book, etc. The phrase has little meaning on its own. Sometimes it means “I want to get in your pants;” others it means “I commit my life to you,” or “you birthed me, that was pretty cool,” “I grew up with you and we are linked that way forever,” “you were the best classroom I‘ve taught,” “you whistle the Mardi Gras Mambo, that’s pretty cool.”

What I’ve just done is made my language more specific to its audience and to the rhetorical situation. Poetry is that magnified times 10 -- it is the most specific form of expression. Sure, there are many kinds of poetry, some easier and some harder to understand. Sometimes you will be able to verbalize a meaning, and sometimes you won’t, and that’s ok. Sometimes, maybe, you’ll feel like you know what the poem means, but won’t be able to describe it. But what makes poetry hard to understand is that you are zooming in to unpack the specific meaning of each word when you read it.

Step 3: Instruct Students on How to Read a Poem, They Read Chosen Poem

• Read the poem first with your pen down. Read at a moderate pace -- slow enough to enjoy the language, but fast enough to follow the meaning of the sentences.
• As you read the first time, try to play a video in your head of the images in the poem. Reading a poem should be like experiencing your own personal movie. This may not work for the entire poem, but do it as much as possible.
• Reread the poem, this time with a pen in your hand. Underline your favorite images, and make a short note about why you connect with them. Put a star next to any parts you don’t understand.
• Also, on this second read think about the tone of the poem as you read. Is the poem traumatic? Hilarious? Is the speaker yelling at you? whispering? Try to see if you can hear those things in your head.
• Finally, let the poem affect you and write down how it makes you feel. Allow yourself to be moved, or to take something from the poem, or even to get angry with the poem. This requires letting your guard down and believing that a poem can do this. People have different “readings” of poems/literature - some will find the same poem offensive as another might find beautiful.

Step 4: Class Discussion of the Poem

•  Have a conversation about the poem with the students. Make sure to have the conversation on the student’s terms -- this means you should start by asking them what the poem meant to them, what images or lines they particularly enjoyed, or what video they saw in their heads while reading.
• As you discuss with them, be sure to ask abou the poem’s rhetorical situaton, the audience of the poem, etc.
• Also, be sure to ask them about the process of reading -- did it work for them? Did it not? Why or why not?

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Question/answer, what are some effective activities to train students’ critical thinking skill when teaching them about life science.

Effective activities to train students' Critical Thinking skill in Life Science include: engaging in problem-based learning projects, conducting experiments and analyzing results, debating ethical issues in biology, comparing and contrasting different life processes, and using case studies to apply concepts to real-world scenarios. These activities encourage students to question, analyze, and apply information, enhancing their critical thinking skills.

How does the mastery of the Critical Thinking skill affect a student's performance at an early age?

Mastery of critical thinking at an early age significantly enhances a student's performance by improving problem-solving abilities, fostering independent thinking, and boosting academic success. It enables students to analyze information more effectively, make reasoned judgments, and approach challenges creatively.

Why is the Critical Thinking skill important for Grade 2 students?

Critical thinking is vital for Grade 2 students as it enhances their problem-solving abilities, enabling them to understand complex concepts more deeply. It nurtures their curiosity and creativity, encouraging independent thinking and decision-making. This skill also helps in developing their analytical abilities, making them better at evaluating information, leading to improved academic performance and preparing them for future learning challenges.

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The Best Critical Reading Exercises That Get Your Students Thinking and Growing

by Gordana S | Jan 15, 2021 | Student Skills | 0 comments

Table of Contents

Critical Reading Exercises for High School Students—Teaching Critical Reading

The importance of reading and writing skills for your student’s professional and personal growth cannot be underestimated. They will use critical reading and writing for college, work, and in their personal lives. However, finding a fun way to teach reading skills to high school students remains a challenge for teachers across the U.S.

Students need to possess soft skills to read critically. Being able to think critically, retain many subject matters in their heads, and articulate their thoughts on the text they read are only some of them.

When you are thinking of how to teach reading and reading comprehension strategies to your students, one factor should be of primary importance. Your students need to like reading to truly improve their reading skills through exercises. 

What will determine whether your students will grow to enjoy critical reading is not the exercises you make them do but how you execute them.

Getting Students To Look Forward to Critical Reading Lessons

Credit: Claudia Wolff

For many decades, students thought that reading is, first and foremost, an obligation —something they need to “complete” as yet another assignment for school. This kind of approach to reading is harmful on more than one level.

The primary danger of this approach to reading is that students don’t form the habit of reading for fun. It also makes them read what they have to passively. If students look at reading as a chore they have to do, they can’t practice critical reading.

Before you assign the activities that should improve your students’ reading skills , you should decide how you will make them see that learning to read actively benefits them.

To that end, here are some ideas you can consider to encourage your students to enjoy critical reading exercises:

• Explain to your students why critical reading skills matter in the real world
• Encourage them to open up about any struggles they have with reading exercises
• Give them authority when choosing the reading material
• Show your students reading is cool now

Get Students Motivated To Read Critically

To motivate your students to engage with their assignments, you have to show them why critical reading skills matter. They need to realize that reading actively isn’t going to affect only the grade you give them, but all aspects of their lives.

Tell your students that practicing critical reading will:

• Boost their employment prospects
• Enable them to think for themselves
• Give them the tools they need to argue their point in any situation
• Make them a better conversationalist
• Reveal their own biases and suppressed beliefs
• Help them judge people and situations in their life objectively

When your students are aware of all the benefits of critical reading, they will be more motivated to do the classroom assignments you give them. It will also help them truly progress.

Help Students That Don’t Like Reading

Studies show that 33% of high school students will not read for pleasure after they graduate. The number indicates that many students don’t like reading, and the reasons are numerous.

As a teacher, you should make your students open up about whatever it is that they find challenging about reading assignments. When you identify the problem with your students, you should go out of your way to help them deal with it. Encourage them to take up reading—even if it’s in small chunks, at first—on their own and teach them the strategies they can employ to start reading for fun.

You can always exploit their favorite pastime, which is probably scrolling through their smartphones, and teach them reading through apps . The apps that encourage students to read offer short, engaging, and lighthearted texts. They are also usually designed as games students play while reading texts. Making students install and use some of these apps can help them see reading is fun. It also makes them practice critical reading since they have to engage with the text to play the game. 

Developing Critical Reading Skills Through Hobbies

Credit: Jess Bailey

Whether they know it or not, your students do a lot of critical reading on their own already—you only need to make them see that. For example, many of them could be into young adult fiction. While they’re devouring these books for fun, they are constantly questioning what the author wanted to say with this character or that plot point. They also form unique opinions about the books they read and might even be reviewing them on popular sites, like Goodreads . These are all critical reading activities.

Students can also employ critical reading in their other hobbies. Even if your students are not bookworms—yet—they most certainly like to listen to music. Getting hooked on a song means they’re thinking about the lyrics and analyzing them in their heads, even if they’re doing it unconsciously.

To stimulate your students to take up active reading, you should tell them to bring their favorite reading material to class. Whether it’s the young adult fiction or the lyrics to the newest Billie Eilish song, encourage your students to join debates with one another about the subject of the material. That way, you are teaching students critical reading using their respective hobbies. 

When the activity is over, tell your students they have just done a critical reading exercise. Since they weren’t made to read critically but encouraged to do so through their hobbies, they will engage with the next assignment much more willingly.

Show Students Reading Isn’t Nerdy

One misconception your students might hold—and that you can dispel—is that reading is only for ‘nerds.’ You have to show them that the time when people who enjoyed a good book were considered uncool has long passed.

Technological innovations and social media platforms contributed to making reading cool again—think Kindle and audiobooks or the Bookstagram and BookTube communities.

Whether you want your students to start doing a critical reading exercise with an assigned piece of classic literature or a novel of their choosing, you will probably find a critical analysis on it on YouTube. Why not show it to your students and make them see just how much the community of book lovers has grown in the last couple of years?

If they aren’t already a member of that community, the activity will make them feel like they’re missing out. If they are, it can only heighten their desire to develop some reading skills of their own and be able to articulate why they loved or otherwise hated the last book they read.

Teaching Critical Reading Through Exercises

When you get your students motivated to learn critical reading skills, plan and execute activities that will help them do just that.

Here are some ideas you can make your own, according to your teaching style or your school’s curriculum:

• ‘Chatting’ with the text
• Reviewing the reviews
• Skimming and scanning scholarly journals
• Reading different poetry
• Employing double-entry journals

You Said What?

One of the most important strategies for close reading is annotation, and your students need to realize this too. One way you can make annotation fun for them is by allowing them to leave comments that resemble the text messages they exchange with their friends. This means that their initial comments don’t need to be elaborate, grammatically accurate, or follow any similar rules.

Since it’s best to integrate annotation into a complete reading activity, this exercise will have three parts:

• Before reading —your students will find it easier to understand what they’re reading and, in turn, comment on it after they have been given a broader picture of the material. You could introduce the topic of their reading material through discussion or give your students the main keywords of the topic to predict it
• During reading —while your students are reading the text you gave them, instruct them to write comments on their copies directly. You can encourage them to be informal and use slang as much as they want to. Their comments can be anything from “c’mon!” and “seriously?” to “they’ve got to be joking” and “I don’t believe he/she (the author) just said that.” Your students can write more articulate responses to the text on the second read-through
• After reading —when your students are done reading, have a class discussion about the text. You can also make them exchange their copies and review each other’s comments

Whose Review Is Better?

The point of any critical reading is to spark debates, generate original opinions, and result in your students’ individual commentary of the text. Before making your students come up with their own reviews, give them other reviews to study to let them learn from examples.

An excellent idea is to get different reviews on the same topic—it can be a movie, a book, or a music record review—and have your students compare them. The key factor of the exercise is that the different reviews should come from two different types of media. For example, it can be a review of the movie Joker from the international edition of The Guardian and the Late to the Game blog.

The questions your students can answer after going through both reviews are which of the two:

• Uses more informal language
• Refers to other sources of information regularly
• Gets the point across more efficiently
• Advocates a more “popular” opinion
• Convinces your students to “accept” the expressed argument better

Who Are These Papers for Anyway?

Many times, it happens that first-year college students don’t know what has befallen them when they’re presented with academic papers. It’s small wonder if they hadn’t been taught such writing forms before they enrolled in their chosen higher education institutions.

You have to teach your high school students critical reading so that they don’t get lost and overwhelmed by the type of reading assignments they’ll have in college.

You can anticipate this by gathering scholarly journals —the more varied their subjects, the better— and distributing them to your students for a classroom activity.

Here’s how the exercise can go:

• Divide your students into teams
• Give a different scholarly journal to each team
• Tell them to identify the field the paper belongs to
• Let students examine the structure of the scholarly papers
• Instruct students to predict what the article is about based on the title

You can also ask students whether they are familiar with certain parts of the paper, such as abstracts and the list of references. If not, tell them what these structural parts are and what purpose they serve. Students should read at least one scholarly paper. They can decide which one after reading several abstracts and determining which themes are interesting to them. In the end, ask your students what the audience of the papers is (their age, ethnicity, and area of study).

Your students will benefit from this exercise because it will make them study the structure of texts they haven’t seen before. They will also make predictions about the topics of articles, skim the texts to get the gist and scan them for particular information. 

How About Some Contemporary Poetry?

Credit: Ksenia Makagonova

If your students have Instagram accounts, they are certainly familiar with one name in contemporary poetry— Rupi Kaur . A good idea is to teach poetry reading strategies through her or the works of her contemporary colleagues.

Take a look at the Book Riot’s collection of 15 mind-blowing lines of contemporary poetry or the New Yorker’s list of the best 2019 poems to get some ideas of what you could use in your classroom.

Here’s a possible scenario for a contemporary poetry reading activity in the classroom:

• Distribute the poem you picked to each student
• Tell them to visualize anything they can while reading and note it down
• Have them underline any parts of the poem they found confusing
• Ask each of your students to share their visualization and explain why that part was easy to imagine, i.e., understand
• Have an exchange of ideas during which you’ll clarify any parts that confused your students
• Make your students read the poem again
• Have a discussion on the broader themes and impressions the poem created  

What’s a Double-Entry Journal?

You should introduce your students to a popular and efficient method for critical reading—double-entry journaling.

A double-entry journal is a fool-proof method to get your students to interact with the text while reading it. Double-entry journaling makes your students comment on the text as they’re reading it. The method of double-entry journaling is done through a table that has two columns and as many rows as the aspects you want your students to comment on. In the left column, your students copy the parts of the text, and in the right, they write their thoughts related to it.

Here’s an example of a double-entry journal table you can distribute to your students:

Critical Reading Worksheets

Worksheets are valuable assets that every teacher needs. Besides being the material you can use in your lessons, they can also give you ideas for designing activities when your own inspiration fails you.

Here are some worksheets you can use in your classroom to help students develop critical reading skills:

Teaching Critical Reading to High Schoolers—Are There Any Gaps in the Curriculum?

By now, you must be brimming with ideas on how to introduce critical reading to your students and have them work on the skills they need to read actively.

In between designing activities and writing lesson plans, take a second to reflect on how much—or rather, how well—high schoolers in American schools are taught to think for themselves. Are they encouraged to solve complicated problems or present and refute arguments verbally and in writing? All of these are the skills that are woven into and nurtured through critical reading.

If you recognize the need to innovate American high schools , we invite you to contribute to the mission. Write your ideas on how we can transform school culture and reinvent education so that it’s available, efficient, and inclusive for all. 

We’ll help your words reach a wider audience by publishing your text on our blog.

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Reading Detective® A1

Using higher-order thinking to improve reading comprehension.

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These highly-effective, literature-based thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. This 192-page activity book is especially effective at helping students in Grades 5-6 understand challenging critical reading concepts such as making inferences, drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, using context clues to define vocabulary, and making predictions and generalizations.

Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories that include fiction and nonfiction genres. Then they answer multiple-choice and short-response questions, citing sentence evidence to support their answers. Concepts and skills covered include: Literary Analysis Skills      •  Define vocabulary using context clues      •  Recognize figurative language      •  Identify main idea, supporting details, and theme      •  Recognize literary devices      •  Identify story elements: theme, plot, setting, and characters Reading Detective® A1 includes the following genres: Award-Winning Literature Excerpts      •  Fudge-A-Mania      •  Mr. Popper’s Penguins      •  Maniac Magee      •  Owls in the Family      •  Blue Willow      •  The Jungle Book      •  Island of the Blue Dolphins      •  Where the Red Fern Grows Stories and Articles      •  Mystery      •  Humor      •  History      •  Adventure Nonfiction Topics      •  Science      •  Math      •  Geography      •  History      •  Biography      •  Inventions      •  Sports

The Grades 5–6 ( A1 ) level include mixed-skills throughout. All levels provide an introductory lesson for each skill. Teaching Support Includes pretests, post-tests, lesson guidelines, and answers with detailed evidence. Reading and literary analysis skills are based on grade-level standards.

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6. MISCELLANEOUS. This Agreement represents the complete agreement concerning this license between the parties and supersedes all prior agreements and representations between them. This Agreement may be amended only in writing executed by both parties. The acceptance of any purchase order placed by you is expressly made conditional on your assent to the terms set forth herein, and not those contained within your purchase order. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be reformed only to the extend necessary to make it enforceable and the remainder of this Agreement shall nonetheless remain in full force and effect. If you acquired this product in the United States, the laws of the State of California govern this Agreement. If this product was acquired outside the United States, then local laws may apply. Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement, or if you desire to contact The Critical Thinking Co.™ for any reason, please write to The Critical Thinking Co.™, PO Box 1610, Seaside, CA 93950-1610, USA; send a fax to 831-393-3277; send email to [email protected]; call 800-458-4849; or refer to The Critical Thinking Co.™'s Website at http://www.criticalthinking.com/ .

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10 Reading Strategy Worksheets for English - KS2 KS3 Back to School

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

6 August 2024

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Unleash Your Students’ Reading Potential!

Transform your classroom into a reading adventure with this comprehensive set of engaging worksheets. Designed to boost reading comprehension and critical thinking skills, these worksheets cover a range of strategies, from predicting and questioning to analyzing and evaluating. Watch as your students become confident, independent readers who love to explore new worlds!

What’s Included?

10 x A4 Portrait Worksheets

• Prediction power up
• Brainstorm boost
• Imagination station
• Question quest
• Detective mode
• Rewind replay
• Focus fitness
• Character profile
• Book review

Perfect for: • Differentiated learning • Homework assignments • Literacy centers • Small group instruction

Download now and ignite a passion for reading in your students!

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Reading Strategies Pair of Resources

Unleash Your Students' Reading Potential! Transform your classroom into a reading adventure with this comprehensive set of engaging worksheets and classroom displays. Designed to boost reading comprehension and critical thinking skills, these worksheets cover a range of strategies, from predicting and questioning to analyzing and evaluating. Watch as your students become confident, independent readers who love to explore new worlds! 10 Reading Strategy Worksheets Ready Strategy Classroom Display You might also like: [Literature Circle English Posters ](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13088347) [Literature Circle Role Bookmarks and Badges - English Reading Strategies](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13089072) [Literature Circle Roles English Reading Worksheets](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13088921) [Ultimate Literature Circle Bundle](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ultimate-literature-circle-bundle-english-reading-strategies-13089139) [Reading Journal Workbook](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13048357)

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Critical Thinking Activities - SEQUENCE Reading Comprehension Worksheets

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Sequence skills are sure to improve with these critical thinking activities. Plenty of activities to improve reading comprehension, problem solving, writing skills and more! Step-by-step activities, carefully structured to give students the thinking and logic skills they need to master sequence. Arranged sequentially to help learners develop critical thinking in easy-to-digest steps. A terrific way to give your students the tools they need for success in school as well as in their daily lives! Answer Key included in this 16-page unit.

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Back to School Back to School Archive Icebreaker Activities Preparing for the First Day Ideas for All Year The Homework Dilemma First Year Teachers Don't Forget the Substitute More Great Ideas for the New School Year Early Childhood Best Books for Educators Assessments Award Certificates Bulletin Board Resources Classroom Organizers Graphic Organizers Newsletters Parent Teacher Communications More Templates Search form Pass the salt. Engage student's critical thinking skills with the use of these worksheets in the classroom. Click here: critical_thinking_033-download.pdf to download the document. Ew lesson plans. EW Professional Development Ew worksheets. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and receive top education news, lesson ideas, teaching tips and more! No thanks, I don't need to stay current on what works in education! COPYRIGHT 1996-2016 BY EDUCATION WORLD, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYRIGHT 1996 - 2024 BY EDUCATION WORLD, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SchoolNotes.com The Educator's Network 242 IMAGES Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Worksheets Pdf Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Worksheets Pdf Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Worksheets Pdf cRITICAL THINKING Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Grade 3 Worksheets Comprehension Printable & Worksheet COMMENTS Free Reading Comprehension Worksheets Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Worksheets In this series, readers are tested on their ability to perform interpretations, make deductions, and infer the meaning of vocabulary words based on an informational passage. ... In these reading comprehension worksheets, students are asked questions about the meaning, significance, intention ... 19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking This flexible resource features critical thinking questions and answers as well as writing and reading activities for students to explore Hurst's heartbreaking story. 15. "The Veldt" This science fiction story by Ray Bradbury was first published as "The World the Children Made" and it is quite fitting as a title! PDF Critical Thinking & Classic Tales FABLES help you understand why the comprehension and critical thinking questions are labeled and worded as they are. Keep in mind that these categories will overlap and intertwine. You will also find that many skills apply to more than one level of Bloom's Taxonomy. • Knowledge: reading for details, finding facts, recalling information PDF THE CRITICAL THINKING It's thinking on purpose! Critical thinking involves mindful communication, problem-solving, and a freedom from bias or. About This Workbook. egocentric tendency. You can apply critical thinking to any kind of subject, problem, or situation you choose. The activity pages in the Critical Thinking Workbook are meant to be shared and explored. Reading Detective® Series 01558BEP. Reading Detective® B1 - eBook. 7-8. eBook. $25.99. Add to Cart. Reading Detective's® standards-based critical thinking activities develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. The activities are especially effective at helping students understand more chall. Reading Comprehension Worksheets Vocabulary Worksheets. Free, with Vocabulary and Critical Thinking Exercises. This site provides free vocabulary and reading comprehension worksheets. Each worksheet, suitable for middle school, high school and college level students, includes a short reading, five vocabulary words to define, sentence completion exercises, and two questions to ... Grade 6 Reading Comprehension Worksheets These 6th grade reading worksheets are designed to help students enhance their comprehension skills. They contain a variety of reading passages, texts, and accompanying questions that aim to improve students' understanding, critical thinking, and interpretation of written material. We have a wide variety activities in this series. Worksheet Library: Critical Thinking: Grades 3-5 Scratch Your Brain. Use addition and subtraction to figure out solutions to these brain benders. (Grades 3-5) From One Word to the Next. Change a letter in the previous word to make the word that completes each phrase. (Grades 3-5) Root Words. Complete this activity about words that have /capt/ or /tact/ as a root. Critical Reading Activities Handout 1: Active Reading - Mark up the Text. Underline key ideas - for example, topic sentences. Box or circle words or phrases you want to remember. Place a checkmark or a star next to an important idea. Place a double check mark or double star next to an especially significant idea. Critical Thinking for Reading Comprehension Supercharge reading comprehension and analysis skills with this 64-page language arts resource designed for ages 7-11. Critical Thinking for Reading Comprehension teaches the identification and evaluation of text and image-based evidence using short, high-interest activities. In simple, understandable terms, 'Critical Thinking' is the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision ... Reading Comprehension Critical Thinking Activities Reading Comprehension activities with critical thinking. This is a great resource that helps students with reading comprehension. It can be used at any grade level with many different ways to use it. It has instructions for a full class activity or can be used for small group or partner reading. Critical Thinking Grade 3 Reading Worksheets When parents and teachers emphasize critical thinking, children learn to ask questions, make connections, and infer meanings, which fosters deeper comprehension. For parents, supporting their child's critical thinking in reading helps improve not just academic outcomes but also everyday problem-solving skills. Free Critical Thinking Worksheets for Kids Critical Thinking Worksheets for Kids. Critical Thinking Worksheets are an invaluable educational tool designed to enhance students' critical thinking skills. These worksheets are the perfect platform for students to practice applying logic, reasoning, and evaluation techniques, honing their analytical skills in all subject areas. Critical thinking passage This Critical Thinking FICTION Reading Comprehension passage packet for 7th and 8th-grade resource will help you to check if your students understand what they are reading in middle school or to use it as a reading intervention. You can challenge your class with these original comprehension passages. This resource is great for test prep, independent work, fluency practice, homework, or ... What Are the Best Critical Reading Exercises? Critical Reading Exercises for High School Students—Teaching Critical Reading. The importance of reading and writing skills for your student's professional and personal growth cannot be underestimated. They will use critical reading and writing for college, work, and in their personal lives. However, finding a fun way to teach reading skills to high school students remains a challenge for ... Reading Detective® A1 The Grades 5-6 (A1) level include mixed-skills throughout. All levels provide an introductory lesson for each skill. Teaching Support. Includes pretests, post-tests, lesson guidelines, and answers with detailed evidence. Reading and literary analysis skills are based on grade-level standards. Details. Product Details. Work Sheet Library: Critical Thinking: Grades K-2 Welcome to Education World's Work Sheet Library. In this section of our library, we present more than 100 ready-to-print student work sheets organized by grade level. Click on a grade level folder below to find a library of work sheets that you can use with your students to build a wide variety of critical thinking skills. All the work sheets ... Reading Comprehension Critical Thinking Worksheets Reading comprehension is a foundational skill for primary level learners - it's important that children understand and internalise what they read, so that they can learn. Most worksheets however focus on information that's easily found in the text, comprising a more basic form of reading comprehension. Critical thinking worksheets, like this, focus on ideas that must be inferred from the ... 10 Reading Strategy Worksheets for English Unleash Your Students' Reading Potential! Transform your classroom into a reading adventure with this comprehensive set of engaging worksheets and classroom displays. Designed to boost reading comprehension and critical thinking skills, these worksheets cover a range of strategies, from predicting and questioning to analyzing and evaluating. Cloze Reading Passages & Comprehension Activities: Critical Thinking Products. $12.95 $17.00 Save $4.05. View Bundle. Cloze Reading Worksheets to Improve Reading Comprehension: Digital Resource. Readers of all ages and abilities are sure to improve their reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling skills as they complete these colorful Cloze-Reading Google Slides which is BUNDLED with two Printable PDF Page ... Critical Thinking Activities Sequence skills are sure to improve with these critical thinking activities. Plenty of activities to improve reading comprehension, problem solving, writing skills and more! Step-by-step activities, carefully structured to give students the thinking and logic skills they need to master sequence. Arranged sequentially to help learners develop ... cRITICAL THINKING Reading comprehension worksheets: "Me and My family" - Reading comprehension for Upper elementary and Lower Intermediate students Level: elementary Age: 10-12 Downloads: 3159 ... cRITICAL THINKING. If you want to read well in English, you must think in English as you read. If you think in another language and translate from the English, you ... Did you know my kids consistently test 2 to 3 grade levels ... • Reading & Narration: Spend 30-45 minutes reading together and discussing the material. This develops comprehension, critical thinking, and communication skills. • Hands-On Activities: Engage in science experiments, art projects, or cooking that relate to what they're learning. PDF Critical Thinking Worksheet Grades 3-5: Reading Detectives Click here: critical_thinking_033-download.pdf to download the document. 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