Respond to How an Essay Develops Its Central Idea

Use the eight text sheets for practice before a written response on a class novel. Hand out a board at the start of an independent reading book and collect the finished tasks at the end.

Trace how an essay on boredom develops its central idea, from daydreaming to a plastic cup experiment. The directions on the page read: Read the essay carefully. Then answer the questions on page 2. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 8th grade comprehension exercises, and it works the same at home or at school. At home, a student can work through it alone and then go over it with you, which shows quickly what is solid and what needs another look. In class it works as independent practice, homework or a warm-up, and you can print one copy or a full set.

Students read a short text on page 1, answer three questions with evidence and then write a paragraph on a given topic. Respond to Tone and Word Choice in a Story, for example, asks how the author's word choices create the tone.

Fiction Response Menu for Point of View and Irony, Nonfiction Response Board for Claims and Evidence and During Reading Board for Dialogue and Plot Turns are task boards for any book or article. Students pick tasks and complete them on a separate sheet, so these three have no answer keys.

Yes. Respond to Structure in a Sonnet and a Scene compares a sonnet with a short scene, and Compare the Structure of Two Short Stories looks at two stories about the same blackout.