M. Towle is a veteran Language Arts and Social Studies teacher with fourteen years of classroom experience in urban schools in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. M. Towle holds an M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is the founder of TeachNovels.com.
Beals’s memoir covers one of the most significant events in American history through the eyes of a teenager living it. Students who arrive prepared engage with that history. Those who don’t stall the conversation. A ten-question multiple-choice quiz at the start of class takes five minutes, produces a clean grade, and tells you immediately who read.
Ben Mikaelsen’s Touching Spirit Bear shows up on middle school and high school reading lists because it works where a lot of literary novels fail: reluctant readers finish it. Cole Matthews holds adolescent readers from the first chapter, and the novel’s themes give readers and homeschool students plenty to analyze… Read More »Teaching TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR: Lesson Ideas & Materials
These Touching Spirit Bear discussion questions move from personal reaction and value judgment to character analysis and thematic argument. One anticipation guide (pre-reading) and five discussion sets. Scroll down for whole-novel questions for book clubs and literature circles. The reading sections follow the same schedule as the Touching Spirit Bear… Read More »TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR Discussions: Anticipation Guide and Open-Ended Questions
Grades 6–9. Five reading quizzes. Ten multiple-choice questions each. These Touching Spirit Bear chapter questions hold students accountable for every section of Ben Mikaelsen’s novel. Cut and paste questions from the list or print/download the PDF as shown. DOCX format, the chapter-by-chapter question bank, and the answer keys available for… Read More »TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR Quiz: Chapter Questions / 5 Readings
These Ender’s Game discussion questions move from personal reaction and prediction to thematic analysis and close reading. Grades 7–12, 5 reading sections, 6 discussion questions for each. Each section follows the same reading schedule as the Ender’s Game reading quizzes. Ten whole-novel questions appear after all five reading sections. Ender’s… Read More »ENDER’S GAME Discussion Questions, Whole-Novel or in Five Readings
Betty Smith packed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn with arguments about poverty and dignity, about the cost of loving a weak person, about what education actually buys, and about whether resilience is a virtue or simply what survival looks like from the outside. The questions below work for book clubs,… Read More »A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN Book Club Questions: 21 Discussion Prompts
Betty Smith finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in 1943 and produced one of the most teachable novels in the American canon. Francie Nolan’s Brooklyn gives students something to argue about on every page: the nature of poverty, the meaning of family loyalty, the cost of a parent’s weakness, and… Read More »A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN Discussion Questions, Reading Quizzes, and Reading Schedule
Teaching the themes of Brave New World requires more than identifying topics and moving on. Huxley’s themes are specific arguments deliberately constructed to unsettle assumptions that students (and teachers) may hold about happiness, freedom, and what it means to live a meaningful life. Each section explains one theme that Huxley… Read More »Themes of BRAVE NEW WORLD: A Teaching Guide for High School ELA
BRAVE NEW WORLD Reading Questions: 5 Comprehension Quizzes Brave New World reading questions organized into five quizzes that align to a standard high school reading schedule. Each quiz covers one reading section and contains 10 multiple choice questions. Use them as comprehension checks, low-stakes assessments, or review warm-ups. Support developing… Read More »BRAVE NEW WORLD Reading Questions: 5 Comprehension Quizzes
These 10 Brave New World project ideas for high school give students a genuine choice while covering a range of ELA standards. Options include argument, analysis, narrative, research, and performance. Brave New World Project Menu 1. Bernard Marx on Trial Brief: Students argue a mock trial on whether the World… Read More »BRAVE NEW WORLD Project Ideas for High School — 10 Final Assignment Options
Brave New World asks the question every generation has to answer for itself: what are you willing to give up to be happy? In 1931 Aldous Huxley prophetically imagined a future of genetic engineering, pharmaceutical sedation, and a consumer culture so total that people would mistake shopping for freedom. These… Read More »BRAVE NEW WORLD Essay Prompts for High School
These Frankenstein project ideas are designed for grades 9–12 ELA. They go beyond the standard essay and give students a range of ways to demonstrate their understanding of the novel. The ten projects below cover creative writing, argument, performance, exhibition, and research. 1. Dr. Frankenstein on Trial Type: Debate and… Read More »FRANKENSTEIN Project Ideas for High School ELA
These Frankenstein reading questions are designed for grades 9–12 ELA. The four quizzes below cover the entire novel, organized by reading section. Each quiz is ten multiple choice questions. Copy and paste freely — the questions are here to use. A reading test for the entire novel is also available.… Read More »FRANKENSTEIN Reading Questions: Four Multiple Choice Quizzes
These Frankenstein essay prompts are designed for grades 9–12 ELA. They cover Shelley’s themes, characterization, author’s craft, historical context, and personal response. The prompts are organized by when they work best in the unit: before reading, during reading, and after reading. Before Reading: Essay Prompts on Science, Ambition, and Morality… Read More »FRANKENSTEIN Essay Prompts for High School ELA
These A Raisin in the Sun essay prompts are designed for grades 9-12 ELA. They cover Hansberry’s themes, characterization, author’s craft, historical context, and personal response. The prompts are organized by when they work best in the unit — before reading, during reading, and after reading. Before Reading: Essay Prompts… Read More »A RAISIN IN THE SUN Essay Prompts for High School ELA