Category Archives: Worksheets

Classroom documents for student use. Most are structured and scaffolded, and most are pitched at a fundamental level in terms of the questions they ask and the work and understandings they require of students.

Common English Verbs Followed by an Infinitive or a Gerund: Like

Here is a worksheet on the verb like when used with an infinitive or a gerund.

I like to publish blog posts–even with documents as dubious in quality as this one.

I like publishing blog posts–even posts with sketch material, in hopes that someone will comment.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: Raison d’Etre

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Gallicism raison d’etre. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two sentences–the first a short compound separated by a colon and containing quoted material, the second a phrase giving the this term’s meaning, i.e. “reason for being.” There are three comprehension questions, the third of which asks students to compose a sentence containing raison d’etre.

Yes, I stipulate that this isn’t exactly a high frequency word in the English language. But educated people do use the word because it is useful in its place. Enough said.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, 26 July 2024: A Lesson Plan on Motion Picture Genres from The Order of Things

Once again, from Barbara Ann Kipfer’s sublime reference book The Order of Things, here is a lesson plan on motion picture genres. To deliver this lesson (and bear in mind that any lesson under the heading of The Order of Things on this blog was designed for emergent and struggling readers as well as students of English as a new language) you will need this worksheet with reading and comprehension questions.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Common English Verbs Followed by an Infinitive or a Gerund: Hate

Here is a worksheet on the verb hate when used with an infinitive or a gerund.

I hate to publish subpar work.

I hate publishing subpar work.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: The Romanovs

Here is a Cultural Literacy worsheet on the Romanovs. This is half-page worksheet with a reading of two simple sentences and two comprehension questions. I don’t know how deep a dive your social studies classes take into the history of the Romanov dynasty, but if yours are like mine, this short introduction ought to be plenty.

If its not on the Regents test, it didn’t happen (or something like that).

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, 19 July 2024: A Lesson on the Latin Word Roots Terr, Terra, and Terri

The Weekly Text at Mark’s Text Terminal for 19 July 2024 is this lesson on the Latin word roots terr, terra, and terri. They mean “earth” and “land.” The do-now exercise for this lesson, this context clues worksheet on the noun real estate attempts to point students in the direction of these roots and make the connection between the nouns earth, land, and the vernacular real estate.

This scaffolded worksheet, replete with a cognate list from the primary Romance languages (not Romansh, alas, though perhaps Romansh isn’t a primary language?) is the principle work for this lesson.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Common English Verbs Followed by an Infinitive or a Gerund: Forget

OK, finally this morning, here is a worksheet on the verb forget when used with an infinitive or a gerund.

I forgot to publish blog posts this morning,.

I forgot publishing this morning’s blog posts.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Cultural Literacy: Rhetorical Question

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the rhetorical question. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of one, longish compound sentence (that might be best recast for struggling and emergent readers as well as learners of English as a new language) and three comprehension questions. Once again, the editors of the The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy come through with an introduction to a relatively difficult concept that is stylish and easily understood.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, 12 July 2024: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Epistemology

Epistemology, officially (from Merriam-Webster, of course!), simply defined, is “the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity.” Unofficially, and for the consumption of secondary-school students, it means “how we know what we know” and “how we validate what we know.” In many respects, along with reification (to reify is “to regard (something abstract) as a material or concrete thing”) teachers are in the epistemology business.

In any event, some years ago, I had a student who had conceived an interest in Western Philosophy. His grandmother had one of those Great Courses on cassette tape, and he listened to it with her. This was a tough Bronx street kid–I later heard he’d been arrested for attempted murder; but he had an acute interest in philosophy. Among the number of things I worked up to keep him engaged is this reading on epistemology along with its attendant vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet.

I hope you are enjoying the summer break.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Common English Verbs Followed by and Infinitive: Would Like

Finally this morning, here is a worksheet on the verb phrase would like when used with an infinitive. I would like to avoid writing instructional materials that are more or less useless.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.