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.

Buffoon (n)

It’s not much used any more (though maybe it should be), but here, nonetheless, is a context clues worksheet on the noun buffoon. Did you know it means “a ludicrous figure,” “clown,” and “a gross and usually ill-educated or stupid person”? If so, you probably understand why I might urge a return of its use to, you know, comment appropriately on our time.

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.

Common English Verbs Followed by Gerunds: Deny

OK, once more, last and probably least this morning, here is a worksheet on the verb deny as it is used with a gerund. I don’t deny doubting the value of this document.

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.

Truth

Here is a reading on truth along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. This is an Intellectual Devotional reading on truth as a problem in philosophy; like most of the readings I’ve developed into avenues of inquiry, this is a good general introduction to the problem of truth. But make no mistake: truth is a complex and often tendentious topic in philosophical discussions. Student interested in the topic will soon need something more substantial than this set of documents.

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 Errors in English Usage: Importantly (adv), Important (adj)

With text from Paul Brians’ book Common Errors in English Usage, here is a worksheet differentiating the use of importantly and important. The first word is an adverb, the second an adjective; the reading does a nice job of guiding students through the differences in these two words and how to use them.

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.

Argue (vi/vt)

Here is a context clues worksheet on the verb argue. For the purposes of this document, argue is used transitively to mean, variously, “to give evidence of,” “to consider the pros and cons of,” “to prove or try to prove by giving reasons,” and “to persuade by giving reasons.”

This document doesn’t deal fully with this word, or its implications for student’s academic work. If you need or want more material on argumentation, you can enter the word in the search box on your right, or simply click on argumentation in the word cloud just below the search box.

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.

Common English Verbs Followed by Gerunds: Delay

OK, last, and most likely least, this morning, here is a worksheet on the verb delay used with a gerund. Please don’t delay downloading your copy of this document.

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: Thriller

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the thriller as a literary genre. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two sentences and two comprehensions questions. In other words, a basic, but solid, introduction to this literary genre.

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.

Word Root Exercise: Spect, Spec, Spic

Here is a worksheet on the Latin word roots spect, spec, and spic. This productive root in English means “to look” and “to see.” You’ll find it in such high-frequency words as aspect, prospect, respect, and inspect–all of which you’ll find on this worksheet; you’ll also find specious, a less-used adjective but a useful one nonetheless. It means “having deceptive attraction or allure” and   “having a false look of truth or genuineness.”

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, 17 June 2022: Summer of Soul Lesson 3

If you’ve been following along for the past couple of Fridays, then here is the third lesson plan of the Summer of Soul unit I wrote last spring to take advantage of high interest in that superb documentary and the events it records and assesses. To carry out this lesson, the third of four, I begin with this short reading with three comprehension questions on the Baby Boomer generation as a do-now exercise. The primary work of this lesson involves this truncated reading on Woodstock and its accompanying discussion guide and note-taking worksheet.

If you would prefer longer-form materials on Woodstock, you’ll find those here. Otherwise, that’s it for another week.

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 Gerunds: Consider

Last but not least this morning, here is a worksheet on the verb consider as it is used with gerunds. I hope you will consider looking at it.

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.