"The Heavenly Christmas Tree" Quiz, Close Reading, and Vocabulary Games

Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking skills with this bundle of materials for teaching Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story "The Heavenly Christmas Tree," also known as "The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree." A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the public domain narrative, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive bundle option is available.) By engaging with these materials, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly

• Define words and phrases as they are used in the text

• Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings

• Choose the most proper application of words as they are used in sentences

• Discern the intended effects of the author's word choices and narrative techniques

• Determine the function of a given excerpt

• Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop

• Apply knowledge of literary devices including dramatic irony, foreshadowing, onomatopoeia, situational irony, and more

• Conduct research online in order to answer questions related to culture and history

• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence

• Write about coming-of-age fiction with clarity, accuracy, and precision

• Come to class better prepared to discuss literature

This resource may facilitate small-group discussions in which students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development. Using this resource for structured guidance, students will improve their ability to present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly and convincingly.

More materials are available for teaching short stories:

• The Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Volume 1) - Google and printable

• The Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Volume 2) - Google and printable

• The Works of H.P. Lovecraft (Volume 1) - Google and printable

• The Works of H.P. Lovecraft (Volume 2) - Google and printable

• The Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne - Google and printable

• The Works of Ray Bradbury - Google and printable

• Thematic Short Story Unit on Fear and Curiosity - Google and printable