"Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Quiz, Analysis Worksheet, and Vocabulary Activities

Facilitate reading comprehension and sharpen literary analysis skills with this bundle of activities and assessments covering the Gothic short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving. A plot-based quiz, close reading inference worksheet, vocabulary definitions handout, vocabulary application exercise, crossword puzzle, word search game, and answer keys are included. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive option is available.) By engaging with these materials, students will:

• Read for literal comprehension

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

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

• Describe tone in context

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

• Apply knowledge of literary devices including metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, situational irony, and more

• Write about literature with clarity, precision, and accuracy

• Support claims and inferences with relevant evidence and sound reasoning

• Come to class better prepared to discuss literature

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a piece of Gothic horror fiction in which a man, who is vulnerable to superstitious thinking, faces a threat he believes is the Headless Horseman. The narrative's chilling mood, emotional intensity, and subtle humor make "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" an intriguing addition to a scary short story unit for high school, especially during the Halloween season.

Resources are available for teaching short stories of various genres:

• Christmas Fiction - Google and printable

• Coming-of-Age Fiction - Google and printable

• Fantasy - Google and printable

• Horror - Google and printable

• Psychological Fiction - Google and printable

• Science Fiction - Google and printable

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