"The No-Guitar Blues" by Gary Soto Quiz, Close Reading, and Vocabulary Games

Evaluate general reading comprehension, facilitate vocabulary development, and sharpen critical thinking and literary craft analysis skills with this bundle of activities for teaching the short story "The No-Guitar Blues" by Gary Soto. A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, 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

• Verify interpretations of language using reference materials as needed

• 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

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

• Apply knowledge of literary devices including dramatic irony, metaphor, and simile

• Consider themes in context

• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence

• Write about 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