English Lesson Plan

Exploring Poe1
Grades 9-12

OBJECTIVES

MATERIALS PROCEDURES

Following this lesson, students will be able to: Draw conclusions on a literary text based on its emotions and themes, such as they did with Poes Recognize and use literary elements and devices (plot, setting, alliteration, metaphor, perspective, etc.) Creatively implement said elements in an imaginative, expressive, and original piece. Computers with Internet access Utensils for writing their own work 1. Before beginning to read one of the stories, the students should research the following background knowledge of Poes life: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was born in Boston but grew up in Richmond, VA after he became orphaned. Poe is best known for the mystery and terror of his stories and poems. He is also credited for being the father of the modern detective story, as well as the earliest architect of the American short story. One of first writers to try to make a living solely from writing, he lived and died in poverty in Baltimore, MD, after seeing much of his family and his lover die before him. Themes that come to mind regarding "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" may include terror, fear, death, darkness, murder, obsession, insanity, sadness, loss, guilt, torture, and the unknown. 2. Each student will then use the Internet to read

Adapted from http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/tales-of-edgar-allan-poe.cfm

19th Century American Literature

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English Lesson Plan

ASSESSMENT

either The Pit and the Pendulum or The TellTale Heart. Each short story is easily accessible online. 3. The class will then separate into two groups. Those who read The Pit and the Pendulum will be in one; those who selected The TellTale Heart in the other. Each group will briefly discuss the following elements of the story: Plot Setting Characters Perspective (point of view) 4. Ask each of the two groups to orally report what they discussed in regard to the preceding elements, as well as the story as a whole. 5. Then, ask students to identify emotions that they detected within the story. Perhaps they came from the characters, the tone of the story, or even conveyed through the setting. 6. Finally, have students work individually to write an original creative piece that conveys the emotions detected in the story. This piece is meant to be imaginative, but can contain past experiences in which the students may have felt the same emotions as the story depicts. Use the following three-tier evaluation system to assess students work during this lesson: 25-30 points: Students were engaged during discussion portions of the lesson; took all portions of the lesson seriously (including obtaining background knowledge) and remained attentive throughout the activity; participated fully in group discussions with their classmates; exhibited a clear understanding of the plot, setting, characters, and perspective of Poes story; developed creative, thoughtful personal works reflecting emotions from Poe's writing. 18-24 points: Students participated in class discussions; created adequate summaries that included some of the following elements: plot, setting, characters, and perspective; developed personal works reflecting emotions from
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19th Century American Literature

English Lesson Plan

Standards

Poe's writing; participated somewhat, but not submerse themselves in the content. 0-17 points: Students participated minimally in class discussions; wrote incomplete summaries that included few or none of the following elements: plot, setting, characters, and perspective; personal works were unclear or did not reflect emotions from Poe's writing. This lesson plan addresses the following standards from the National Council of Teachers of English: Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.

19th Century American Literature

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