Edgar Allen Poe

Overall Goal Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

KWL What do you know about Edgar Allan Poe? What do you want to know about Edgar Allan Poe? What did you learn about Edgar Allan Poe? Optional- This is fantastic!!! Why make it optional?

Journal Write down anything that you have heard about or know about American author, Edgar Allan Poe. What would you like to learn about him?

Day 1 I will learn various facts about the famous American author Edgar Allan Poe. I will explain in writing 10 facts about Poe. Using specific facts from Poe’s life, justify why he chose to write about creepy, sad, and morbid topics. Use Bubble Cluster for the 10 facts.

Poe Biography While watching the film, you will need to write the following information in your journal: Ten facts that you learn about Poe’s life using the bubble chart. Write three specific reasons why Poe was inspired to write about creepy, sad, and suspenseful experiences the way that he did.

Video Biography http://www.biography.com/video.do?name=booography&bcpid=1753162054&bclid=1859715279&bctid=1861298412

Simple Sufficient/Sophisticated I think that ________wrote ________ stories because _____________________, ______________________ and__________________. ____________, ___________ and ___________________all provide evidence why ______ wrote _____________ stories. Love this!!! 

Day 2 Learning Target: Language Target: I will understand the various literary elements that Poe utilizes in his writing. Language Target: I will verbally define key literary terms of this unit after taking notes. Use Frayer Model for note-taking Great tool! It would be great to have students share out their responses orally, either with a partner or with a group. You could follow up with a give one get one activity where students need to add sentences/examples to their own by writing down someone else’s example.

Vocabulary Please use the Frayer Model for the next 4 literary terms.

Mood What is ‘mood’? Mood is the emotional attitude the author takes towards his/her subject (fill this in the ‘definition’ section of your Frayer Model). In the ‘Examples’ section of your Frayer Model, complete the following sentences: I am in a _________ mood today/right now because ________________. You can tell I am in a __________ mood today by the way I _______________________________. You could do a little mini lesson on Mood by Students write what mood they are in and why. I am in a ________ mood today/right now because __________. Students think about different actions or adjectives that show what kind of mood they are in. You can tell I am in a ________ mood by the way I ________. Students share responses with elbow partner.

Share Read your two sentences to an elbow partner. For five Hawks: act out your mood in front of the class. First person to guess correctly will also receive 5 Hawks!

Personification Personification is giving human qualities to animals or objects. Example: The trees branches caressed the moon. You could give students examples of inanimate objects and have them create a sentence using personification. Have them share orally with a partner/group.

Foreshadow Hints within the text that show what might happen next within the story Create examples and share orally

Suspense: Anxiety or apprehension resulting from an uncertain, undecided, or mysterious situation. Write down/draw examples and share with partner

Sufficient/Sophisticated Simple Sufficient/Sophisticated _______________________________ means __________________________________________________________________________ I would paraphrase ______________by saying __________________________________________________________________________ An example of _______________________ is __________________________________________________________________________. A synonym for _______________________ is __________________________________________________________________________.

Day 3 Learning Target: Language Target: I will understand key words within the story of “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Language Target: I will write creative sentences using the key vocab from “The Tell-Tale Heart” and share out with the entire class. After reading definition and example on each slide, have students create their own sentence (or kid friendly definition) and share with a partner.

The Tell Tale Heart http://www.archive.org/details/TheTell-taleHeart

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

Acute (Adjective) Highly sensitive Raptors have acute hearing and vision, which is estimated to be eight to ten times that of humans. The ears of a raptor are an important tool in locating prey. Example Sentence: The teacher’s acute hearing benefitted her when the students whispered their gossip of the day.

Vexed (verb) Irritated Example sentence: I vexed my cat when I tried giving her a bath.

Sagacity noun Keen perception, with foresight and judgment; wisdom Example sentence: The student’s sagacity shocked the teacher: she thought he was just another mindless teenager hooked on video games and Red Bull.

Stifled (Adjective) smothered Example Sentence: The stifling heat made the kitten collapse with exhaustion.

Crevice (noun) A crack Example sentence: He slipped through the crevice in the ice, falling to his untimely death

Audacity (noun) Shameless daring or boldness Example sentence: She had the audacity to stand up to the angry teacher.

Vehemently (Adverb) With intense emotion Example sentence: She vehemently screamed at the dog who used her beautiful front yard as a toilet.

Derision (Noun) Ridicule Example sentence: The derision from the harsh audience made the actor leave the stage in shame.

Dissemble (Verb) To hide the truth; pretend Example Sentence: Halloween is the perfect day to dissemble.

Hypocritical (adjective) False or deceptive, like a person who is pretending to be what he or she is not Example sentence: When the health teacher was caught eating at McDonald’s every day, he was called hypocritical.

Story Time Now write a complete story, using the words we just went over within your sentences. You can change the form of the word (from noun to adjective, singular to plural, etc.) if you so wish. Remember to use imagery, have a definite/clear plot, and flesh out your character(s). It should be AT LEAST a page long. If there is time… Are there any supports that you can provide ELLs who may struggle to write a story?

Using Text Evidence… Is the narrator insane? “I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.” p. 248 “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.” p 249 “… for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye.” p. 249 “For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down.” p. 250 “… it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terror that distracted me.” p. 251

Day 4 Learning Target: Language Target: I will understand how the character changes throughout the story. Language Target: I will write a summary paragraph that describes the main character of the story. You may want to add the “form” to your language target: I will write a summary paragraph that describes the main character of the story, using… ??? Some suggestions: descriptive adjectives, sequencing/transition words, prepositions of time, past tense…. (I think maybe prepositions of time or sequencing words fits well here). Don’t forget to explicitly teach whatever form you choose and give students time to practice it orally.

Literary Analysis Essay Topic sentence Concrete detail Commentary Conclusion sentence

Example paragraph for “The Tell Tale Heart” literary analysis The narrator is obsessed with a frail old man because of his milky white eye. Every night, the narrator sneaks into the old man’s room, shining a thin strip of light from a lantern onto the dreaded eye. He both fears and is angered by the sight. Soon, he will not be able to fight his terrifying fascination. The narrator’s fixation of the old man’s eye is draining him of his sanity, which causes him to kill the old man. However, the narrator’s guilt causes him to confess to the murder.

In summary, ________ can be characterized as __________ In summary, ________ can be characterized as __________. One concrete detail that shows this is ________________________________. One can see that _______ is ______________. Also, this supports the fact that __________ is _____________________________________. Ultimately, we understand that the _______ is _____________________________________. Great! Can students have a copy of this also that they can use outside of your class?

Prose vs. Film Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

Day 5 Learning Target: Language Target: I will understand that there are both similarities and differences between a written version of a story and a filmed version. Language Target: I will write down elements that the story and the film both have in common and in contrast (Venn Diagram). What will you do with the Venn Diagram afterwards? Will they use it to write a compare/ contrast essay?

Video vs. Story vs. Play (Write 3 sentences) Simple Sufficient Sophisticated Unlike the _____, the _____ is ______________. The _____ is just like the _______ in that they both _____________________. A distinction between the _______ and the ________ is that ________________. Both the _____ and the _____ are _____________. The _____ is ___________. In contrast, the _____ is _____________________. The _____ is ______; however, the _________ is _____________________. You guys rock!!! 

The Raven What do you know about, “The Raven?” What do we know about Poe’s wife Virginia? What does the bird, the raven symbolize?

The Raven

Alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words. Examples: sweet smell of success, a dime a dozen, bigger and better You could ask students to create/share their own examples

Assonance Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words. Examples: fleet feet sweep by sleeping geeks You could ask students to create/share their own examples

Stanza is a unified group of lines in poetry Ex: A candy bar. A piece of cake. A lollipop. A chocolate shake. A jelly donut. Chocolate chips. Some gummi worms and licorice whips. A candy cane. A lemon drop. Some bubblegum and soda pop. Vanilla wafers. Cherry punch. (My mom slept in while I made lunch.) You could have students count how many stanzas in the poem or identify them by color coding them.

Symbol Symbol is using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning. Example: ravens are guardians of graveyards and the dead and are symbols of bad omens. You could have students draw a symbol that represents themselves and explain the symbol to a partner.

First listen, then watch, then analyze!   http://odeo.com/episodes/23334503-Edgar-Allan-Poe-The-Raven-read-by-Christopher-Walken http://dotsub.com/view/58591756-7128-488c-bfe9-22463d46d907# http://www.teachersfirst.com/share/raven/ LOVE the Simpson version!!! I especially like the part where Lisa says, “Bart, he’s establishing mood.” You could have students listen and circle all the words that are used to create a scary mood.

In your group you will take your assigned stanzas from, The Raven, and: Determine what the stanza is saying and retell it in language that a kindergartner would understand. You will need to look up any unknown words. Create a “kid friendly” stanza on a piece of computer paper. Your “kid friendly” creation should be colorful and beautiful because it will become part of our classroom book. Remember, you are a communicator, your final product should effectively communicate Poe’s ideas and mood. This is great!

Stanza 1 What time of night is it? What is the narrator doing at the beginning of the story? What does he hear at the door?

Kid Friendly Language Stanza 1 One night at midnight I was reading a bunch of old and forgotten books. I was sleepy and I was almost napping when I heard a knocking on the door! I muttered under my breath that it must be a visitor knocking at my door.

Stanza 2 What time of year does the poem take place? What is the narrator wishing for? Who is Lenore?

Kid Friendly Language Stanza 2 Oh, I remember now, it was in December when this happened. There was a fire and each of the little embers were jumping out of the fire and dying out on the ground. I was thinking how I wished the day was over. I was reading to forget about my sadness over Lenore. She was so beautiful that the angels named her Lenore, but now she is gone.

Stanza 3 How does the narrator feel at the beginning of this stanza? What is rustling in the background? Why is his heart beating so fast? What does he keep telling himself?

Kid Friendly Language Stanza 3 The purple curtain was blowing behind me and I was so scared. My heart was beating so fast! I kept saying to myself that is just a visitor coming to visit me and it is nothing more. I kept saying this to make me feel better because I was so scared.

Stanza 4 What does he say at the beginning of the stanza? What happens when he opens the door?

Kid Friendly Language Stanza 4 After a while I decided to be brave and I said out loud, “Sir or Madam” I was trying to sleep and your knocking is waking me up! I barely heard you at first but now I do. Then I opened the door…but there was no one there!

Stanzas 5 Why does the narrator continue to stare into the darkness when he hears and sees nothing? Who whispers Lenore back to him?

Kid Friendly Language Stanza 5 I stood there staring into the darkness, I just kept wondering, and being scared. I think I was thinking thoughts that no one had ever thought before. But then there was a sound in the darkness, and I heard myself whisper, “Lenore?” After I whispered “Lenore,” there was an echo… and I heard her name again. Then there was silence again.

Stanzas 6 How does he rationalize hearing the tapping sound again? What does he think is making the sound?

Kid Friendly Language Stanza 6 After I closed the door, I felt a fire inside of me. But then I heard that tapping again, it was louder than before! I decided this time that the sound had to be coming from the window. I needed to investigate the sound because I was sure that it was only the wind!

Stanzas 7&8 How does the narrator initially respond to the raven? What question does he ask the narrator? How does he describe the raven?

Stanzas 9&10 What has no other human being ever experienced? What does the narrator mean about his other friends? What does he think that the Raven will do?

Stanzas 11&12 Why does the author think that the Raven keeps saying, “nevermore?” Why does the bird still intrigue the author?

The Black Cat I will understand how suspense keeps a story exciting and interesting I will cite textual evidence of suspense within The Black Cat

An example of suspense in The Black Cat is when _____________________________: “find a specific part in the story to copy down the words that support your claim).

The Black Cat 15-20 min. 1st person point of view Summary: A seemingly normal man retells an event as if he were in a sane state of mind. He grew up loving animals. He grows into a moody alcoholic. He hangs one of his cats when it bites him on the hand. His house catches fire and burns down. He seems to be haunted by the ghost of the cat that he hung following the fire. He asks his wife to help him kill the new (ghost) cat. He strikes her hand instead with an axe. Then he kills her and hides the body in the basement wall. The cat goes into the wall, unknown to the narrator. Police later discover the body due to the cat’s meowing.

A Dream Within a Dream 3-5 min. 1st person point of view 2 stanzas Summary: Narrator kisses listener (or lover). Narrator is leaving a lover? Sea is used as a setting for death and decay. It is about how life is uncertain. Narrator has distress about his observations.

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar 15-20 min. 1st person point of view Summary: Story begins by narrator, “P” (lack of information about him is intentional) wishing to clear up rumors of M. Valdemar. For the past 3 years, “P” has wanted to study mesmerism (hypnosis), but on the cusp of death, to discover if hypnosis can delay death. He contacts his friend, M. Valdemar, who is about to die (tuberculosis). He brings a medical student to be his witness. He succeeds in mesmerizing him. M. Valdemar’s body slowly goes rigid except his tongue. Then upon attempting to wake him, the tongue continues to talk while the body disintegrates into a liquid. It is about how humans can’t escape death, how humans fear death, and it is also a practical joke on the claims of the time regarding medical practices (surgery during hypnosis). This is considered a precursor to science fiction stories.

The Masque of the Red Death 10-15 min. 3rd person point of view Summary: In a fictional country where “Red Death” plagues many. A prince decides to lock himself in his palace ignoring and avoiding the disease. After some time, he throws a party showing off 7 fancy rooms in certain colors. One of the rooms, the 7th, is black with red windows and an ominous ebony clock that strikes loudly each hour. A new guest arrives at the party, resembling Red Death. Prince Prospero confronts him, but dies. Other guests catch up to them – no one is there in the costume. Red Death triumphs. It is about life and death, using wealth for self endeavors, and even feudalism

The Pit and the Pendulum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmn79SoZ4-k

Literary Analysis Essay Topic sentence Concrete detail Commentary Conclusion sentence

Example paragraph for “The Tell Tale Heart” literary analysis The narrator is obsessed with a frail old man because of his milky white eye. Every night, the narrator sneaks into the old man’s room, shining a thin strip of light from a lantern onto the dreaded eye. He both fears and is angered by the sight. Soon, he will not be able to fight his terrifying fascination. The narrator’s fixation of the old man’s eye is draining him of his sanity.

Literary Analysis Outline Introduction Paragraph What will you talk about Three ways that Poe creates suspenseful mood in a story. First example Second example Third example Describe a time in your own life where you experienced suspense. Describe the experience with details such as: What happened? Who was there? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Why did it happen? How did you react? How did the suspense affect Poe’s work and how did your experience affect your own life? How does the element of suspense affect Poe’s work? (ex: did it make the story more interesting? Did it scare you? Did you like it? Did it make you dislike the story? How did suspense affect your own life? (Do you like being scared? Does it bother you to feel suspense? Make a connection between your own experience and Poe’s suspenseful writing. Conclusion Try using one of the CM templates. Does the Proposition and Support one fit?