Jill Seaman- Lesson #2
7/8 Grade
Language Arts
Edgar Allan Poe Unit
Summary of unit:
In this unit the students will compare and contrast 2 short stories they have read by Edgar Allen Poe. The 2 stories are “The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado”.
The unit is divided into five parts.
(1) They will read and discuss each of the stories and complete other classroom activities. These activities include discussions on revenge, surveys on narrator believability, and notes on short story elements. The post activities include worksheets on how short story elements are used in each story and comprehension questions about the stories.
(2) They will work in pairs to brainstorm and create model Venn diagrams that will compare and contrast the two stories. I will model a Venn diagram on the board as a review to this type of organization. The students will use hula hoops and strips of paper to make their Venn diagrams. They will come up with 5 statements that tell about events or literary elements in “The Tell Tale Heart”, 5 statements that tell about events or literary elements in “The Cask of Amontillado”, and 5 statements about common elements for both. They will share these with the class.
(3)Each student will create their own Venn diagram graphic organizers based on the ideas shared by the other students and their cooperative work. I will give them a graphic organizer to fill in with the ideas they like best.
(4) The students will create a rough draft and a final essay comparing and contrasting the 2 stories.
(5) The class will watch an animated version of “The Tell Tale Heart” and Vincent Price acting in “The Cask of Amontillado”. If there is time we will view the Simpsons’ version of “The Raven” and read the poem along with it.
Essential Questions:
Who was Edgar Allan Poe?
Why is he considered the father of horror stories?
What elements does one find in a short story?
What common literary elements can be found in Poe’s stories?
What is a Venn diagram?
How do you use a Venn diagram to organize thoughts for a compare/contrast essay?
How do you write a compare/contrast essay?
Content:
Edgar Allan Poe background
“The Tell Tale Heart”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
Short story elements
Common characteristics of Poe’s style
Graphic organizers- Venn Diagrams
Compare and contrast essay
Skills:
Review short story elements
Compare and Contrast 2 of Poe’s short stories
Work cooperatively in a group
Summarize and reflect on reading selections
Exhibit skills in graphic organization
Utilize a Venn diagram graphic organizer
Compose a compare and contrast essay
Edit a written essay for final presentation
Assessment:
Discussion about the stories
Comprehension questions- worksheet
Literary elements questions- worksheet
Cooperative work on big Venn Diagrams
Venn diagram graphic organizer
Rough draft of compare/contrast essay
Final draft of compare/contrast essay
Resources:
Eapoe.org – all tales and poems listed here
Hula hoops
Strips of paper- 15 per group
Venn diagram organizer
Worksheets- comprehension questions
Literary elements in the stories
Reflection:
The use of a graphic organizer—particularly a Venn Diagram-- works really well for a compare and contrast essay. The students are able to visualize the similarities and differences in the two stories. It is also an organizer they are familiar with from other classes- such as math or science.
The use of a hands-on Venn Diagram, with Hula Hoops, gives that tactile component for learners that may need more than just discussing or writing. The students really like this part of it. This is a good lead-in to a discussion of the two stories. Having a particular number and specific details requirement helps the students to stay focused.
Once the discussion is finished, the students fill in a paper Venn Diagram with the specific details they wish to discuss in their compare/contrast essay. The students then take their ideas (usually 3 per similarity and 3 per difference) and begin to write a rough draft of their essay utilizing the details in the graphic organizer. This organizer keeps their writing focused.
This type of organizer helps to take the fear out of writing. The student starts off the process organized. The students no longer can say, “What am I going to write about?”, “How can I possibly come up with good details”, “How do I figure out what is a good detail that I can support in an essay?”