Scary stuff! Whether approached as the first horror story or a "serious imaginative exploration of the human condition," Frankenstein continues to engage readers. Here's a packet of activities that uses Mary Shelley's gothic...

High schoolers evaluate several works by Edgar Allen Poe based on the criteria in his essay, "The Philosophy of Composotion" Their analysis is documented using a graphic organizer. Learners begin the pre-writing process for their own...

Young scholars read and analyze the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. They take notes while reading the story, select an element to analyze, and write an essay about the characters, theme, or the setting.

Students analyze the genre of detective fiction through stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Anna Katherine Green. In this detective fiction instructional activity, students read "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Second Bullet." Students read the...

Eighth graders study the life and writing of Edgar Allan Poe in this unit of work.

How does the point of view of Poe's protagonist in "The Tell-Tale Heart" contribute to the suspenseful tone? Help your middle schoolers identify the point of view in a literary work with this lesson, which goes on to discuss the...

Students complete a unit of activities for "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe in part to analyze short stories, playwriting, and video production. In this Edgar Allan Poe lesson, students complete a 37 page packet of...

Students study the poetry of Poe. In this integrated arts lesson plan, students draw comparisons between the daguerreotype of Edgar Allan Poe by an unknown photographer with Poe's poetry.

Students explore Edgar Allan Poe's most famous short stories. In this Edgar Allan Poe lesson, students complete a 25 page packet of activities where they recognize the features of genres and literary devices Poe uses. Students read "The...

Students go over the summary of the story by Edgar Allan Poe and answer questions to predict what they think happens in the story. They then read the story, read the summary of Anna Katherine Green's story and do the same. They finally...

Students use an online database to research the life and words of Edgar Allan Poe. Using the information they collect, they write a newspaper article or obituary about the famous writer. In groups, they work together to develop a radio...

Young scholars explore "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. In this literature lesson, students read the story and take notes. Young scholars choose a literary element such as character, setting, or theme....

"The Masque of the Red Death" provides readers with an opportunity to research and plan a presentation about a topic related to Edgar Allen Poe's classic short story. 

Encourage readers to determine if Hamlet's madness is actually divinest sense. Class members analyze the words of the play before studying related texts, including T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," scenes from...

Students research the bubonic plague including disease facts, the time frame of outbreaks and the impact it had on society. They examine the work of Edgar Allen Poe and write an essay explaining why the plague was a subject of interest...

Students explore "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe. In this literature lesson, students review the placement of clues in short stories. Students plan and write their own short stories with clues for the reader to...

Students engage in a lesson about symbolism while reviewing the work of Edgar Allen Poe. They review the definition of symbolism and use it to list the symbols in his work. They write a journal about how the author uses many literary...

Students explore how historians construct a story out of fragments of the past; a discussion of nineteenth century poetry and art leads students to connect art and literature to their place in time.

Young scholars explore biology by researching birds in class. In this raven identification activity, students utilize the Internet to identify the anatomy, habits and habitat of ravens. Young scholars write descriptive paragraphs about...

Young scholars investigate writing techniques by analyzing 2 stories written by Edgar Allen Poe.  In this language arts lesson, students choose two Edgar Allen Poe short stories to read and take notes on the setting, theme,...

Rather than who done it, the mystery literary detectives have to solve as they examine the evidence found in Edgar Allan Poe's famous "The Tell-Tale Heart" is why did he do it?

Eleventh graders work in groups to choose a project/presentation from a list of approved activities to develop. They select and use appropriate software for organizing and refining their product. Groups produce a short...

Bring Edgar Allan Poe's spooky story to life! After reading the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart," middle and high schoolers identify the theme, character traits, irony, and other story concepts. During pre-reading, they take notes,...

Middle schoolers read a variety of mysteries to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Using a worksheet, they define and practice using new vocabulary. In groups, they read stories from Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and write...