Common Sense Media
The Masque of the Red Death
Poe goes high tech with a lesson that asks high schoolers to use the internet and various apps as they read and analyze "The Masque of the Red Death." In addition to responding to comprehension questions in Quizlet, they use Minecraft to...
Curated OER
The Raven: Creator of the Universe?
Students explore biology by researching birds in class. In this raven identification lesson, students utilize the Internet to identify the anatomy, habits and habitat of ravens. Students write descriptive paragraphs about ravens and read...
Curated OER
Building Vocabulary Quadrant Charts
This clever language arts lesson invites pupils to read verses of poetry, then construct vocabulary quadrants on index cards. The cards are divided up into 4 sections: Word, Meaning, Opposite, Example. They choose a difficult word from...
Curated OER
Comparison and Contrast - Two Short Stories
Students 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, characters and...
Curated OER
With Detective Fiction in the Urban Classroom
This abstract for an instructional unit using three-minute mysteries, stories by Sir Arthur Canon Doyle, and Edgar Allan Poe includes a short history of detective fiction, sample plans, and suggestions for exercises and activities...
Macmillan Education
The Tell-Tale Heart
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?
Literacy Design Collaborative
"Masque of the Red Death" - Symbolism and the Development of an Allegory
Analyze chunks of Masque of the Red Death to determine Edgar Allan Poe's use of symbolism and development of allegory. Readers learn new vocabulary words, answer comprehension questions, and identify symbols throughout the story....
Curated OER
Mood
Young scholars learn how to distinguish between the mood of a piece of writing (how the work makes the reader feel) and the tone (the writer's attitude toward the material) in the sixth lesson plan in a poetry unit. After watching two...
Curated OER
The Tell-Tale Hearts of Writers
Knock, knock, knock...Creep out your class with a critical thinking lesson focused on word relationships in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." They investigate the relationship between word choice, mood, and interpretation of...
Curated OER
Poe ... in the Real World?
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...
Curated OER
The Tell-Tale Heart
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,...
Annenberg Foundation
Gothic Undercurrents
Terror, mystery, excitement. American writers of the 19th century, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickinson, used these elements to create morally ambiguous tales that challenged the prevailing belief in...
Curated OER
Word Choice
Although this presentation does not have a clear purpose, it could be used as a reading, vocabulary, or poetry exploration. The presentation focuses on three poems, one of them by Edgar Allan Poe. Furthermore, it could be used as a...
Curated OER
It's a Mystery to Me
Learners 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 an...
Curated OER
Planting Clues in Short Stories
Students examine short stories to determine how clues are planted in story stories of the mystery genre. They look at how Edgar Allan Poe planted clues in "The Purloined Letter." They write an original short story in which they plant...
Poetry4kids
Onomatopoeia Poetry Lesson Plan
Two exercises boost scholars' knowledge of a onomatopoeia with excerpts from famous poems. In exercise one, participants circle onomatopoeia words. Exercise two challenges writers to choose three words to use in an...
Curated OER
Writing a Movie Review
Students view a classic movie in class while taking notes. They write a summary/ review of the movie which includes the name of the movie, who wrote it, the characters and a retelling of the story. They include their opinion and how the...
Curated OER
Writing a Biography - Mark Twain
Students write a biography. For this biography lesson, students discuss what a biography is and how to write one. They research Mark Twain, answer questions, and write a biography about his life.
Teacher Web
Poetic Sound Devices
As part of a study of poetic devices, kids are asked to identify the assonance, consonance, and alliteration found in a series of lines of poetry, and then identify the rhyme scheme and the types of rhyme found in Poe's "Annabel Lee,"...
ELA Common Core Lesson Plans
American Romanticism
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" provides the text for an activity that asks readers to select specific passages from the story, identify the aspect of American Romanticism the passage exemplifies, and then provide an...
Curated OER
Essay on Themes
Students read the book THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London and discuss the different elements in the book. They then write an essay on a theme providing examples backing up their main point of their essay.
Novelinks
The Martian Chronicles: Literature Circles
Discussing great works of literature with peers is an excellent way to both comprehend and celebrate reading! Learners work in literature circles during a unit on Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, and share paragraphs that...
Curated OER
Alliterations Allowed
Fourth graders recognize and create alliterative language in both literary and commercial use. In this language arts lesson, 4th graders analyze pieces of poetry and focus on the use of imagery, personification, and figures of speech.
Curated OER
General Knowledge of Books #66
In this general knowledge of books #66 learning exercise, students interactively answer 10 questions about British and American books and authors with immediate online feedback.