Edgar Allan Poe Lessons- Taking a Look at the Original Goth

"The Black Cat", "The Raven", "The Masque of the Red Death," and "The Haunted Palace" may sound like Halloween party themes, and maybe, at times, they are. But they are more commonly associated with Edgar Allan Poe, the prolific poet and romantic-era author who made the short story famous. If Poe were alive today, his stories might have been nominated for an Academy Award or a Golden Globe. His work elicits emotions like fear, anxiety, and suspense, while bringing creepy images to the forefront of his readers' minds. With literary themes revolving around death, insanity, and mystery, Poe's writings give readers the opportunity to explore his use of metaphor, description, character, and other literary devices. In order to cultivate appreciation and understanding for Poe in your students, a creative approach to unit on Poe is ideal. I have gathered a few ideas for how to introduce them to Poe in hopes of sparking a desire to read more of his works. 

Teach Poe Using Audio Recordings

One of the best ways to engage learners in a study about Edgar Allan Poe, is to make use of an audio recording. During class, pupils read one of his works while simultaneously listening to it as it is read aloud. Use a recording that features a spooky-sounding narrator, macabre music, and plenty of sound effects. Periodically, stop the recording to check for understanding. You can also use this pause to ask prediction questions. By forming questions around context clues within the text, you can be sure that your class is fully engaged with the literature. Most kids love a good, scary, horror story. The suspense that Poe creates in his stories and poems is ideal for holding student interest in a classroom. Dramatic delivery of Poe's work is what makes it fun to teach.

Edgar Allan Poe's work encapsulates so many academic areas that your students will be exposed to a variety of disciplines beyond literature and language arts. For example, you can extend your literature unit to incorporate the romantic period or psychology. I have put together a couple of lesson ideas for you to implement with your class when you are studying Poe.

Emotionally Connect with Poe

Emotions are such a vital component of Edgar Allan Poe's mystique, that a lesson designed to explore those emotions will greatly benefit your class. In pairs or small groups, students choose one of three works: "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Raven," or "The Tell-Tale Heart." Together, they read the text and use guided questions to summarize the story. As they read, they are paying particular attention to the emotions that the story conjures up. As they encounter these emotions, they will undoubtedly remember some personal experiences that invoked similar emotions. Ask them to link these experiences and feelings to some type of final project that portrays the emotions. You may be surprised to discover the depth of emotion your students can convey with a song, poem, or poster. 

Use Secondary Sources to Better Understand Poe

The study of Poe can be cross-curricular. Combine social studies, art, and language arts in a lesson designed to employ secondary sources to learn more about some of the cultural influences Poe experienced. After reading "The Raven," pupils can identify and discuss metaphors, language, and phrases from the time period, along with heroic couplets, iambic pentameter, and rhyme scheme. They can also use the Internet to delve into the personal life of Poe and the time period of the eighteenth century by using the provided worksheets and vocabulary sheets as guides. Eighteenth century culture and the events of Poe's life influenced his writings; let your class explore the connection. Small groups can make a T-Chart with events on one side, and evidence in Poe's writings on the other side. This is an easy way for them to grasp the connection between Poe's works and his life circumstances. Additionally, this lesson places an emphasis on eighteenth century mourning art; particularly tombstone carving and stitchery. In order to practice descriptive writing, have your pupils write a few paragraphs describing an eighteenth century gravestone or mourning stitchery. Segue this research into a final project where learners draw their own eighteenth century tombstone or mourning stitchery. With a little effort, you can use this resource to incorporate art, social studies and language arts into your unit on Edgar Allan Poe. 

Analyze, Compare, and Contrast Poe's Works

Analyze the works Poe through reading one of his short stories and couple this with analyzing a journalist's interpretation of Poe. Begin by dimming the lights in your room and reading one of Poe's short stories aloud to your class. Ask them to write down the words and phrases that capture their attention, or that evoke a strong emotion or mood. Together, discuss how word choice affects one's mood and/or interpretation of a written work. Next, have them read the provided journalists reflection on Poe's life and legacy. After reading Poe's work and this opinion piece, your class will undoubtedly have a lively discussion regarding Poe and the various opinions people have about him. If you have the time, you can work with your class on perception. Otherwise, you can stick to the provided plan which offers plenty of discussion questions. Provide time for pupils to investigate the life and legacy of another author. Finish this investigation by having students write a compare-and-contrast essay using Poe and an author of their choice. 

The life and works of Poe offer a rich opportunity for engaging your class in a variety of ways. My hope is that some of my ideas will get you started on introducing your pupils to this wonderful author.  Lesson Planet has many wonderful resources to assist you in this endeavor. However you decide to approach your study of Poe, exploring this complex, emotional author will surely be a memorable experience for the whole class.