"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. 

Concepts

edgar allan poe, masks, symbolism, colors, allusions, point of view, academic vocabulary, plagues, the bubonic plague, elements of a short story

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Divide the class into groups and assign each a different topic or reference to research: allegory, allusion, Prospero, masques, the arrangement of the rooms in the castle, the colors and order of the colors of the rooms and Poe's "Theory of Composition"

Classroom Considerations

• The activity asks groups to investigate connections to Poe's life and to epidemics rather than the literary merits of the tale

Pros

• Includes lesson plan versions designed for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades grades
• Also included is a vocabulary list

Cons

• No rubric is included

Common Core

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.3 RL.11-12.1 RL.11-12.2 RL.11-12.3