This is a suggested teaching schedule for a 10 day class study of the stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe. Lesson plans and handouts can be downloaded individually by clicking on the name of the file in the schedule below. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view these files.
The CD Audio Guides are available only for the communities participating in The Big Read. If your community is participating, contact the lead community organization to receive a free Audio Guide. Non-participating communities can listen to the full audio online.
Day One
FOCUS: Word Choice and the Value of a Dictionary
Day One Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss the careful, studied choices poets make when selecting words and the value of understanding a word’s various meanings. Write an essay discussing the poem’s literal and symbolic meanings.
Homework: Handout One. “The Bells” (p. 315*) and “The City in the Sea” (p. 322).
Day Two
FOCUS: Sound, Tone, and Rhythm
Day Two Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss sound and rhythm in poetry. Write about the shifting moods in “The Bells” and the ways they are suggested.
Homework: “Annabel Lee” (pp. 319–320) and “Ulalume” (pp. 312–315).
Day Three
FOCUS: Biographical Criticism and the Speaker of a Poem
Day Three Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss ways of presenting personal experience in a work of art. Write about the effectiveness of the different presentations.
Homework: “To Helen” (p. 341) and “Sonnet—To Science” (pp. 337–338). Research Helen of Troy.
Day Four
FOCUS: Allusions
Day Four Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss important allusions in Poe’s poetry. Write about how understanding these allusions can deepen appreciation of the poems.
Homework: “The Raven” (pp. 301–307).
Day Five
FOCUS: Evaluating a Poem
Day Five Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss the components and the meaning of “The Raven.” Write about whether or not it is a successful poem.
Homework: “The Tell-Tale heart” (pp. 3–9).
Day Six
FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Day Six Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Write about the narrative point of view.
Homework: “The Fall of the House of Usher” (pp. 64–89).
Day Seven
FOCUS: Genre and Tradition
Day Seven Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss “The Fall of the House of Usher” as Gothic fiction. Write an essay on why works of fantasy are so appealing.
Homework: Handout Two. “The Purloined Letter” (pp. 137–162).
Day Eight
FOCUS: Genre and Originality
Day Eight Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss the originality and appeal of “The Purloined Letter.” Write about the motivations of the protagonist.
Homework: “Ligeia” (pp. 33–54).
Day Nine
FOCUS: Content and Context
Day Nine Lesson Plan
Activities: Discuss the meaning and merit of “Ligeia.” Write about whether or not a precise understanding is necessary to enjoy a work of literature.
Homework: Handout Three. Prepare outlines and begin essays.
Day Ten
FOCUS: What Makes a Writer Great?
Day Ten Lesson Plan
Activities: Evaluate the achievement of Poe and the most important elements of his work. Have students write about their personal reactions to Poe’s poems and short stories.
Homework: Finish essays.
* Page numbers refer to the 2007 Pocket Books paperback edition of Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.
