Steven Di Iorio

English 10/CP

Mini-Unit Plan

Gothic Fiction

9/6-9-16

Essential Questions:

How does a collective fear affect the group or individuals?

Is hypocrisy a natural human flaw?

Why and how do religion, politics and persecution interact?

Is personal integrity more important than survival?

Does a governing body have the right to dictate morality?

Objectives: 1. Students will learnt the Gothic Elements of Literature through reading select works of

Edgar Allan Poe.2. Students will explain the motives and behaviors of the main characters.

3. Students will identify the protagonist, the antagonist, irony, foreshadowing, and the conflict in each story.

4. Students will define the following vocabulary words: snipe, pariah, rectory, moor, bog, falter, infirmities, imminent.

Assessments:

Class Participation

Journals

Worksheets

Study Questions

Projects

Quizzes/Tests

Group work/collaboration

CCSS Standards:

RL.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RL.9-10.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

RL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

RL.9-10.5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

W.9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

W.9-10.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

W.9-10.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

W.9-10.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

SL.9-10.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.

Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

Description: This mini-unit acts as an introduction to Gothic Literature and is a great segue way into The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter. The focus is on Edgar Allan Poe and his works: The Black Cat, The Raven, The Bells and Tell-Tale Heart. Although this is a perfect "Halloween-time" story, this story introduces students to the "surprise twist" present in so many stories today. This story also lends itself perfectly to many literary terms and devices. The lesson will involve storytelling, listening, reading, writing, discussion, and group activities.

Materials: Copies of the short stories covered Study Guide Questions

Quiz zes

Assessment: Collect students' study guide responses. Administer the quiz during another class time. The lesson will be deemed successful if the students respond successfully to the discussion questions and the students expressed enthusiasm for the storytelling strategy.

Opening activity: I will begin by distributing the anticipation guide and explaining the instructions for Part A. Students will have five minutes to brainstorm at least five things that they look for or expect to find in a scary story. Examples include: spiders, dark nights, full moon, vampires, and things underneath your bed. Then we will conduct a short whole-class discussion of their answers, discussing the following questions: What did they write down and why? Do they believe that these things add to the atmosphere of a scary story? Are they themselves scared by any of these things?

2.          Teaching content: Next, students work on Part B of the anticipation guide. I will go over the five statements, reading them aloud and explaining them. Students are instructed not to call out their answers, but must decide silently whether they agree or disagree with the statements and place a check mark in the appropriate column. Next, we will turn to our literature books (pg. 389) and read the biographical column on E. A. Poe. (I will ask one or more students to read this information aloud to engage them and keep their focus.)

·          Building content knowledge: We will discuss Poe briefly: Who was he? What kinds of stories, etc. did he write? Why is he considered the father of horror? Which current writers can students name whom Poe might have inspired? With what other items by Poe are students familiar?

·          Use of content in context: Now we begin reading "The Tell-Tale Heart." I will start reading through the first paragraph or so (our introduction to the madman) in order to set the tone and model for students the voice and manner in which they should read. Students will continue reading the story aloud according to the popcorn strategy. (While also relinquishing some power to the students, which I believe is important occasionally, the popcorn strategy also helps me continue to learn students' names, since the student reading must call on someone else by naming him/her to pick up reading.)

·          Building interpretation and practicing content: During our reading aloud, I will stop students and ask them questions about the story. Some stopping points and possible questions that I've identified include: 1) after "how calmly I can tell you the whole story." What is our first impression of the narrator? To whom is he speaking? What does he say about his senses? 2) after "rid myself of the eye for ever." What is it about the man that bothers the narrator? Why? How does he describe the eye? What plan does he concoct? 3) after "I looked in upon him while he slept." What does the narrator do each night? Why? How does he describe his nightly spying? Do we believe him? Is he an honest, trustworthy source or is he exaggerating? What in the story supports your opinion? When does the narrator sneak into the man's room? For how many evenings? How does the narrator act towards the old man during the day? Why doesn't he just kill the man during the day, when the eye is open? 4) after the paragraph that ends "hearkening to the death watches in the wall." What happens on the eighth night? How does the old man react? How does the narrator react? What does the narrator say he's usually doing each night? How does this fit in with what we already know about his mental state? 5) after "the soldier into courage." What does the narrator feel upon seeing the old man's terror? What does his momentary sympathy say about him? How might we incorporate this feeling into our established

impression of the narrator? What does the narrator do to the old man? What effect does the old man's eye have upon the narrator this time? 6) after "I had been too wary for that." What happens here at the climax of the story? How does the narrator kill the old man? What do the steps that he takes to hide the crime say about him? About his mental state? Do we believe that he is not insane? Has your opinion of him changed? 7) after "beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim." Why does the narrator no longer fear being caught? How does he react when the police arrive? Do you think that his confidence will wane? 8) at the end of the story. What happens to shake the narrator's calm? Why does he confess? Would the crime have been discovered eventually? When? By these particular police? Why or why not? Does the narrator really hear a heartbeat? Whose? Could it be his own that he hears?

·          Review of Content: Now that all students are familiar with the story, I will distribute the story map sheet for students to work on individually. On this sheet, they must place the events of the story in the correct order. Students will have approximately 10 minutes to work by themselves before we review as a class. I want to make sure that everyone understands the story's plot and events before moving on to the questions and the illustration activity.

·          Assessing content in context: Here we will move into the questions that I've written for students to answer. Depending upon which day this part of the lesson falls, students may either have the entire class period to work on these questions (while using their texts) or I may assign the questions for homework. Regardless, I'm looking for detailed answers that include evidence taken from the story. Of course, I want students to write in complete sentences, use correct punctuation, and do their best with spelling, but I'm a little more focused on asking them to continue working with citing evidence from the text, as this is a new skill to them and one which the other Language Arts teachers continue to reiterate in their classes, also.

3.          Closing activity/Assessing content: After students finish answering their questions, they will begin working on the illustration activity. The purpose of this activity is two-fold: 1) I wish to push their interpretations of at least one memorable scene from the story into a deeper level: what pictures do the words create for the reader? 2) I want students to become more aware of the power of descriptive language to paint pictures in the reader's mind, and I them to use their knowledge of figurative language (onomatopoeia, alliteration, simile, metaphor, personification, and idioms) to begin experimenting with using their own words to create pictures and scenes for the reader. During this activity, students must draw a memorable scene and provide a written description of that scene, using language that they create and including two kinds of figurative language. Students will not be graded on their artistic ability but rather the clarity, appropriateness, and creativity of their description, as well as whether or not it includes the required figurative language. Students will have class time and time at home to work on this assignment. Both the questions and the drawing activity are due Friday.

Days One and Two:

Gothic Fiction and Poe (intro to short stories)

Concepts Taught: stages of plot, protagonists, antagonists, recognizing simile, metaphors, etc.

PowerPoint on Edgar Allan Poe and Gothic Elements

Days Three and Four

Reading of “The Tell-Tale Heart and “The Raven” with T-chart comparisons. Questions answered from discussion question worksheets

Days Five and Six

Analysis of “The Bells” with student centered connections to real life sounds that can cause insanity.Vocabulary review

Day SevenClose reading of “The Black Cat” Answer discussion questions

Day EightHandout short story assignment. The class is split into groups of 2-3 and has to write a short story using a page of words provided by the teacher. It must be presented to the class.Vocabulary quiz

Day NinePresentations

Responses to the Gothic Movement

Excerpts from “Gothic Threats” – Andrew Cooper

– “Examinations of eighteenth-century critics’ condemnations of the Gothic reveals more than a widespread belief that the literature of terror threatened the social order in terrifying ways: it also reveals that critics took the task of defending society upon themselves, using their condemnations in an effort to shield the social order from the most dangerous Gothic texts. A strong political agenda either overtly or covertly informs the ‘supposedly’ aesthetic judgements of these critics-as-social-defenders” (18)

– “While anxiety of the potential pernicious influence of certain kinds of art itself, the vehemence with the British critics condemned most Gothic novels in the politically and socially turbulent 1790s that the peak of the early Gothic’s popularity marked the beginning of a new era for the fear of literature’s generative potential” (18).

It is not difficult to see that Gothic literature would not have been seen as popular at that time. According or Markmen Ellis “For most of its history the institutions of literary criticism have largely ignored the Gothic novel” (12).

Story Impressions: A Pre-reading/writing Activity

Directions:

Write a short story. Every word must be used once.

THE TELL-TALE HEART

house

old man

young man

hated

ugly eye

death

tub, blood, knife

buried

floor

police

heartbeat

guilt

crazy

confession

Question Excerpt From The Raven, By Edgar Allan Poe

1) What time does the poem take place?A. MidnightB. NoonC. Dawn

2) When the author first heard the "rapping at his chamber door", who did he think was outside?A. His neighbor, who had been dead for three yearsB. The ravenC. Some late night visitor

3) What month does the poem take place?A. DecemberB. JanuaryC. February

4) What is the name of the "rare and radiant maiden" whom the author pines for?A. AnnabelleB. LenoreC. Lydia

5) What happens when the author opens the door?A. The raven flies inB. He only sees darknessC. He sees Lenore standing outside

6) What word does the raven say whenever it talks?A. NevermoreB. ProphetC. Lenore

7) What does the author call the bird throughout the poem?A. LenoreB. ProphetC. My friend

8) How did the raven get into the house?A. He stepped in the windowB. He flew in the door

C. He was already in the house

9) Where does the raven perch when he comes into the house?A. The door frameB. The mantle above the fireplaceC. A bust of Pallas

10) And finally, what was the author doing at the beginning of the poem when he heard the rapping at his door?A. Reading a bookB. Writing a letterC. Eating dinner

Name:

Vocabulary Test

"The Tell-Tale Heart"

I have included 15 of the 18 words to test you on. Write the definition of the word provided. For some numbers, the definition is provided and you will need to write the word that is being defined. There is an extra credit question below.

1.      hearken-

2.      dissimulation-

3.      cunningly-

4.      vexed-

5 - seek for information by questioning-

6.      profound-

7.      sagacity-

8.      suppositions-

9.      slow, deliberate, and secret in action or character-

10.  pulsation-

11.  to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of-

12.  marked by forceful energy

13.  derision-

14.  gesticulations-

15.  dissemble-

Extra Credit: How many policemen sit with the narrator?

Pre-Reading Vocabulary for "The Tell-Tale Heart"

1.      hearken- to give respectful attention

2.      dissimulation- to hide under false appearances

3.      cunningly- characterized by wiliness and trickery

4.      vexed- to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to

5.      inquiring- seek for information by questioning

6.      profound- difficult to fathom or understand

7.      sagacity- of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment

8.      suppositions- to lay down tentatively as a hypothesis, assumption, or proposal; to think probable or in keeping with the facts

9.      stealthily- slow, deliberate, and secret in action or character

10.  pulsation- a single beat or throb

11.  dismembered- to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of

12.  suavity- smoothly though often superficially gracious and sophisticated

13.  vehemently- marked by forceful energy

14.  derision- the use of ridicule or scorn to show contempt

15.  gesticulations- an expressive gesture made in showing strong feeling or in enforcing an argument

16.  trifles- something of little value, substance, or importance

17.  dissemble- conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense

18.  premises- a tract of land with the buildings thereon; a building or part of a building usually with its appurtenances (as grounds)

Study Questions for "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe

Style is a writer’s characteristic way of writing, such as his choice of words, sentence structure, imagery, and subject matter. After reading the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” answer the following questions about the writer’s style and identify various characteristics of Poe’s style.

1. Is this story told in first person, second person, or third person point of view? How can you tell?

2. Is the conflict in this story external or internal? Could it be both? Give evidence from the story to support your answer.

3. As the story opens, what is the relationship like between the old man and the narrator?

4. Why does the narrator commit his crime?

5. Why does he wait 8 days to commit his crime?

6. What do you think the narrator is really hearing at the end of the story? What makes you think so?

7. What special words does the author use to help you see, hear, smell, and/or taste things in the story? (imagery)

8. What pictures did the author leave in your mind? (imagery)

9. Give two examples of figurative language used in the story.

10. Locate one example of grim humor and/or horror used in the story.

11. What sort of conclusion is the reader most likely to make after reading these opening lines from the story? “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded….”

12. What sound is being described in the following passage from the story? “….now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick, sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.”

13. Why do you think the main character “admits the deed” to the police officers?

EXTRA CREDIT: What is the Imp of the Perverse, and how to do you see it used in the Tell-Tale Heart?

Anticipation Guide for "The Tell-Tale Heart"

Name __________________

Directions: Part A - Below, describe 5 things that you expect to find in scary stories.

First, read the following statements and decide whether you agree or disagree with them, placing a check mark in the correct column. Make sure to tell me why!

1. People who are insane always know that they are insane.                    

2. Sane people sometimes imagine that they hear things.                    

3. If you commit a major crime, sooner or later you will be caught.                    

4. When you've done something wrong, it's agony to wonder if you'll be caught.                    

5. All people share the same fears (i.e., the same things frighten all people.)

              The Tell-Tale Heart Drawing Activity

-          Choose a memorable scene from the story (example: the murder scene, the confession scene, etc.) and illustrate it in color.

-          Give an explanation of the picture - what is happening in this scene? Be as specific as possible.

-          Finally, you must include two kinds of figurative language, which you come up with on your own, to make your description more interesting (choose two: alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor, simile, idiom, and personification)

Name:

English 10 Honors

Quiz

Q.1)  In what way has the old man previously wronged the narrator?

A. in absolutely no way B. by cheating him in business C. by humiliating him in public D. by refusing to lend him money

Q.2)  The narrator imagines the old man's bad eye as the eye of a

A. pig. B. baby. C. snake. D. vulture.

Q.3)  The old man has fastened his shutters because

A. he's afraid of robbers. B. he's allergic to the night air. C. he's afraid that people will see into his room. D. they bang open and shut when the wind blows.

Q.4)  The narrator compares the lantern's ray falling on the eye to

A. a raindrop. B. a diving eagle. C. a spider's thread. D. an arrow shot from a bow.

Q.5)  The old man can best be characterized as

A. calm and easygoing. B. absolutely fearless. C. pushy and obnoxious. D. nervous and excitable.

Q.6)  How does the murderer get rid of the victim's body?

A. He dumps it into a river.

B. He dissolves it in very strong acid. C. He cuts it up and buries it under the floorboards. D. He puts it on a boat that is departing that very night.

Q.7)  An important example of sound imagery in the story is

A. a train whistle. B. a watch's ticking. C. the chirping of birds. D. the cascading of water.

Q.8)  The narrator claims that his attitude toward the old man has always been

A. loving. B. hateful. C. highly critical. D. coolly respectful.

Q.9)  An image that signals the approaching death of the old man is

A. a broken glass. B. a torn portrait. C. a black shadow. D. a black widow spider.

Q.10)  When he lets the police into the old man's room, the narrator sits

A. on the bed. B. on the window sill. C. between the police officers. D. directly above the hidden corpse.

Q.11)  The narrator makes his confession to the police because

A. he wants them to show mercy. B. he lapses into a brief period of sanity. C. the sound of the beating heart becomes unbearable. D. he sees that they have figured out what happened.

Q.12)  The narrator's nervousness increased his ______ sense of hearing. He could hear really well.

A. refrained B. acute C. vexed D. waned

Q.13)  The narrator was ______ by the old man's eye. It disturbed him greatly.

A. waned B. suavity C. vexed D. vehemently

Q.14) 

The narrator said, "In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild _____ of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim."

A. singularly B. vehemently C. hypocritical D. audacity

Q.15)  The narrator says, "Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers--of my sagacity. I could barely contain my feelings of triumph." What does he mean by sagacity?

A. insanity B. ignorance C. intelligence D. happiness

Fill in the blanks( complete sentences not needed)

16. What was the name of Poe’s wife?

17. How many years did he watch her slowly die?

18. What happened to Poe’s father?

19. Poe was the father of horror stories and of what other genre?

20. Poe compared the sound of the heart beating to a watch enveloped in what?

21. How many minutes did it take Poe to open the door to see the old man?

22. On what day did Poe finally kill the old man? (think numbers)

23. The father of psychoanalytic theory is who?

24. The word gothic is derived from what background? (latin, greek, etc)

25. How much money did Poe make off of his best selling story?

Extra credit:

1) How many planks did Poe pull up in order to bury/hide the body?

Impossible extra credit:

2) The amount of times Poe said the word bells plus the amount of creatures we discussed are linked to cannibals minus the amount of letters in the last name of the author who wrote the first Gothic novel.