Edgar Allan Poe Part 1: The Tell-Tale Heart

Subject: English Language Arts

Grade Level: 6th Grade

Topic: Literary Analysis of an Unreliable Narrator and Mood

Materials Needed:

• A printed or digital copy of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"
• Notebook or journal and a pen/pencil
• Art supplies: One large sheet of paper (11x17 or similar), markers, colored pencils, or crayons
• Optional: Computer/tablet to listen to a dramatic reading of the story

New York State 6th Grade ELA Learning Standards:

• 6R1: Locate and refer to relevant details and evidence to support inferences from a text. (We will do this by finding proof of the narrator's unreliability).
• 6R4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. (We will analyze Poe's word choices to understand the story's mood).
• 6W4: Create a coherent piece of writing with appropriate development, organization, and style for the task, purpose, and audience. (This will be practiced in the final journal prompt).

Lesson Plan and Activities

Part 1: The Hook - What is Truth? (5 minutes)

Let's start with a question: Have you ever told a story where you maybe stretched the truth a little to make yourself sound better or more reasonable? People do this all the time. In literature, when a storyteller can't be trusted, they are called an "unreliable narrator." Today, we are going to meet one of the most famous unreliable narrators in all of literature. Your first task is to decide if you believe him.

Part 2: The Reading - Hearing the Heartbeat (20 minutes)

Read "The Tell-Tale Heart." You can read it aloud, read it silently, or listen to a dramatic audio recording online (which can really enhance the creepy mood!). As you read, circle or jot down any words you don't know. Also, underline any phrases or sentences that you find particularly strange, scary, or interesting.

Key Vocabulary to Discuss:

• Acute: very sharp or sensitive.
• Vex: to annoy or bother.
• Audacity: boldness or daring.
• Vehemently: with intense force or passion.
• Gesticulations: energetic hand or body movements.
• Derision: ridicule or mockery.

Part 3: Literary Lesson - The Unreliable Narrator (15 minutes)

An unreliable narrator is a character whose telling of the story is not completely accurate or credible due to their mental state or personal biases. We can't take everything they say as fact.

Discussion Questions (Answer in your journal):

1. Right from the first sentence, the narrator insists he is not "mad." Does this make you trust him more or less? Why?
2. The narrator claims he loved the old man. Find one piece of evidence in the story that supports this claim and one piece of evidence that contradicts it.
3. List three specific actions or thoughts from the narrator that prove he is unreliable and possibly "mad." (For example, thinking the eye is evil, hearing a heartbeat that isn't real, etc.)

Part 4: Literary Lesson - Mood and Tone (10 minutes)

Mood is the feeling the *reader* gets from the story (e.g., suspenseful, terrifying, mysterious). Tone is the *narrator's* attitude toward the subject (e.g., proud, frantic, calm).

Discussion Questions (Answer in your journal):

1. What is the overall mood of this story? List 5 words or phrases Poe uses to create this mood (e.g., "dreadfully nervous," "a groan of mortal terror," "hellish tattoo").
2. How would you describe the narrator's tone when he is describing how cleverly he committed the crime? Is it regretful, proud, or something else?

Part 5: Art Activity - Mind Map of a Madman (25 minutes)

Let's get creative and map out what's going on inside the narrator's head. This will help you visualize his motivations, fears, and obsessions.

Instructions:

1. On your large sheet of paper, draw a large, simple silhouette of a human head.
2. Inside the head, fill the space with drawings, symbols, words, and quotes from the story that represent the narrator's mind.
3. Ideas to include:
   • A large, "vulture-like" eye that is the center of his obsession.
   • A loudly beating heart with sound waves coming off it.
   • Words like "madness," "guilt," "fear," and "pride."
   • Drawings of the lantern, the bed, and the floorboards where he hides the body.
   • A quote you found particularly powerful, like "I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him."
4. Use color to represent emotions. For example, red for anger and guilt, blue for the "evil eye," dark colors for the mood of the story.

Part 6: Wrap-up and Assessment (10 minutes)

Look at the "Mind Map" you created. It's a visual representation of your analysis.

Final Journal Prompt:

Imagine you are one of the police officers who visited the house. Write a one-paragraph report about what happened, describing the narrator's strange behavior and his eventual confession. How did you know something was wrong?

Edgar Allan Poe Part 2: The Black Cat

Subject: English Language Arts

Grade Level: 6th Grade

Topic: Analyzing Symbolism and Character Development

Materials Needed:

• A printed or digital copy of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat"
• Notebook or journal and a pen/pencil
• Art supplies: A sheet of black construction paper, white and/or colored chalk or oil pastels.
• Optional: Computer/tablet to look up common superstitions.

New York State 6th Grade ELA Learning Standards:

• 6R1: Locate and refer to relevant details and evidence to support inferences from a text. (We will use this to track the narrator's changes).
• 6R3: In literary texts, analyze how a particular story’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. (We will analyze the narrator's "downward spiral").
• 6R4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. (We will focus on the symbolic meaning of objects and events).

Lesson Plan and Activities

Part 1: The Hook - Are You Superstitious? (5 minutes)

Have you ever avoided walking under a ladder or felt a little nervous when a black cat crossed your path? These are superstitions! Poe loved using superstitions and common fears in his stories. In "The Black Cat," he explores how guilt and superstition can drive a person to do terrible things. As we read, think about whether the cat is just a cat, or something more.

Part 2: The Reading - A Descent into Madness (25 minutes)

Read "The Black Cat." This story contains more violence than "The Tell-Tale Heart," so be prepared. As you read, pay close attention to how the narrator changes from the beginning of the story to the end. How does his treatment of animals and his wife evolve?

Key Vocabulary to Discuss:

• Docility: easily managed or handled; gentle.
• Sagacious: wise; having good judgment.
• Tinctured: to be tinted or slightly affected by.
• Perverseness: a stubborn desire to behave in an unreasonable way, often in opposition to what is right or sensible.
• Conflagration: a huge, destructive fire.
• Apparition: a ghost or ghostlike image.

Part 3: Literary Lesson - Symbolism (15 minutes)

Symbolism is the use of objects, people, or ideas to represent something else. A simple example is a heart symbolizing love. Poe uses symbolism to give his story a deeper meaning.

Discussion Questions (Answer in your journal):

1. The first cat is named Pluto, after the Roman god of the underworld. Why is this a fitting name? What could Pluto symbolize at the start of the story (before the narrator harms him)?
2. After the fire, an image of a cat with a rope around its neck appears on the wall. What does this image symbolize for the narrator? (Think about guilt, evidence, or a haunting).
3. The white patch on the second cat changes shape to look like a gallows (the structure used for hanging). What does this symbolize? How is it an example of foreshadowing?

Part 4: Literary Lesson - Character Development (or Degradation) (15 minutes)

Characters in a story can change for the better or for the worse. In this story, the narrator undergoes a dramatic negative change. Let's trace his downfall.

Activity (In your journal):

Create a "Staircase of Evil." Draw a set of stairs going down. On each step, write one of the narrator's evil acts, starting with the first and continuing to the last. This will visually show his descent into madness and violence.

• Top Step: "A kind man who loves animals."
• Step 2: Begins drinking heavily.
• Step 3: Abuses Pluto.
• ...and so on, until the final acts of the story.

Part 5: Art Activity - The Chalk Apparition (20 minutes)

Let's recreate the ghostly image from the story that so terrified the narrator. This will help you focus on the power of a single, haunting image.

Instructions:

1. Take your sheet of black construction paper. This represents the darkness and the burnt wall.
2. Using white chalk or a white oil pastel, draw the outline of a large cat.
3. Draw the detail that made the image so horrifying: the rope around its neck.
4. Use your fingers to gently smudge the chalk lines. This will give your drawing a ghostly, smoky, and supernatural look, just like an "apparition."
5. If you have colored chalk, you can add hints of red or orange to symbolize the fire.
6. At the bottom of your artwork, write the word "GUILT."

Part 6: Wrap-up and Assessment (10 minutes)

Think about the narrators of both stories we have read. They are similar in some ways, but also very different.

Final Discussion Question:

The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" blames his actions on a "disease" and an "evil eye." The narrator of "The Black Cat" blames his actions on alcohol and "the spirit of PERVERSENESS." Do you think these narrators are truly not in control, or are they just making excuses for their evil behavior? Use one piece of evidence from either story to support your opinion.