Teacher Directions:
Overview: In this activity students will learn about different theories regarding Poe's death. They will work in small groups to conduct research on this topic using the Knowing Poe Web site. This activity is designed for students who have read some of Edgar Allan Poe's work. You may choose to have your students read the Poe the Person section of the Knowing Poe Web site at http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/person/ to learn about his life or the Poe the Writer section at http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/writer/ to read some of his work.
This activity can be completed using a variety of technology configurations. If a computer lab is available, students can access the activity, worksheets and video through Thinkport. Another option would be to display the Web site on a classroom computer with a projection device. In this case, students will need a copy of each worksheet.
Introductory Activity
With the class, explore the information on the initial section of the interactive portion of the Knowing Poe Web site entitled It'll Be the Death of Me at http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/person/death.asp. This section provides a series of pictures and dialogue that can serve as background information for students. You may choose to read this portion of the site as a class or have students work individually. Begin at the rainy day scene and the introduction to a story about a student planning to write a paper and having the hard drive crash. Then follow each step in the interactive and stop when the PO-Q file draw appears with the Poe’s Death files displayed.
Focus for Media Interaction The focus for viewing the It'll Be the Death of Me section of this Web site is for students to examine evidence, theories, and primary source materials regarding three theories of how Edgar Allan Poe died.
Viewing Activity
In It'll Be the Death of Me students are asked to explore information regarding different theories of Poe's death by clicking on a variety of folders. Each folder describes a different theory of how Poe died. Have the students work in pairs and assign each pair one of the eight theories to explore. Different students have different strengths and weaknesses as readers. It would be helpful to review the different folders before making assignments, as some folders contain more clues then others, to make sure that your students are able to comfortably read through the materials in the file box and the additional links. You may wish to provide extra time or one-on-one support for less able readers as you work through the activity. Have the students use the Death of Me Find the Clues worksheet to record clues that support the theory they will be researching.
Tell the students that they will be responsible for explaining one theory of how Poe died and that they should use the worksheet to paraphrase the clues given in the folder and then search for more clues in the primary source documents listed as other resources. You may wish to assist students in paraphrasing their six clues. Remind the students that they are free to agree or disagree with the theories presented.
Post Viewing Activity
The final section of the Death of Me Find the Clues worksheet asks the students to summarize what they have learned about one theory of how Poe died. Provide time for students to work individually on this portion of the assignment. After the worksheets are completed, divide the class into small groups based on the theories they have chosen. Each group will then participate in a mock Detective's Forum where the students will create a presentation highlighting one theory of how Poe died.
Provide opportunities for students to ask questions and to critique each group's presentation in order to evaluate the plausibility of the theories presented. After each presentation have students raise their hands to show if they think this theory would hold up in court. Remind the students that no one is completely sure how Poe died, and that they can agree with more than one theory. After the students have listened to their classmates' presentations tell them to complete the final question on the Death of Me Find the Clues worksheet that asks them to them summarize two additional theories on how Poe died. The students may use the information they learned from their classmates' presentations or revisit the interactive and read more about the two additional theories of how Poe died.
The Detective Forum's Scoring Tool is provided to evaluate students' work.
Extension Activities Provide time for the students to go back to the interactive and finish reading the story to determine what the student in the library does with the information. Students must have explored at least three theories (files) on Poe’s death to complete the It’ll Be the Death of Me Interactive.