Teacher Directions:
Overview: In this activity students will learn new vocabulary as they explore word relationships. Students will read The Raven from the Annotated Poe interactive of the Knowing Poe online field trip and collect and illustrate selected vocabulary. Students will research the main points of the poem in order to summarize the poem. Students will work individually or in small groups to write and present a review of The Raven that includes the new words they have learned as well as the main points of the poem. The review will be written from a selected point of view. This activity should be done after students have read Edgar Allan Poe's poem, The Raven at least once or have the students listen to The Raven being read by clicking play on the video window in the Poe Library section of the Web site.
This activity can be completed using a variety of technology configurations. If a computer lab is available, students can access the activity and worksheets through Thinkport. Another option would be to display the interactive on a classroom computer with a projection device. In this case, students will need a copy of each worksheet.
Introductory Activity:
Since the students read The Raven recently, ask them to think about what they remember about this poem. Ask them to share words, lines, or descriptions they remember and their overall thoughts about the poem. Now access the Annotated Poe interactive at the Knowing Poe Web site at http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/writer/annotated.asp. Launch the interactive. Explore the structure of the Annotated Poe section for the class by clicking on the varied options. Show the students how to use the interactive to find word definitions. This can be done by hitting the tab entitled "What Does This Mean?" and scrolling over the highlighted words. The definitions appear in a box to the left of the poem.
Focus for Media Interaction #1:
The focus for viewing Annotated Poe is for students to learn new vocabulary in context as they explore an interactive version of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven.
Viewing Activity #1:
Explain to the class that they are many new vocabulary words in The Raven and that today they are going to use an interactive piece of the online field trip to learn the meaning of these new words. Ask the class to go to the Annotated Poe section and to launch the interactive piece. Have students select the “What Does that Mean” tab at the top of the page. Using the highlighted vocabulary words in the interactive students will complete the Raven Vocabulary Review worksheet by finding specific words in the poem, writing the line of the poem it is used in, and defining the word.
Post Viewing Activity #1:
Students should draw an image in the box provided in the worksheet. They can explore other terms not on the worksheet if they have time.
Focus for Media Interaction #2:
The focus for viewing Annotated Poe is for students to identify the main points of the poem The Raven.
Viewing Activity #2:
Students should use the “Where Is He Coming From” and “What Does That Mean” tabs in the Annotated Poe interactive to research main points of the poem. Students will complete the Raven Review Research worksheet as they interact with the poem.
Post Viewing #2:
Discuss with students how their reaction to the poem would differ based on the role they chose. You may need to review questions 6 and 7 with students using the interactive. Have the students go back to the Annotated Poe section and read the published reviews of the poem by clicking on the 'Where Is He Coming From?' section and clicking the highlighted words Once Upon and Dreary.
Depending on your class’ experience with writing literary reviews, you may choose to display the online version of the Baltimore Sun newspaper’s book reviews using the link provided in the activity. Some reviews require registration to the online newspaper. Registration is free.
Assessment: Students will use the information they have collected on their worksheets to write a review of the poem The Raven. Ask each student to write a review of The Raven on the Raven Review Worksheet that incorporates the new vocabulary they have learned as well as a summary of the poem. Have students review the Raven Review checklist and the Raven Review scoring rubric before they begin work on their review. Students should record their final review on the Raven Review worksheet. Provide students with an opportunity to present their reviews orally if time allows, and post them on a class Web site if possible.