Set-up Directions:
Make copies for each student of the What I Know About Poe worksheet. Students will work in heterogeneous pairs to complete the activity, so they will need to be grouped ahead of time. Try to group a strong reader or Web navigator with a less strong student in these areas to support learning. The What I Know About Poe Answer Key should be downloaded and printed for assessment as well. The Edgar Allen Poe Obituary Instructions and Rubric handout should be copied for each student pair. Finally, have the sample obituaries ready for use in the second activity.
Access The Raven Web site and be prepared to project it and to read it or play the audio for the class as the lesson motivation.
Bookmark the Knowing Poe online field trip Web site on all student computers for easy access. The "teacher" computer, equipped with a projection device and sound card, should also be bookmarked for easy access. All student computers should have print capability, either Real Player or Windows Media Player, sound cards, and Microsoft Word.
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
(10 minutes)
Say, "You are about to listen to a famous piece of literature. See if you can tell me who wrote it. Hold your thoughts until the end."
Using the teacher computer, project The Raven Web site to the class. Dim the lights and click the audio version to play The Raven (read aloud on audio) for the students. (If you don't have an LCD, you can print a copy of The Raven and choose a paragraph or section to read that you feel will motivate or peak your students' interest.)
Say, "Edgar Allan Poe was a mysterious American writer who lived in the early to mid-1800's. He was considered dark by some, crazy by others, and a genius to most. Today we'll be going on an online field trip with Edgar Allan Poe, to learn about his life and his literature. The activities you will be doing today will help you gather important information that will prepare you to write a thorough and informative obituary."
Activity 1 - What I Know About Poe
(45 minutes)
Distribute the What I Know About Poe worksheet to all students. In pairs, students will navigate the Knowing Poe online field trip. They will use the worksheet to help guide them through the site and will be tasked to pull out important information found in the text. Students will answer a series of questions, whose answers lie within the text. After navigating the online field trip, student pairs will compile their information to formulate an obituary for Edgar Allan Poe in the next activity. Those students who complete the worksheet early may try the extra credit Baltimore Ravens activity found at the bottom of the What I Know About Poe worksheet.
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
The focus for interacting with the Knowing Poe online field trip is for students to extract biographical information about Edgar Allen Poe in order to complete the worksheet entitled What I Know About Poe.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Students will be responsible for working to complete the questions on the What I Know About Poe worksheet. During this time, the teacher will act as a facilitator to guide students through the online field trip. When needed, he or she may direct students towards beneficial information. The worksheet provides detailed directions for students to navigate the site.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
Student pairs may Think-Pair-Share with another student pair to share information they learned from their exploration. Those student pairs who finish the worksheet early may complete the Extra Credit activity found at the bottom of the worksheet.
Activity 2 - Edgar Allen Poe Obituary
(20 minutes)
Once the students have completed the What I Know About Poe worksheet, in pairs, they will create an obituary for Edgar Allen Poe. Before tasking students with this assignment, they will view sample obituaries to get an idea of what is written in a typical obituary. You may provide elaborate samples or very brief ones. Be sure to have at least one lengthy one.
Ask, "How many of you have ever read an obituary before?" Allow a show of hands. Continue, "Well, for those of you who might be unfamiliar with obituaries, I have provided some examples from the newspaper for you to read. This is to prepare you for the next activity." You might distribute the samples and allow students to read and pass them along. Then choose one which is lengthy to analyze. Read it aloud or ask a student to read it aloud.
Ask, "What information is contained in this obituary?" (name of deceased, names of survivors, place of residence, possibly important achievements or events in deceased's life, etc.).
Distribute the Edgar Allen Poe Obituary Instructions and Rubric handout to all students. Review the directions and rubric. Tell students that they will work in their pairs to write an obituary for Edgar Allen Poe, either on paper or using the computer. They may refer to their What I Know About Poe worksheet for biographical information.
Allow about 20 minutes for this activity, reminding students to refer to the rubric to assure all requirements are met.
Wrap Up:
Conclude the lesson by saying, "I'd like to know what important moments and events in Edgar Allan Poe's life you felt people should remember when they read his obituary. Can you share one thing you felt was important to include?" Allow select students to share one item from their obituary.
Discuss and wrap up with a praise statement, such as, "You've done a great job pulling the important pieces of Edgar Allan Poe's life together from your reading."
Collect worksheets and the obituaries to assess using the What I Know About Poe Answer Key and the obituary rubric.