short story of the month - i'm lovin' lit...literary devices scavenger hunt –i came up...

3 ©2018 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Short Story of the Month"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe

Table of Contents

Terms of Use 2

Table of Contents 3

List of Activities, Common Core Standards Alignment, & Difficulty Levels 4

Digital Components/Google Classroom Guide 5

Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, and Procedures: EVERYTHING 6-11

Activity 1: Tone Interactive Notebook Lesson 12-13

Activity 4: Comprehension Guide/Objective Summary w/Key 14-19

Activity 5: Comprehension Quiz (Basic Facts Recall) w/Key 20-21

Activity 6: Plot Diagram Graphic Organizer w/Key 22-23

Activity 7: Tone Analysis w/Key 24-27

Activity 8: Vocabulary Guide: Word Usage w/Key 28-31

Activity 9: Literary Device Scavenger Hunt w/Key 32-33

Activity 10: ACE Questions (Text Evidence Activity) w/Key 34-39

Activity 11: Annotation Guide (Evidence of Insanity) 40-42

Activity 12: Analyze Text Evidence of Insanity w/Key 43-48

Activity 13: Organize and Classify Evidence w/Key 49-50

Activity 14: Write an Outline for Argumentative Essay 51-52

Activity 15: Essay Rubric for Argumentative Essay 53

Activity 16: Story vs. Short Film Analysis Graphic Organizer w/Key 54-55

Activity 17: Comprehension Skills Test w/Key 56-61

Activity 18: *Modified Comprehension Skills Test w/Key 62-67

Activity 19: Original Article: The Strange Life of Edgar Allan Poe 68-69

Activity 20: Poe Article Text Structure Activity (RI.8.5) 70-73

Activity 21: Essential Question 74-75

TEKS ALIGNMENT 76

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Tone Interactive Notebook Lesson* RL.8.4

Activity 2: Practice Mood and Tone Printables** RL.8.4

Activity 3: Journal Question* SL.8.1

Activity 4: Comprehension Guide/Obj. Summary* RL.8.1

Activity 5: Comprehension Quiz* RL.8.1

Activity 6: Plot Diagram Graphic Organizer** RL.8.2, RL.8.1, RL.8.3

Activity 7: Tone Analysis** RL.8.4, RL.8.1

Activity 8: Vocab Guide: Word Usage** RL.8.4, RL.8.1

Activity 9: Literary Device Scavenger Hunt*** RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.5, 8.6

Activity 10: ACE Questions for Text Evidence** RL.8.1

Activity 11: Annotation Guide for Text Evidence** RL.8.1, RI.8.6, W.8.1, 8.5, 8.9

Activity 12: Analyze Text Evidence of Insanity *** RL.8.1, RI.8.6, W.8.1, 8.5, 8.9

Activity 13: Organize and Classify Evidence** RL.8.1, RI.8.6, W.8.1, 8.5, 8.9

Activity 14: Write an Outline for Argumentative Essay** RL.8.1, RI.8.6, W.8.1, 8.5, 8.9

Activity 15: Rubric for Argumentative Essay*** RL.8.1, RI.8.6, W.8.1, 8.5, 8.9

Activity 16: Story vs. Movie Analysis** RL8.7, RL.8.1

Activity 17: Comprehension Skills Test** RI.8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.6, 8.7

Activity 18: *Modified Comprehension Skills Test** RI.8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.6, 8.7

Activity 19: Original Article: The Life of Edgar Allan Poe* RI.8.1

Activity 20: Poe Text Structure Activity** RI.8.1, RI.8.5

Activity 21: Essential Question*** RI.8.6, RI.8.1, RL.8.1, RI.8.9



Teacher’s Guide

Common Core Standards Alignment



Teacher’s Guide

Instructions for Google Classroom Digital Components

All student activities are available in digital format compatible with Google Classroom. They are available in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

Google SlidesFirst, I have made all student pages in Google Slides format. Students can simply add text boxes to any area they wish to type on. To access the Google Slides for this short story unit, copy and paste the link below into your browser:

(link available only in full resource)

Google FormsI have made the assessments available in Google Forms. Here, they are self-grading, and I have set them all up with answer keys so they are ready to go for you. You’ll need to find these two files in your download folder to use Google Forms. The first file contains the links to the Forms, and the second file is explicit instructions for use.



Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, and ProceduresI have also discussed here how I use each activity and included hints and links to help you, too. I went ahead and mapped out the days for you. Feel free to take or leave what you like. Even if you don’t plan to follow this schedule, I still recommend reading through this section to get the most out of these activities.

These lessons and activities were designed to meet the needs of eight graders during the first half of the school year. The stories, activities, questions, and assessments will become increasingly rigorous and challenging as we progress through the year.

Teacher’s Guide

Day 11. Activity 1: 20-25 minutesTone mini-lesson – interactive notebook lesson included, tone only pulled from lesson that included both mood and tone in case you needed to reteach/review this with your students. Notice that although mood is shown in the sample images, they are constructed the exact same way.2. Activity 2: 20-25 minutesI included a mood and tone practice. Note that this is included as a separate file in the download folder and is an excerpt from Practice & Assess Literature Grades 7-8.3. Activity 3: 5-10 minutesJournal prompt - discuss if desired. Separate file (PPTX) in the download folder.

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3



Teacher’s Guide

Day 21. Read Story w/Comprehension Guide: 35-45 minutesRead the short story for understanding. Discuss as needed. I’ve included several options for doing this. Because this story is in the public domain, I was able to include those options here for you.Option 1 (My Recommendation) – Left/Right Summary: (6 pages) As students read original story text on the left, they’ll fill in the blanks on the right to help them understand the super high level text as they read (The Lexile for TTH is 1350L!)*Note that this is a separate file in the download folder labeled TTH Text Option 1 Comp Guide* Option 2 (If your students have a copy of the text) – Just print out the comprehension guide included in this document (Activity 4).Option 3 – Text Only – This option is the story/text only on the fewest pages as possible (3)

Challenge – Even though it’s a very difficult text, consider putting students into groups of 3 and letting them grapple with the text AS LONG AS they’ve got the Comprehension Guide from Option 1 or Option 2 above. Then regroup and review the story.

Activity 4 (Option 1)



1. Activity 5: 25 minutesQuiz – Basic Comprehension (Recall Facts) This quiz checks

for basic comprehension and recall of the story. There are no higher order thinking questions on this quiz, no inferring, no analyzing, no drawing conclusions, etc. so I do not recommend that students use a copy of the story for this quiz unless they need that as a testing accommodation.Alternate Use – Use this as a cold read opportunity after student completes first read independently.*NOTE* Key included as always, not shown here.2. Activity 6: 30 minutesPlot diagram – routine practice mapping out the parts of the plot. Some students will think (and I’ve even seen other sources say) that the climax of the story is the murder. It is actually not the murder and here’s why - the story continues to build, becoming increasingly tense and heated, until the climax of the narrator sitting on top of the old man’s body.



Teacher’s Guide

Day 3

Day 41. Activity 7: 25 minutesTone Analysis - Simple and straightforward – students read excerpts and analyze the tone of each in a few different ways. In some cases, students identify (underline) specific words and phrases that represent the tone they selected or identified.2. Activity 8: 25 minutesVocabulary Guide – Word Usage – another very straightforward activity. Here, students must select the sentence (out of 4 choices) that uses the vocabulary word the same way as in the provided excerpt from the story text. Answer keys included, but not shown here.

Activity 5

Activity 6

Activity 7

Activity 8

1. Activity 9: 25 minutesLiterary Devices Scavenger Hunt – I came up with this as a

way to challenge students to identify several devices within the story that I didn’t have time to address individually, like irony, personification, hyperbole, and alliteration.2. Activity 10: 30 minutesACE Text-dependent questions. I’ve included two versions of this student page – the first version has separate spaces broken down for answer, cite, and explain as students work through the ACE method. I’ve also included a version without the prompts in case your student are past this. Check my store for the FREE interactive notebook lesson if you need it!



Teacher’s Guide

Day 5

Days 6, 7, and 8*I’m including all 3 days together since students will be doing small parts leading up to one essay (short, just a paragraph) on day 8. But even if you don’t want to do the essay, definitely consider doing at least Activities 11, 12, and maybe 13 for the literature standards. J1. Activity 11: 30 minutesAnnotate story, highlighting text evidence that proves the narrator is insane.2. Activity 12: 45 minutesAnalyze each piece of evidence from Activity 11, explaining HOW it proves the narrator is insane. I’ve included a version where students add evidence and one that already has 12 pieces of evidence to analyze.3. Activity 13: 30 minutesOrganize insanity evidence into categories – see sample on how to organize.4. Activity 14: 30 minutesWrite an outline for the argumentative essay – categories are broken down and organized in a visually pleasing way for students to complete.5. Activity 15: 50 minutesWrite the essay – rubric included, editable version also included.

Activity 9

Activity 10

Activity 11Activity 12 Activity 13

Activity 14

Activity 15

©2018 erin cobb imlovinlit.com


Teacher’s Guide

Day 91. Activity 16: 50 minutesStudents view a short film version of “The Tell-Tale Heart” and consider the extend to which the movie stays faithful to or departs from the short story version. Hard-hitting specifically RL.8.7 here! Have students complete the first column before watching the movie – super helps with confusion during the movie. They can complete the second column easily while watching the movie and may need a few extra minutes at the end to complete the last question. You may also need to show the film a second time to allow students to finalize their answers.Youtube: https://youtu.be/VNcaHlfyzOgBackup: https://goo.gl/eceQAc

Day 101. Activity 17: Skills TestComprehension Skills Test. Meant to be given along with a copy of the selection, though I wouldn’t allow students to use annotated selection unless it was a test modification. Keys included although not shown on the right. This test touches on the various activities throughout this unit to test for mastery. Questions 1-10 (pages 1-2) are multiple choice, and questions 11-12 (page 3) are extended response. I’ve included the specific CCSS skill tested with each question in green on the answer key. **NOTE** The final question on the test asks students about the story to film comparison, so it may be necessary to show the movie again near the end of the test – it’s only about 13 minutes long.

Note that Activity 18 is a modified version of this test –all answer choices are reduced to 2 instead of 4.

Activity 16

Activity 17

Activity 18

10



Teacher’s Guide

Day 111. Activity 19: 20minutesPaired Text: Original Nonfiction Article, “The Disturbing History of Human Experimentation” – this and the next two activities are bonuses from the 8th grade Reading Informational Text Standards companion to this resource: Article of the Week! Find tons more activities with this article, including text evidence activities, a quiz, and a test, in the full resource in my TpT store.2. Activity 20: 30 minutesPractice text structure (RI.8.5) as your students review the article and show their comprehension. Answer key included

Day 12

Activity 19

Activity 20

1. Activity 21: 30-45 minutesEssential Question: Tie it all together. The big SHE-BANG. Boom-shakalaka. Hard stuff. Good luck. :)


"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan PoeShort Story of the Month Reading Literature

Focus: Comprehension

Activity 4

1. In this first paragraph, the narrator confesses that he is nervous but insists that he is not mad

(he means that he is not insane).

2. The narrator writes that he is going to tell us a story, and he is going to do it healthily and

calmly.

3. The narrator has decided that he must kill the old man, even though he admits that he had no

good reason to do so.

4. The narrator must do this because of his eye. He describes it as pale blue in color with a film

over it and says that it looks like a vulture.

5. The narrator accuses the reader of thinking that he’s mad (crazy), so he’s going to prove that

he’s not with his story.

6. The narrator was nice/kind to the old man during the week before he killed him.

7. Every night at midnight the narrator sneaked into the old man’s bedroom very, very slowly so

that he did not wake or disturb the old man.

8. He did this for seven nights.

9. Every morning, the narrator pretended as if nothing happened, conversing politely and asking

him how he had passed the night.

10.The old man would have had to be very profound/smart to suspect anything.

11.On the eighth night the narrator was extra cautious as he entered.

12.The narrator was feeling especially confident/powerful that night.

13.The old man might have heard the narrator because he moved suddenly, as if startled.

14.The reader probably thinks that the narrator should have drawn back, but he did not, because

he was confident that the old man did not see him. He continued on.

15.When the narrator made a noise, the old man sprang up in the bed and cried out, “Who’s

there?”

Guided Objective Summary / Comprehension Guide

©2018 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan PoeShort Story of the Month Literature + Vocabulary

Activity 7

A. Tone Analysis

Focus: Mood & Tone

1. What tone is used in paragraph 2? Read the excerpt below and list three adjectives to describe the narrator’s tone.

I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever.

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________

2. Circle the adjective you wrote above that you feel best describes the tone.

3. In the next paragraph, his tone changes. Read the excerpt and then circle the adjective that bestdescribes this tone.

angry psychotic disturbed

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution— with what foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work!

a. terrifying b. convincing c. exciting d. tense

4. Read this excerpt from paragraph 3 and consider how the narrator is feeling when he says this. Write three adjectives to describe his tone on the lines below.

Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed! Ha!

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ confident determined bragging

5. Identify the tone of the excerpt below. Then, underline the words and phrases in the excerpt that best illustrate the tone.

Tone: ____________________

Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers—of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream ofmy secret deeds or thoughts.

victorious, proud

26



Skill: Citing Text Evidence

Activity 10

Answer:

Cite:

Explain:

5. Do you think that the policemen suspected anything before the narrator confessed?

The narrator talks about how calmly he walks them around the house, and they do not seem to question the narrator. There is no evidence they doubt him.

Perhaps they do become suspicious right before he confesses, as he starts making wild gesticulations and talking more passionately.

6. What do you think makes the narrator confess?

The narrator’s guilt forces him to confess.

As the narrator continued to entertain the police, he began to believe he could hear the old man’s heart beating. He became more and more hysterical as the sound echoed in his head.

Even though he had the police completely fooled, his overconfidence quickly turned to guilt as he sat on top of the old man’s body.

Answer:

Cite:

Explain:

4. Speculate – what do you think is the relationship between the old man and the narrator? How do they know each other?

The narrator and the old man are likely relatives, and perhaps the narrator is his caretaker.

The narrator talks about how nice he was to the old man during the week before he killed them, and they clearly live together. When the police come, the narrator explains that the old man is away in the country.

The old man may have cataracts which would explain the veil over his eye and would also explain why he has a relative or caretaker living with him.

Answer:

Cite:

Explain:

Possible answers; some will vary

I don’t believe the policemen suspected anything until right before the narrator confesses.



Activity 12

Skill: Find Text Evidence

Find Text Evidence – Insane Argument (Prewriting Activity)Annotate or take notes from the story for specific evidence that shows the narrator is insane. Write the evidence in the left column. Then, in the right column, explain how the evidence shows that the narrator is insane.

Define Insanity: What does it mean to be insane?

The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell.

The narrator admits that he has some type of disease, and that his senses, especially hearing, were functioning in a way that was outside of the norm. He also says he can hear things from heaven and hell, which are not possible without something paranormal.

I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever.

The narrator is unusually and irrationally preoccupied with the old man’s eye. He decides to murder the old man simply so that his eye won’t bother him anymore. That’s not normal! There are other better solutions to this problem that a sane person would conclude.

And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha!

The narrator stalked the old man. Again, not sane behavior.The methodical behavior required to stalk someone this way – it taking an entire hour to place his whole head in the door’s opening – is not something a normal, sane person could or would want to do.

Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers—of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream ofmy secret deeds or thoughts.

The narrator is getting some kind of sick intensepleasure out of stalking. Again, not normal.

in a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill



Activity 16

Skill: Comparing/Contrasting Multiple Versions

Short Film vs. Movie Analysis

Short FilmShort Story

From

whe

re is

th

e na

rrat

or

telli

ng t

he

stor

y?

Des

crib

e th

e st

alki

ng s

cene

.H

ow d

oes

the

narr

ator

com

mit

the

mur

der

?

Name one part of the story and short film (not previously mentioned above) that are portrayed similarly.

Answer each question as you consider the extent to which the short film version of “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Directed by Gregory James Green) stays faithful to or departs from the short story.

Name one part of the story and short film (not previously mentioned above) that are portrayed very differently.

How does the author use words to make the narrator appear to be insane? How does the film director make the man appear insane in the short film?



Skills Test

Comprehension Skills TestChoose the best answer.

3. Why was the narrator nice to the old man during the week before he murdered him?a. The narrator felt sorry for the old man.b. The narrator did not want the old man to be suspicious.c. The narrator enjoyed the old man’s company.d. The narrator was related to the old man.

4. Which excerpt from the story best supports your answer to the previous question?a. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what

foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work! b. I fairly chucked at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed

suddenly, as if startled.c. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—d. I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed

him..

5. The narrator is driven to commit murder because of…a. the old man’s eye. c. revenge.b. jealousy. d. his anger over the old man’s

actions.

6. In which choice below is the boldface word used the same as in this excerpt from the story? True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?

a. The concert was mad! It was without a doubt the best night of my life.b. The dog was clearly mad as he shredded the man’s shoe in anger.c. The defense attorney set out to prove that his client, the defendant, was mad

when he committed the murder and did not understand right from wrong.d. At the diplomatic summit, the two men engaged in a heated debate before the

first man, mad about the canceled meeting, lashed out at the second man.

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

_____

Activity 18

1. The narrator wants to convince the reader that he is…a. confident.b. sane.c. sharp.d. evil.

2. The climax of the story occurs when…a. the narrator disassembles the body.b. the policemen arrive.c. the narrator and policemen sit in chairs on top of

the body.d. the narrator confesses to murder.

3. Why

RL.8.1RL.8.2

RL.8.2RL.8.3

RL.8.1RL.8.3

RL.8.1RL.8.3

RL.8.2RL.8.3

RL.8.4


Short Story of the Month

Activity 21

Essential QuestionSkill: Integrate Information

from Varied Formats

1. What is ”The Tell-Tale Heart” about?

2. Did Poe experience death in his own life? Explain.

EQ: How was Poe’s writing, specifically “The Tell-Tale Heart,” affected by his life?

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Tone Interactive Notebook Lesson* 9(F)

Activity 2: Practice Mood and Tone Printables** 9(F)

Activity 3: Journal Question* 5(E), 6(A)(I)

Activity 4: Comprehension Guide/Obj. Summary* 5(B)(D) 6(D) 8(A)

Activity 5: Comprehension Quiz* 5(F) 8(A)

Activity 6: Plot Diagram Graphic Organizer** 8(A), 7(A)(B)(C), 6(D)

Activity 7: Tone Analysis** 9(F)

Activity 8: Vocab Guide: Word Usage** 2(B)

Activity 9: Literary Device Scavenger Hunt*** 9(E)

Activity 10: ACE Questions for Text Evidence** 6(C)

Activity 11: Annotation Guide for Text Evidence** 8(Di)(E) 6(B)(C)(J) 10(A)(B)

Activity 12: Analyze Text Evidence of Insanity *** 8(Di)(E) 6(B)(C)(J) 10(A)(B)

Activity 13: Organize and Classify Evidence** 8(Di)(E) 6(B)(C)(J) 10(A)(B)

Activity 14: Write an Outline for Argumentative Essay** 8(Di)(E) 6(B)(C)(J) 10(A)(B)

Activity 15: Rubric for Argumentative Essay*** 8(Di)(E) 6(B)(C)(J) 10(A)(B)

Activity 16: Story vs. Movie Analysis**

Activity 17: Comprehension Skills Test** 5(E) 6(C)(D) 7(A)(B)(C) 8(A) 9(D)

Activity 18: *Modified Comprehension Skills Test** 5(E) 6(C)(D) 7(A)(B)(C) 8(A) 9(D)

Activity 19: Original Article: The Life of Edgar Allan Poe* 6(C)(E)

Activity 20: Poe Text Structure Activity** 5(C) 9(B)

Activity 21: Essential Question*** 5(E)(H), 6(B)(G)(I)



Teacher’s Guide

TEKS Alignment (2017-Adopted)

short story of the month - i'm lovin' lit...literary devices scavenger hunt –i came up...

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