Edgar Allan Poe activities should awaken students to this memorable author.
Students enjoy Poe’s stories and American gothic literature.
Teachers enjoy teaching Poe’s stories, and we can meet standards with his work.
Approaches vary: American author, dark romantic author, original author of the horror genre. Today’s students recognize his work from shows such as “Wednesday” (the fun show as a spin on “The Adam’s Family”). Other teachers use his work around spooky autumn or Halloween.
Poe is one of the key figures of Dark Romanticism, a literary movement that pushed back against the optimism of Transcendentalism by exploring the darker sides of human nature: guilt, sin, psychological torment, and the grotesque. Where Emerson saw nature as uplifting and spiritually restorative, Poe saw it as indifferent or menacing.
So what are the best approaches for teaching Edgar Allan Poe in a high school American literature course?
Poe lessons are abundant across numerous grades, so he is not always included in courses devoted to American literature. Still, while teaching Poe, you will likely cover his American background or his American Gothic traits.
Before we dive into details, I’m sharing my free pacing guide for how I teach Poe in American literature. Make a copy and personalize! I know not every teacher covers Poe as I do, but hopefully, a look at my plans can inspire you.
What should my approach be in teaching Poe?
The beauty of this American author is that most students find him engaging. They think the author is interesting and his stories spooky. No matter your approach with Edgar Allan Poe activities, you’ll have plenty of choices. Below, find a few ways I teach Poe.
Poe Biography Movie
Since students find Poe’s life intriguing, I spend time giving them background knowledge. Once upon a time, we conducted a web search about questions with his life, but classes watched clips of the movie anyway, so I developed a viewing guide to watch the documentary together.
Everyone learns about:
- Poe’s early life—his biological and adoptive parents.
- Poe as a young man.
- His wife and his relationship.
- How much (very little!) Poe was paid for some of his work.
- Famous Poe short stories.
- The controversy surrounding his death.
Different scholars present the information, and students have information to pull into analysis of his stories. As we continue with literary analysis, our classes draw conclusions about Poe’s mysterious life aligning with his mysterious stories.
“The Masque of the Red Death”
Vocabulary is important in Poe’s tale of the plague. Since the terms are largely unfamiliar to students, I use this story to provide student choice and ownership of learning language. Standards (for upper grades) concerning language require that students learn words and use a variety of techniques to acquiring vocabulary. To this extent, I give students vocabulary bookmarks to discover what approach will help them learn words.
Additionally, similar to vocabulary, students must read a tough story! I provide guiding questions for students to answer as they read a difficult text. Some students might annotate—and annotate sufficiently!—but with this difficult text and the massive details, guided questions help. Another option is to conduct a close reading as a whole group.
“The Cask of Amontillado”
Students find this story disturbing on many levels. What is Montressor angry about? Why does this man assume he can manipulate a person who probably did nothing? What is Poe saying about human interaction? Since students find this story unusual and baffling, I find it the perfect time to work on literary analysis.
To start, I read the introduction, the first few paragraphs, aloud. The story is confusing. Why? Well, Poe writes with ambiguous pronouns. So, we have an opportunity to connect language to literature. The effect of confusing pronoun use leads to suspense and a specific mood.
Any time we can connect grammar to an author’s writing style, we’ll see growth in our ELA classrooms. Grammar can be taught in the context of literature.
Grammar with “The Raven”
“The Raven” is a haunting poem that has repetition, internal rhyme, and alliteration—perfect for teaching. Plus, students often understand and enjoy the poem, making it a win-win. Poetry activities, therefore, are a must.
When I taught younger students, I frequently taught “The Raven” in October. One fall, I realized that my teaching aligned with my teaching of verbal phrases, and I created a new activity.
In my activity, everyone looks at language in context. Not only do they identify verbals (tons of verbals in this poem!), but they also consider the implications. What makes this poem memorable and effective? Do the verbals contribute?
My spin on grammar—that grammar can be taught in context—is a fun addition to a study of verbals.
American Gothic: What makes Poe gothic?
Gothic literature in high school performs well. Young creators are interested in how his storytelling still inspires today. (For fans of Stranger Things, they probably know of the allusion with a “Nevermore” poster hanging at the high school.)
A quick review of American gothic traits can start a conversation about Poe:
- Unreliable narrator
- Decaying setting
- Psychological horror
- Obsession with death
Actually, that list can become an anchor chart used to start discussions of any of his stories.
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
To me, the suspense in “The Tell-Tale Heart” never becomes less-eerie. I read this story when I was (probably) way too young (before middle school) and remember my questions, my initial reactions, and my horror.
Common Lit has great activities for this story, and I utilize their writing prompts when I teach “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
Additionally, we identify the gothic traits from the above list for a short reflective piece on the story.
Halloween and Poe
Frequently, teachers bring out Edgar Allan Poe activities in conjunction with Halloween lessons. (I do something similar with Julius Caesar and the Ideas of March.) Even older students enjoy celebrating the time period within their classrooms.
With Poe activities, add some Halloween coloring activities. After reviewing verbals, add verb moods, verb voice, and sentence structure activities to continue the October fun.
Older students are still young enough to enjoy celebrations of the season. With a combination of spooky Poe stories and spooky grammar, your October language arts activities will be memorable.
Creative Writing Alongside Poe
Since Poe grips students’ imaginations, why not have them write their own mysteries?
Poe’s stories are relatively similar in that the narrator, often a misunderstood man or extremist, has a conflict. He then solves the conflict in a morbid and (often) illegal way. The reader leaves the story, horrified by someone’s treatment or by the end result. Ask students to create a similar story while implementing pacing, suspense, imagery, and characterization.
Finally, be sure to set clear expectations when writing mysteries and using Poe’s work as mentor texts. If you don’t want your classes to write about burying a body under a floorboard, be sure to set guidelines.
Final Ideas: Edgar Allan Poe Activities
The debate between classical and modern literature bothers some ELA teachers. Pairing a few American masters (like Poe) with some recent stories makes for happy teaching.
“Click- clack the Rattle Bag” works well with “The Black Cat.” Excerpts from young adult literature are another great way to pair modern with classic stories.
Edgar Allan Poe activities are abundant, and students appreciate his odd tales. As English teachers, Poe’s work allows us to meet standards and entertain our readers.
You can check out my Edgar Allan Poe activity bundle for more ideas—and all of my Poe activities are also in the American Literature Bundle.
Poe’s Dark Romantic themes make him a natural fit for October. If you’re looking for more spooky ELA activities to pair with his work, I have you covered.
Teaching Poe as part of an American literature course? These posts might help you plan the full year:
- First Nine Weeks of American Literature
- Second Nine Weeks of American Literature
- Real Support for Teaching The Great Gatsby
- A Raisin in the Sun — coming soon