Title:

Type:
Subject:
Grade Range:
Description:
Duration:
Author(s):

Mystery
Lesson Plan
English
9
Students Solve Murders in the Rue Morgue Mystery by Edgar Allen Poe
90 Minutes
Christine Pekatos

Instructional Unit Content

Standard(s)/Element(s)
Content Area Standard
ELACC9-10RL1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
ELACC9-10RL5: Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it
(e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or
surprise.
ELACC9-10SL2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
TAG Standard
Advanced Research Skills
5. The student gathers, organizes, analyzes, and synthesizes data from multiple sources to support or disprove a
hypothesis.
Advanced Communication Skills
10. The student supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinions of others.
Higher Order Critical Thinking Skills
11. The student draws conclusions based upon relevant information while discarding irrelevant information.
Summary/Overview
The focus of this lesson is to solve the central murder mystery in Edgar Allen Poes short story The Murders in the
Rue Morgue by synthesizing information from multiple sources and working collaboratively in groups.

Enduring Understanding(s)
At the end of this lesson, students will come to the conclusion that initial appearances can be deceiving; this same
theme is carried over from the previous texts in our short story unit, Roald Dahls Lamb to the Slaughter,
and Poes The Cask of Amontillado.
Essential Question(s)

How do our expectations of others allow us to be deceived? (Same EQ presented with the other two stories.)
Concept(s) to Maintain

Evidence of Learning
What students should know:
a. Themes are universal, and therefore connect to multiple stories and experiences.
b. Foreshadowing and suspense are literary techniques used to intrigue the reader.
c. Irony is the difference between what is expected and what really happens.
What students should be able to do:
a. Complete a plot chart for a complex story like this one where the plot does not appear in chronological order.
b. Describe how that plot develops through conflict
c. Synthesize information.
d. Annotate a variety of sources (sounds, articles, speeches, etc.)
e. Write predictions.
f. Identify irony in a text.
Suggested Vocabulary

Theme
Foreshadowing
Suspense
Irony

Procedure(s)
** Part 1 (8 pages) or Murders on Rue Morgue must be read day prior to this lesson**
Phase 1: Hook
1. Ask the class: Play clip of FBI Profiling team developing and then presenting a profile to law enforcement based
on evidence from the show Criminal Minds. Ask students what character traits the profilers need in order to do
their job successfully. Then announce: Today you will all be profilers!
Phase 2: Examine the Content
1. Share the Mystery. Instructor will pass out class set of PART I: Murders in Rue Morgue to students as a
reference during todays lesson. Students should already be sitting in their usual seat assignments in groups of
four. Each group is now a private investigation firm. As private investigators, it is their job to try and discover
who murdered Mademoiselle LEspanaye and her mother.
2.

Hypothesize. Each individual student should jot down an initial hypothesis based on the previous days reading.
Then each student should share their hypothesis with the group and each group must agree on an initial
hypothesis and record it on the Hypothesis Organizer.

3.

Present the Clues. Distribute clue 1 sheet. This is the only clue that will need to presented to entire class at
once: Instructor will play a recording of the shrill voice (actually and orangutan call). As each group reads and

discusses the clue, they will fill out the Hypothesis Organizer. When complete, one student from the group will
bring the completed step of the organizer up to the instructor where they will receive Clue 2. This continues until
students have read and discussed all 4 clues. NOTE: It is important to remind students that their hypotheses can
change greatly as they gain new clues.
4.

When students have read all 4 clues, they should develop a final theory and prepare to give a profile of the killer
(much like in the television show Criminal Minds, An episode or clip can be watched for this purpose.

Phase 3: Synthesis Activity (will likely expand into following class due to time constraints)
5.

Each group will share their hypothesis and profile with the rest of the class.

6.

All students will finish the remainder of the story and complete a plot chart while they wait for the entire class to
finish reading.

7.

Class Discussion: Did any part of your profile match Dupins explanation of the actual killer? In what ways
does this story reflect our theme that Appearances can be deceiving?

Summarizing Activity
Students will individually complete a 1-2-3 summarization of the lesson to turn in as their ticket out the door.
Resource(s):
Anchor Text(s):
Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe
Technology:
Audio Clip of Shrill Sounds (secretly Orangutan noises).
Clip of FBI agents developing and delivering a profile of a murderer from Criminal Minds episode.
Handouts:
Handout 1: Murders in the Rue Morgue Part 1
Handout 2: Private Investigation: Hypothesis Organizer
Handout 3: Clue 1- Eyewitness Accounts of Mysterious Sounds
Handout 4: Clue 2 Landlords Notice of Squeaking Floorboards
Handout 5: Clue 3 Medical Examiners Findings, including handprints
Handout 6: Clue 4 A Conversation with Dupin
Handout 7: Murder in the Rue Morgue Part 2

Murders in the Rue Morgue

Private Investigation: Hypothesis Organizer
Initial Group Hypothesis:

Clue #

What is it?

Important
Information

PROFILE OF A MURDERER: Who should the police be looking for?

Updated Hypothesis