STUDENT-TEACHER CREATED LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

ENGLISH EDUCATION, 2008-2009 COHORT

DATE: MARCH 27, 2009
PERIOD: 3RD & 4TH BLOCK
GRADE LEVEL: ENGLISH 11

JULIE POOLE

GENERAL/COLLEGE

CONTEXT/RATIONALE:

(Why this lesson in this way with this group of students today? How does it fit into the
bigger context of the unit?)
STUDENTS WILL BEGIN READING EDGAR ALLEN POES THE RAVEN. AFTER READING IT
THROUGH AN INTERACTIVE WEBSITE, STUDENTS WILL REWRITE THEIR OWN VERSION OF THE
POEM IN STORY FORM. THIS WILL ENSURE STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE CLEVER WORD
CHOICE THE POET USES, THE MEANING BEHIND THEM, AS WELL AS PRACTICE THEIR OWN
WRITING. STUDY GUIDES FOR NEXT WEEK MIDTERM AS WELL AS THE EXTRA CREDIT
ASSIGNMENT WILL BE REVIEWED.

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
(Connect to SOLs where appropriate .)
SOLS: 11.3, 11.4
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

GIVEN THE FIRST PART OF CLASS, STUDENTS WILL BE GIVEN A HANDOUT REVIEWING
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT EDGAR ALLEN POE, THE HISTORY BEHIND THE POEM, AS
WELL AS POETIC DEVICES AND SYMBOLISM FOUND WITHIN THE RAVEN.
GIVEN STUDENTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN ENOUGH PREPATORY BACKGROUND, STUDENTS
WILL ENGAGE IN AN INTERACTIVE WEBSITE, READING THE POEM ALOUD TO ONE
ANOTHER IN PARTNERS.
GIVEN STUDENTS HAVE READ THE POEM, STUDENTS WILL BE PLACED IN GROUPS TO
REWRITE 3 STANZAS OF THE POEM IN STORY FORM ON THE CLASS WIKI.
GIVEN STUDENTS HAVE COMPLETED WRITING THEIR STANZAS IN STORY FORM, THE
CLASS STORY VERSION OF THE RAVEN WILL BE READ AND DISCUSSED TO GAIN
MEANING FROM THE POEM.
GIVEN STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE RAVEN, STUDENTS WILL WATCH THE
SIMPSONS VERSION OF THIS POEM.
GIVEN STUDENTS HAVE HAD A MIDTERM REVIEW, STUDENTS WILL BE GIVEN THE REST
OF CLASS TO COMPLETE THE STUDY GUIDE.
GIVEN STUDENTS HAVE COMPLETED THE FIRST EXTRA CREDIT OUTSIDE READING,
STUDENTS WILL BE ASSIGNED THEIR SECOND BOOK (UGLIES)

OPENER/ANTICIPATORY SET/WARM-UP:

(Include details about what prior knowledge students need in order to enter into this
lesson and how youll engage it.)

1.

FOR THE FIRST PART OF CLASS, STUDENTS WILL REVIEW FACTS THEY LEARNED
FROM THE EDGAR ALLEN POE VIDEO. A HANDOUT WILL BE GIVEN TO THEM AND
DISCUSSED, HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANT FACTS NEEDED TO PREFACE THE
READING OF THE RAVEN.

ACTIVITIES:
(Include variety here use the lesson planning checklist as a reference.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

REVIEW EDGAR ALLEN POE VIDEO AND HANDOUT

INTERACTIVE READING OF THE RAVEN
CLASS WIKI ASSIGNMENT REWRITING THE RAVEN IN STORY FORM
READ THE STORY FORM OUTLOUD
WATCH THE RAVEN BY THE SIMPSONS
WORK ON STUDY GUIDE
ASSIGN EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT

CLOSURE:
AT THE END OF CLASS, I ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE STUDY
GUIDE OR THE MIDTERM. ANY CLARIFICATIONS WERE ANSWERED AT THAT TIME.

MATERIALS:
(What do you need to gather and have ready for students to support and drive this
lesson?)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

EDGAR ALLEN POE HANDOUT

INTERACTIVE WEBSITE (COMPUTER)
THE SIMPSONS VIDEO
EXTRA CREDIT BOOKS TO CHECK OUT
STUDY GUIDE

DIFFERENTIATION:
(What can you do within this lesson to make sure that you are moving ALL kids

further in their skills and understandings? Note: It is not enough to mention that
youre working with a collaborating teacher or reading specialist here. This might
not happen in each lesson.)
NEW LITERACIES/21ST CENTURY SKILLS/TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION:
(Again, this might not happen in every lesson, but youll want to articulate it when it
does and offer ideas about why it isnt the right fit specific cases, etc.)

1.

STUDENTS ARE ACTIVELY USING THEIR COMPUTERS IN CLASS, CLASS WIKI,

INTERACTIVE WEBSITE, ETC.

ASSESSMENT:
(How do you know what ALL students know? Formative and summative.)
Formative:
1. Rewritten version of The Raven poem on the class wiki
Summative:
1. Midterm (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)

Notes on The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe: February

1845

the death, then, of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably,

the most poetical topic in the world and equally is it beyond
doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a
bereaved lover.
Edgar Allen Poe Notes:
1. Virginia, Poes love at the time, was dying of Consumption
(Tuberculosis).
2. Poe found the word Nevermore to be his inspiration towards this
particular poem, finding that this word created the utmost
conceivable amount of sorrow and despair.
3. By choosing this as his final word, he began at the end in order to
construct this mysterious story.
4. New England poets criticized Poe saying The Ravens purpose was to
teach moral lessons. Poe did not agree in saying that Beauty is the
sole legitimate province of the poem.
5. Poes belief when it came to poetry was that it was not the time to
teach moral lessons rather it was the medium for expressing truth and
passion, and best of all, beauty.
The Raven Notes:
1. A discourse between narrator and bird; the narrator grieves over the
death of a woman he loves only to hear from the bird, Nevermore.
2. Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the
beginning of words.
EX. while I pondered weak and weary
3. Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds, usually within words.
EX. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt
before
4. Internal Rhyme: the rhyming of words within a line of poetry, not just
at the end of the lines.
EX: Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer

Symbols to consider:
The Raven:
`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
By referring to the Raven as a Prophet from the Plutonian shore, Poe
represents this creature as a mythical God from the underworld with a
prophetic, dark omen. In this case, his message Nevermore concerns the
narrators lost love, Lenore.
Bust of Pallas:
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door
The Raven perches upon the bust of the mythical Goddess of Wisdom,
Athena, extending Poes symbol that this creature carries some prophetic
message of wisdom from the underworld concerning Lenore or at least
that is what the narrator thinks.
Purple Curtains:
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Poe could have used ANY color to describe these curtains, yet he chose
purple. Purple is often seen in literature as a symbol for royalty, a rising of
status, or even blood. In this case, we could potentially see this as Poe
commenting that Lenore is no longer of the human world, therefore rising
away - OR it could be a symbol of blood, referencing his own lost love,
Virginia, and her death by consumption (i.e. coughing blood).
Links to wiki/interactive website/video:
3rd Block: http://demondialogue3.pbwiki.com/The-Raven
4th Block: http://demondialogue4.pbwiki.com/The-Raven