Introduction
It's a dark and stormy night. You are home alone when you suddenly hear footsteps on the stairs and a howling cry outside. Who (or what) is coming up the steps? What made that shriek outside? You've had nightmares about this happening. Are your dreams becoming a reality?
How are feeling right now? Are you scared, anxious, wanting to know what happens? Horror, also known as gothic literature, has been one of the most popular genres for hundreds of years and there are certain elements that every good gothic story has. Prepare to immerse yourself in the dark world of gothic literature and learn what these elements are.
GOALS FOR THIS WEBQUEST
1. Students will be able to identify 8-10 of the 13 gothic literature elements.
2. Students will read and view examples of gothic literature.
3. Students will analyze a gothic literature story and identify the story elements that make it gothic.
4. Students will create a power point presentation that identifies 8-10 gothic elements in a short story.
Task
Use the resources provided to explore the world of gothic literature and learn the most common elements that all gothic literature includes. Use the pdf provided to help you note the examples of gothic elements from each story or video. Test your gothic element knowledge by taking the Kahoot quiz to check your knowledge of gothic literature elements. Once you have completed all those tasks, you will choose a gothic short story from the list provided and create a power point demonstrating the gothic elements present in the story.
Process
1. WHAT IS GOTHIC LITERATURE AND WHAT ARE GOTHIC ELEMENTS? USE THIS POWER POINT AND VIDEO TO LEARN ABOUT GOTHIC LITERATURE'S BEGINNINGS AND WHAT ELEMENTS ARE PRESENT IN GOTHIC LITERATURE.
.
2. READ THIS ARTICLE AND TAKE THE SELF-TEST QUIZZES TO CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOTHIC LITERATURE SO FAR.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zfdh8xs/articles/z9cssk7
3. READ EDGAR ALLAN POE'S "THE TELL TALE HEART" AND THEN STUDY THE GOTHIC LITERATURE FILL-IN TO SEE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO ANALYZE A GOTHIC SHORT STORY FOR GOTHIC ELEMENTS. **IMPORTANT** A GOTHIC STORY WILL HAVE MOST OF THE GOTHIC ELEMENTS LISTED, BUT DOES NOT NEED TO HAVE ALL OF THEM.
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_tell-tale_heart_0.pdf
GOTHIC LITERATURE FILL-IN - https://peach-mariele-19.tiiny.site
4. NOW YOU'RE READY TO COMPLETE YOUR OWN GOTHIC ANALYSIS. YOU HAVE YOUR CHOICE OF "THE PASSENGER" VIDEO OR "CLICK CLACK THE RATTLEBAG" SHORT STORY. READ THE SHORT STORY OR WATCH THE VIDEO AND ANALYZE YOUR CHOICE FOR EVIDENCE OF GOTHIC ELEMENTS. CREATE A POWER POINT PRESENTATION THAT IDENTIFIES EACH OF THE GOTHIC ELEMENTS IN THE STORY YOU CHOSE. PLEASE REFER TO THE GOTHIC LITERATURE FILL IN POSTED IN #3 TO HELP YOU IDENTIFY THE GOTHIC LITERATURE ELEMENTS. *YOU MAY WORK WITH A PARTNER FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT"
POWER POINT REQUIREMENTS
1. YOUR POWER POINT SHOULD INCLUDE 8-11 SLIDES
2. THE FIRST SLIDE SHOULD INCLUDE THE TITLE OF THE STORY AND YOUR NAME/S
3. THE CONTENT SLIDES SHOULD INCLUDE:
1) THE GOTHIC ELEMENT YOU ARE IDENTIFYING IN THE STORY
2) AN EXPLANATION OF THE DIALOGUE, EVENT, OR CHARACTER ACTION/DESCRIPTION THAT DEMONSTRATES THE GOTHIC ELEMENT
3) A QUOTE FROM THE STORY THAT DEMONSTRATES THE EXAMPLE YOU GAVE
EXAMPLE
GOTHIC ELEMENT - IMPRISONMENT
EXPLANATION - THE MAIN CHARACTER IS LOCKED IN A CASTLE TOWER.
QUOTE - "THE COLD WIND BLEW IN THROUGH THE OPEN TOWER WINDOWS. PABLO POUNDED, KICKED, AND SCRATCHED AT THE HEAVY IRON DOOR, BUT IT WAS USELESS. COUNT FRANCO HAD LOCKED THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE AND POSTED GUARDS IN THE HALLWAY. THERE WAS NO WAY OUT."
4. BE CREATIVE. USE GOTHIC COLORS AND FONTS. ADD GOTHIC PICTURES AND GRAPHICS. YOUR POWER POINT SHOULD HAVE A GOTHIC FEEL TO IT.
5. REMEMBER - YOU SHOULD HAVE 7-10 GOTHIC ELEMENTS.
SHORT STORY - https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/click-clack-the-rattle-bag
Evaluation
Grading Rubric for PowerPoint
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Points |
GOTHICELEMENTS |
Project includes 7-10 gothic elements and all are applied correctly to the story. |
Project includes 5-8 gothic elements and almost all are applied correctly to the story. |
Project includes 3-6 gothic elements and some are applied correctly to the story . |
Project incudes 0-4 gothic elements and few are applied correctly to the story. |
|
QUOTES |
All quotes used accurately demonstrate how the gothic element is present in the story. |
Most quotes used accurately demonstrate how the gothic element is present in the story. |
Some quotes used accurately demonstrate how the gothic element is present in the story. |
Few quotes used accurately demonstrate how the gothic element is present in the story. |
|
CREATIVITY |
Pictures, graphics, and fonts are used in every slide to create a gothic feel. |
Pictures, graphics, and fonts are used in most slides to create a gothic feel. |
Pictures, graphics, and fonts are used in some slides to create a gothic feel. |
Pictures, graphics, and fonts are used in few slides to create a gothic feel. |
|
SPELLING AND GRAMMAR |
Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors. |
Presentation has 1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors. |
Presentation has 1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings. |
Presentation has more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors. |
|
Conclusion
CONGRATULATIONS! You have survived the dark and scary world of gothic literature! Now that you are an expert on gothic elements, we will further your knowledge by reading additional gothic stories in class and watching gothic videos. to help get you started, click the link below to watch the short video "Alma".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw0uORumRts
Credits
ONLINE RESOURCES
ELIF NOTES "TOP 14 MAIN ELEMENTS OF GOTHIC LITERATURE
https://elifnotes.com/main-elements-of-gothic-literature/#google_vignette
OWLCATION "GOTHIC LITERATURE: A DEFINITION AND LIST OF GOTHIC LITERATURE ELEMENTS"
https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Gothic-Novel-What-is-Gothic-Literature
NEWBERRY LIBRARY
https://dcc.newberry.org/?p=14394
THE POE MUSEUM EDUATOR RESOURCES
https://poemuseum.org/educator-resources/
COMMON LIT
TEXT RESOURCES
CLASS TEXT - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDGE TEXTBOOK