Who was Edgar Allan Poe?

Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe was a talented writer that used his personal struggles and suffering to fuel his writing. It was through this suffering that he was able to create such dark characters.

Poe is known as the father of the detective story and of the short story. He is also credited as the creator of the science fiction genre. His works are filled with death and gloom, causing many people to believe he was insane. He led an interesting, short life which further led to the belief in his insanity. In order to better understand how this great author influenced our current popular literature, you must first understand his life and read some of his works. This webquest will help you to get to know Poe.

Task

You and your group will study various aspects of Edgar Allan Poe's life, including the time period in which he lived, the culture that surrounded him, his literature, and his personal life as well as Gothic literature as a whole. Your goal is to solve the death of EAP, for there is much mystery that surrounds his death, and to write his obituary accordingly, including how he died.

Follow the steps in the Process section of the webquest and use the links there to find out all of the important information about this man's mysterious life.

Process

Step 1:

Within your group you will divide yourselves into the following Roles (categories): Reporter, Detective, Editor, and Historian. But keep in mind, everyone will need to help research and write the final product to gain maximum points. Once you have decided what role each person will take inform your teacher.

Step 2:

a) Make sure you have the "Edgar Allan Poe Scavenger Hunt" document.

b) Watch the short biography video and complete as many questions on the Scavenger

Hunt as you can.

c) Search the Poe Museum website to answer any incomplete questions.

Step 3:

Complete additional research on the websites provided in connection with your Role. Make sure you take notes so that you are able to share with the rest of your group. (See the Roles Section below for a description of what you are responsible for.)

Step 4:

a) Share with your group what you have learned.
b) As a group, decide what information is important enough to include in your obituary of Poe.

Keep in mind that you need to discuss the culture that surrounded him, his literature,

and his personal life, as well as Gothic literature as a whole. His entire life was engulfed

by the mystery aspects of his literature. It seems only fit that his death would be surrounded

by mystery as well. How does that factor into your take on his obituary? Is that significant?
c) After analyzing your information, decide as a group how to synthesize it in order to write a

comprehensive obituary. Look back on the criteria that you must include (personal life,

literature, Gothic literature in general, his culture, family, specifics about his death). Be sure

to state your theory of how he died. Was it a natural death, a disease, or was foul play

involved?

Step 5:
Begin writing your obituary. It may be helpful to look up examples of obituaries online to look at the set up of one. However, if you look up and copy down Poe's original obituary you will receive a zero. Be creative, write in newspaper format, print off a picture, etc. You may type or write out the obituary by hand, but it must be legible. It must be 1-2 pages in length.

Step 6:
You will also be responsible for presenting your theory on how Poe died to the class. It will only need to be a brief summary on your theory. You will not be reading your obituary aloud to the class. Please see rubric for more details on how you will be graded.

Roles

Each role is responsible for gathering knowledge based on the following areas of interest:

Reporter: You will do most of the writing, however make sure all of your group members make a significant input to the obituary. You will research Poe and see if you can find any articles written on him, from the past and more recent articles, to gain information on him in a newspaper context. Make sure to take notes on the information you find important.

Detective: You will research Poe's life, specifically the circumstances surrounding his early death. The websites you look at will concentrate on not only his death, but his life leading up to it. Concentrate on things a detective might, what may be significant in finding out how Poe died? Are there suspects or people who might have been associated with his death? It will be up to you to report to your group about theories surrounding Poe's death. You will be the major source in determining what your group thinks happened to him, why and how he actually died. Make sure to take notes on the information you find important.

Editor: You will research background knowledge on Poe, and will be responsible for general information on his life and his literature. Your focus should be on his literature specifically. How are his literary texts tied to his life and death? Are there are connections you can make between a specific work of his and his own death? You will relate this information to the rest of your group to be added to the obituary. Also, you will be responsible for helping your group edit your final draft of the obituary you all come up with (spelling errors, grammar, flow, punctuation, ect.) Make sure to take notes on the information you find important.

Historian: You will research Poe's personal life, specifically his family and his relations with others outside the specifics of his literature. Who were his parents? Did he marry or have children? When was he born and when did he die? These are just some of the specific questions it will be your job to answer. Make sure to relate these details of his life to the rest of your group so they can be added to the obituary. Make sure to take notes on the information you find important.

Websites:

Please refer to the following websites to find information on Edgar Allan Poe for your final product, his obituary.

Reporter:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0743Lvr9IM
    http://www.online-literature.com/poe/
    http://www.poestories.com/biography.php
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm1vPzbK-eI&feature=related
    http://www.ehow.com/how_3456_write-obituary.html
    http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/wright/teachers/pdf/language/Newspaper_Article.pdf
    http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/2008/10/poes_obituary_in_the_sun.html
    http://www.matthewpearl.com/poe/deathdossier.html

Detective:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0743Lvr9IM
    http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/edgar_allan_poe/index.html
    http://www.online-literature.com/poe/
    http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poedeath.htm
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm1vPzbK-eI&feature=related
    http://www.matthewpearl.com/poe/deathdossier.html

Editor:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0743Lvr9IM

http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/arts-and-books/the-great-bad-writer-edgar-allan-poe-raven-cusack

  http://www.online-literature.com/poe/
    http://www.poestories.com/biography.php
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm1vPzbK-eI&feature=related
    http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/wright/teachers/pdf/language/Newspaper_Article.pdf
    http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/2008/10/poes_obituary_in_the_sun.html
    http://www.matthewpearl.com/poe/deathdossier.html
  http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/465839/Edgar-Allan-Poe

  http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115029/edmund-wilson-edgar-allan-poe

Historian:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0743Lvr9IM
    http://www.online-literature.com/poe/

http://www.poestories.com/biography.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm1vPzbK-eI&feature=related

    http://www.matthewpearl.com/poe/deathdossier.html
    http://www.poemuseum.org/life.php
    http://www.notablebiographies.com/Pe-Pu/Poe-Edgar-Allan.html

Other Resources:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIp4m_v9xGs align:center]

Poe Museum Website: http://www.poemuseum.org

Evaluation

CI1 - Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
M	P	NM	Describe what the text is about
M	P	NM	Use background knowledge and text to make inferences
M	P	NM	Interpret the text explicitly and implicitly
M	P	NM	Select multiple pieces of text evidence specific to the interpretation
M	P	NM	Judge the text evidence for specific criteria
M	P	NM	Defend the interpretation and evidence

CI8 - Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
M	P	NM	Identify the various arguments presented in the text
M	P	NM	Critique the validity of each argument and specific claims in a text
M	P	NM	Select specific text evidence used to support the argument
M	P	NM	Determine if the relationship between the argument and the evidence is reasonable
M	P	NM	Recognize evidence that is irrelevant or does not support the presented argument

WC2 - Write INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
WC2a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
M	P	NM	Formulate thesis statement
M	P	NM	Experiment with varied types of previews
M	P	NM	Select text structure appropriate to the intended message
M	P	NM	Choose text features appropriate to the intended message
M	P	NM	Recognize transitional devices beyond phrases
WC2b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
M	P	NM	Select strong and relevant evidence/facts to support, inform, and/or explain

RE8 - Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
M	P	NM	Locate appropriately leveled resources to generate new questions
M	P	NM	Use and revise effective search terms to identify and locate appropriate sources
M	P	NM	Identify evidence of credibility and accuracy of sources, eliminating questionable resources
M	P	NM	Use primary sources
M	P	NM	Summarize information found in each source, addressing identified questions and acknowledging the information that generates further questions
M	P	NM	Use in-text citations to paraphrase a source, including parenthetical information
M	P	NM	Write citations following MLA format and construct a bibliography of credible resources
M	P	NM	Use online tools to independently construct an MLA Works Cited page.

LS4: Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
M	P	NM	Differentiate between fact and opinion
M	P	NM	Identify integral points
M	P	NM	Present points clearly
M	P	NM	Identify evidence that supports those claims and findings
M	P	NM	Provide valid reasoning in support of claims and findings
M	P	NM	Include in the evidence and support specific details that speak to the audience
M	P	NM	Use effective eye-contact and body language to support the tone of the presentation
M	P	NM	Enunciate clearly including domain specific or technical vocabulary
M	P	NM	Project voice to reach all members of the audience

Conclusion

Now that you have researched the life of Edgar Allan Poe, you should be able to have a better understanding of his stories and poems.

In this unit, we will read two of Poe’s stories: The Tell Tale Heart and The Masque of the Red Death. We will also read 2 of Poe’s poems: “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee”. While you read these pieces of Poe’s writing, remember what you learned about the author and the time in which he lived so that you can better understand the theme of what you are reading.

Credits

Thank you to the following websites for their ideas:

edgarallanpoewebquest.blogspot.com

zunal.com/webquest.php?w+112970

edgarallenpoewebquest.weebly.com/index.html