The Tell-Tale Heart Lesson Plan

Materials and Time:

1. Roughly 2 to 3 hours of class time.
2. The Tell-Tale Heart text by Edgar Allan Poe and The Tell-Tale Heart Worksheet.
3. Graphic organizers for the literary terms being taught and Peer Evaluation Handout.
4. Optional: Projector for Powerpoints.
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to identify the elements of mood and setting.
2. Students will be able to identify and apply literary terms related to characterization.
3. Students will practice reading fluency.
4. Students will practice higher level thinking skills: predicting, inference, analysis, synthesis.
• Note: This story is great to use to teach characterization and narration, but can also be used with most of the other
literary Powerpoints or graphic organizers if you are focusing on a different literary element.
Instruction:
1. Defining Terms – Use the Characterization and Narration Powerpoint (found in the “Powerpoints” folder) to introduce terms and
definitions, while students take notes. If no projector is available, write the terms on the board.
2. Anticipatory Set – Ask students to get into pairs or small groups to discuss scary scenes from shows, movies, or literature. Ask
pairs or groups to try to figure out what it is about a scary scene that makes it scary. After a few minutes, invite all students to
participate in a whole class discussion and record repeated ideas on the board.
3. Preview Text (only applies if using resource with a textbook or anthology) – Have students preview the text by looking at the title
and pictures. Have them make a prediction in the “Previewing Texts” section of the worksheet. Begin filling out the “K” and “W”
boxes of the K-W-L chart with the students and have them complete it on their own.
4. Pre-reading Vocabulary – Give students the definitions for the words in the “Pre-reading Vocabulary” section of the worksheet.
Do not have them write their sentences yet (that will be saved for independent practice).
5. Guided Practice
a. Read the text with the students using the Oral Cloze technique. Use Choral Reading occasionally with shorter
paragraphs to practice fluency.
i. Oral Cloze is when the instructor reads to the students and leaves out strategic words, which the class is
expected to fill in. This gives students a task of accountability and encourages them to listen to the instructor’s
fluency and intonation. While reading, the instructor should give “hints” as to which words will be omitted by
slowing down and using voice inflection. This discourages passive listening.
ii. Choral Reading is when the whole class reads a passage in unison. This is effective for building fluency and
confidence. However, it is not recommended to read an entire text chorally, as it can be time consuming and
difficult for students.
b. Stop to answer the questions in the “Questions for Thought” section of the worksheet accordingly.
i. For appropriate questions, have students use the write-pair-share technique to maximize student engagement.
(Page 2 is a step-by-step instruction on how to implement an outstanding write-pair-share!) Use this strategy
for inference and opinion questions rather than fact based questions.
ii. Discuss some questions in more depth, depending on student responses.
6. Group Work – Have students break into groups or work in pairs to complete the Imagery Chart or Characterization Chart (found in
the “Graphic Organizers” folder). If you focused on a different literary element, use the appropriate graphic organizer if it is
offered.
Independent Practice:
1. Have students complete the “Literary Focus” section of the worksheet on their own.
2. Have students complete the writing assignment in the “Critical Thinking” section of the worksheet on their own.
3. Have students go back to the “Pre-reading Vocabulary” section of the worksheet and write sentences correctly using the
vocabulary words in context.
Homework/Assessment:
1. Any of the independent practice activities can be assigned as homework. They can also serve as assessments.
Reflection:
1. The next day have students conduct peer evaluations of the writing assignment in pairs or groups using the Peer Evaluation Sheet
(found in the “Graphic Organizers” folder).
2. Have students complete the “L” box from the K-W-L chart.
3. Review literary terms.

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 Write-Pair-Share Step-By-Step

WPS is an engagement routine that will get all your students involved. Here is the procedure:

1. Assign students numbers: 1’s and 2’s.

2. Write – Give students time to write their answers in complete sentences. As they are writing, walk around the class and quietly tell
specific students what you like about their answers. Tell some of those students that you have nominated them to share their
answer to the class later. Tell them that they can read their answer directly off their worksheets.
a. If a nominated student has mechanical errors in his answer, help to correct them so that he does not read the errors to
the whole class later.
3. When students begin to finish, tell them to read their answer back to themselves and to make sure that they do not have any
mistakes. This helps to keep quick finishers occupied.
4. Pair – Have 1’s and 2’s face each other respectfully and begin their pair share:
a. Tell them who is going to read the question first and who will answer first. They will switch after.
i. “Ones you’re going to read the question and twos you’re going to answer. When you are finished, then please
switch.”
b. Point out that, “What did you get?” is not an appropriate way to pair share. Point out that reading the question is
important for learning how to communicate with fluency.
5. Share – When most students are finished, ask the question to the class and use your nominees from step 2 to jump start the
discussion.
a. Start this step before the last few pairs finish, to avoid any classroom management issues caused from dead time and to
avoid awkwardness for the last few pairs.
b. Tell students to use a loud “classroom voice” so that everybody can hear.
c. Point out that students should read directly off their papers.
d. Point out that if a student has a similar idea to something that has been shared, they should acknowledge the person
who shared the idea instead of saying, “He took my answer!” or “I was going to say that!” Write this sentence starter on
the board:
i. “My idea is similar to __________’s idea in that…”
This helps to decrease the anxiety of students who have their answers “taken” by a peer. It also encourages paying
attention and validating one another.
e. Give immediate and specific praise for student responses. At the least, point out how you liked how the participant
answered in a complete sentence instead of giving a typical one-word student response (if they read off their papers,
they will answer with complete sentences). Things to specifically praise:
i. Insightful answers
ii. If a student acknowledges a peer
iii. Use of a good academic word or a vocabulary word
iv. A student who speaks loudly and fluently

Advantages of a pair share:

• Students who normally do not participate in class discussions will be empowered because they will have 100% certainty that they have
a right answer when nominated to share. The student will also be able to read directly off the worksheet to avoid the embarrassment of
blanking out. Also, the student would have already practiced reading the correct answer with a partner.
• Students will answer in fluent complete sentences. They will learn how to restate questions instead of giving one-word answers.
• The teacher has an opportunity to give public praise to students who normally do not receive it. During the paired portion, students
are set up to succeed during the class discussion.
• Every student has a task that requires engagement. They cannot be passive observers.
• When other students hear you specifically praise one of their peers, they will consider how they can model the skill in their own
answers.

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