Reflections on The Black Cat Lesson plan
The Black Cat is a classic, and we chose it for that same reason. Edgar Allen Poe’s humorous and creatively gruesome language makes up a beautifully well written short story that will make you cringe in disgust and fear - but also awaken an unquenchable desire to turn the pages!
These reflections will serve as a teacher’s guide, for anyone interested in using this lesson plan in their ESL, EFL or even ENL class.
The main objective for this lesson plan is to hold the students in suspense throughout the entire endeavour. Hopefully, by the end, they’ll be invested, interested or simply just curious enough, to have made some “killer” task answers and hypotheses.
We've prepared the story by changing the most archaic words and expressions with more contemporary synonyms. The story has been abridged, considering students attention span while working on the lesson plan. The unabridged text, with our changes, can be found HERE
The story has also been cut up in shorter sections, in order to keep students guessing on the plot development. The while reading tasks are specifically created based on these cuts.
The general layout of the webpage has been optimized for computer, tablets and even smartphones. This means that virtually no student will have any excuse for not participating actively!
Each task will be explained in chronological order, for an easier overview:
BEFORE READING TASK ONE
SUPERSTITIONS
Explanation: This task aims to activate students’ prior knowledge about cultural connotations of black cats. By discussing in groups, they will feel comfortable in sharing their views and explicating their schema for superstitions. Recording the discussion in a Google Doc will prove valuable to the rest of the lesson plan - it’s important that the students takes this seriously, and tries to think of as much information about black cats and superstition as possible.
BEFORE READING TASK TWO
PERSONALISE
Explanation: This task aims to connect the students own experiences of regret to the story, when they read it. By verbalising their personal feelings following a regretful act, we predict that students will notice similar, or perhaps entirely different, feelings in the narrator of the story. This will help the students to complete tasks concerning characteristics later on in the lesson plan.
WHILE READING TASK ONE
MARKING THE TEXT
Explanation: This task aims to make the students aware of the culture that is the past. It’s important to have the students realise that the story is almost 170 years old, and that naturally shows. The historical oddities can help students identify behaviour or motivation later in the story.
WHILE READING TASK TWO
ANTICIPATE (The Black Cat part 1)
Explanation: Part 1 is cut right after we find out that the house is on fire. This is the first step in getting a firm hold of our students, and will hopefully motivate them to guess what might happen. This is a precursor to the following while reading tasks supporting their anticipation.
WHILE READING TASK THREE
ANTICIPATE (The Black Cat part 2)
Explanation: Part 2 is cut right after the markings on the cat are changing before the narrator’s eyes. Here the students will either be putting forth arguments for superstitions, or, alternatively, the narrator being a drunkard. Either way, there will be ample foundation for discussion and anticipation.
WHILE READING TASK FOUR
ANTICIPATE (The Black Cat part 3)
Explanation: part 3 is cut right after the narrator’s wife stops him from killing the cat. Depending on their own murderous disposition, it’ll be interesting to see their anticipated ending of the story.
WHILE READING
GROUP DISCUSSION (The Black Cat part 4)
Explanation: After they've read the entire story, we’re reintroducing sections for close reading. Here the students will focus on, primarily, adjectives describing the narrator’s feelings.
GROUP DISCUSSION
...CONTINUED
Explanation: This task aims to explicate the differences in the narrator’s state of mind when killing the cat, and killing his wife. By discussing the differences of the two killings, and what they feel when they read it, they will have build a decent characterisation of the narrator.7
AFTER READING TASK
CLASS DISCUSSION
Explanation: By now the groups will all have, more or less, extensive Google Docs filled with explanations as to why the narrator acts the way he does. By providing the class with contentious views on the motivation of the killings a healthy class discussion should arise.
This will be very authentic argumentation hopefully, since the story is so bizarre, that students feel compelled to participate.
AFTER READING TASK ONE
DIARY
Explanation: This task will tempt the literary students, who think it’s exciting to conjure up new perspectives. Since it’s possible to write from the cat’s point of view, this could facilitate very creative writing. Ideally the diary or letters could be in online blog form, but it’s not necessary.
AFTER READING TASK TWO
POE'S NOTICE BOARD
Explanation: This task will serve as a good combination of visual and lexical approach. It’s completely up to the student what to put on the notice board. It could be Poe’s personal shopping list or note’s relating to the story. The aim is to have the student guess what went through the head of a horror writer nearly 170 years ago. By using Padlet, it’s easy to add (public domain) black and white photos to add to the general atmosphere.
AFTER READING TASK THREE
THE TRIAL
Explanation: The aim of this task is to satisfy the students which didn’t think their view was acknowledged in the class discussion. By grouping up two-and-two together, they’ll now be able to be judge, jury and executioner in the trial against or for the narrator. Close reading the text for new evidence will be necessary in order to have a strong case. The trial must be recorded, and if time allows it, edited for higher production value. This task will be a gold mine for the dramaturges and movie interested students.
AFTER READING TASK FOUR
ANIMATION
Explanation: This task aims to satisfy the more creative students. By using a simple animation app, they’ll be able to put a whole scene into drawings. The more specific items from the text they include the better.
AFTER READING TASK FIVE
THE BLACK CAT COMIC
Explanation: Like the animation task, this will tempt the creative students. But text will be required in order to complete this task.
AFTER READING TASK SIX
MOVIE POSTER
Explanation: The creative students which aren't comfortable with animation will get a chance at creating a poster. This will be a task for the computer savvy students experienced in Photoshop-like programs.
Theory derived from:
Lazar, excerpts from Literature and Language Teaching
Valenzuela, "Reading Strategies"
Tyler, "194 Book Celebrations"
And of course our endless imagination…
Samuel Christensen & Kasper Schlenzig
VIA University College Silkeborg, Denmark
These reflections will serve as a teacher’s guide, for anyone interested in using this lesson plan in their ESL, EFL or even ENL class.
The main objective for this lesson plan is to hold the students in suspense throughout the entire endeavour. Hopefully, by the end, they’ll be invested, interested or simply just curious enough, to have made some “killer” task answers and hypotheses.
We've prepared the story by changing the most archaic words and expressions with more contemporary synonyms. The story has been abridged, considering students attention span while working on the lesson plan. The unabridged text, with our changes, can be found HERE
The story has also been cut up in shorter sections, in order to keep students guessing on the plot development. The while reading tasks are specifically created based on these cuts.
The general layout of the webpage has been optimized for computer, tablets and even smartphones. This means that virtually no student will have any excuse for not participating actively!
Each task will be explained in chronological order, for an easier overview:
BEFORE READING TASK ONE
SUPERSTITIONS
Explanation: This task aims to activate students’ prior knowledge about cultural connotations of black cats. By discussing in groups, they will feel comfortable in sharing their views and explicating their schema for superstitions. Recording the discussion in a Google Doc will prove valuable to the rest of the lesson plan - it’s important that the students takes this seriously, and tries to think of as much information about black cats and superstition as possible.
BEFORE READING TASK TWO
PERSONALISE
Explanation: This task aims to connect the students own experiences of regret to the story, when they read it. By verbalising their personal feelings following a regretful act, we predict that students will notice similar, or perhaps entirely different, feelings in the narrator of the story. This will help the students to complete tasks concerning characteristics later on in the lesson plan.
WHILE READING TASK ONE
MARKING THE TEXT
Explanation: This task aims to make the students aware of the culture that is the past. It’s important to have the students realise that the story is almost 170 years old, and that naturally shows. The historical oddities can help students identify behaviour or motivation later in the story.
WHILE READING TASK TWO
ANTICIPATE (The Black Cat part 1)
Explanation: Part 1 is cut right after we find out that the house is on fire. This is the first step in getting a firm hold of our students, and will hopefully motivate them to guess what might happen. This is a precursor to the following while reading tasks supporting their anticipation.
WHILE READING TASK THREE
ANTICIPATE (The Black Cat part 2)
Explanation: Part 2 is cut right after the markings on the cat are changing before the narrator’s eyes. Here the students will either be putting forth arguments for superstitions, or, alternatively, the narrator being a drunkard. Either way, there will be ample foundation for discussion and anticipation.
WHILE READING TASK FOUR
ANTICIPATE (The Black Cat part 3)
Explanation: part 3 is cut right after the narrator’s wife stops him from killing the cat. Depending on their own murderous disposition, it’ll be interesting to see their anticipated ending of the story.
WHILE READING
GROUP DISCUSSION (The Black Cat part 4)
Explanation: After they've read the entire story, we’re reintroducing sections for close reading. Here the students will focus on, primarily, adjectives describing the narrator’s feelings.
GROUP DISCUSSION
...CONTINUED
Explanation: This task aims to explicate the differences in the narrator’s state of mind when killing the cat, and killing his wife. By discussing the differences of the two killings, and what they feel when they read it, they will have build a decent characterisation of the narrator.7
AFTER READING TASK
CLASS DISCUSSION
Explanation: By now the groups will all have, more or less, extensive Google Docs filled with explanations as to why the narrator acts the way he does. By providing the class with contentious views on the motivation of the killings a healthy class discussion should arise.
This will be very authentic argumentation hopefully, since the story is so bizarre, that students feel compelled to participate.
AFTER READING TASK ONE
DIARY
Explanation: This task will tempt the literary students, who think it’s exciting to conjure up new perspectives. Since it’s possible to write from the cat’s point of view, this could facilitate very creative writing. Ideally the diary or letters could be in online blog form, but it’s not necessary.
AFTER READING TASK TWO
POE'S NOTICE BOARD
Explanation: This task will serve as a good combination of visual and lexical approach. It’s completely up to the student what to put on the notice board. It could be Poe’s personal shopping list or note’s relating to the story. The aim is to have the student guess what went through the head of a horror writer nearly 170 years ago. By using Padlet, it’s easy to add (public domain) black and white photos to add to the general atmosphere.
AFTER READING TASK THREE
THE TRIAL
Explanation: The aim of this task is to satisfy the students which didn’t think their view was acknowledged in the class discussion. By grouping up two-and-two together, they’ll now be able to be judge, jury and executioner in the trial against or for the narrator. Close reading the text for new evidence will be necessary in order to have a strong case. The trial must be recorded, and if time allows it, edited for higher production value. This task will be a gold mine for the dramaturges and movie interested students.
AFTER READING TASK FOUR
ANIMATION
Explanation: This task aims to satisfy the more creative students. By using a simple animation app, they’ll be able to put a whole scene into drawings. The more specific items from the text they include the better.
AFTER READING TASK FIVE
THE BLACK CAT COMIC
Explanation: Like the animation task, this will tempt the creative students. But text will be required in order to complete this task.
AFTER READING TASK SIX
MOVIE POSTER
Explanation: The creative students which aren't comfortable with animation will get a chance at creating a poster. This will be a task for the computer savvy students experienced in Photoshop-like programs.
Theory derived from:
Lazar, excerpts from Literature and Language Teaching
Valenzuela, "Reading Strategies"
Tyler, "194 Book Celebrations"
And of course our endless imagination…
Samuel Christensen & Kasper Schlenzig
VIA University College Silkeborg, Denmark