1. “The Tell-Tale Heart”
by Edgar Allan Poe

2. Opening Activity: Quick Question
Describe a time when you were absolutely terrified. What caused this fear? What did you do?

3. What to look for…
How this story would be categorized in the horror genre, considering the five traits below:
Suspenseful plot structure
Believability
Knowledge of setting
Source of horror (Character)
Common thematic conflicts

4. Basic Plot Structure Conflict Climax Falling Action Rising Action
Exposition
Resolution
Beginning
Middle
End

5. Task #1
Respond to FOUR Close Reading Signposts. (<Click for Handout.)
Reference the text.
Answer the potential question, providing evidence.
Explain the significance.
EXAMPLE: Tough Question: The Narrator asks the audience why we would consider him “mad.” Well, is he? Or is he not? Perhaps he is trying to convince us that he is sane.

6. Task #2 Create a written CHARACTER SKETCH.
Determine TWO descriptive words for the Narrator.
Use textual evidence to support each inferred description. (Consider what you discovered through the Close Reading Signposts!)

7. Task #3
Determine the two CONFLICTS the narrator experiences, providing evidence as to whether or not each conflict was resolved.
Next, noting the unique plot structure, determine the two CLIMACTIC EVENTS that occur in the story, explaining why each is a “turning point.”
(Climax)
(Climax)
(Falling Action)
(Rising Action)
(Rising Action)
(Conflicts)
(Exposition)

8. Task #4
Find the BEST pieces of text evidence in “The Tell-Tale Heart” that classify it as a piece of horror. Whether a direct quote or a paraphrasing of events, address EACH of the FIVE traits of the horror genre.
Suspenseful plot structure
Believability
Knowledge of setting
Source of horror (Character)
Common thematic conflicts