Recently I learned that our city will be participating in The Big Read this October-November, with a focus on Edgar Allan Poe (2009 is the bicentennial of Poe's birth, and October marks the 160th anniversary of his death). This seemed like an ideal time to schedule a unit on Poe, though it means we may need to postpone our Neil Gaiman Author Study until later in the year.

General Information

• Knowing Poe
• The Poe Studies Association
• A Poe Webliography: Poe on the Internet
• The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore

Resources for Teachers

• A Timeline of Edgar Allan Poe's Life (.PDF)
• Edgar Allan Poe's Family (.PDF)
• Common Myths About Edgar Allan Poe (.PDF)
• Poe as Seen by His Contemporaries (.PDF)
• The Raven: An Interactive Study Resource
• Poe Lesson Plans from Knowing Poe
• Tales of Edgar Allan Poe: Lesson Plans from Discovery Education (for grades 9-12, but could easily be adapted)
• The Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe: Lesson Plans from the NEA/The Big Read

The Students section of Poe Revealed contains some excellent information, including the 1954 film The Tell Tale Heart.

Our schedule will be as follows:

Week 1: Edgar Allan Poe's Life & Times
Nevermore: A Photobiography of Edgar Allan Poe by Karen Lange
All About Poe
Poe's Baltimore


Death:

Lesson Plan: It'll Be the Death of Me
The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe
Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy Game (Computer Game)

Week 2-3: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness by Gris Grimly
Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia by Gris Grimly

Week 4: The Poems of Edgar Allan Poe