INTRODUCTION

Edgar Allan Poe:  the man, the mystery, the legend.  He used his life experiences and personal struggles to fuel his craft.  Poe was a very talented writer who was the first to delve into the depths of the darker side of human nature, creating complex, creepy characters and situations that chill most readers to the bone.  In order to fully understand and appreciate his literary work, you first must seek to understand him.

And that, my friends, is the jumping off point for your quest.  You will be working with your table groups to learn about Poe and his life, culminating in a project you design to showcase your information.  Day one will be your only time for research in school (feel free to continue research at home).  Days 2-4 will be in the classroom working collaboratively on completing your masterpiece.  Finished projects will be due to me at the conclusion of class on Day 4.

And, without further adieu, I will let you loose into the wonderfully dark and beautifully tragic world of Edgar Allan Poe...

WEBSITES YOU WILL USE

Below please find the websites that you will use on your quest.  You are ONLY to use these sources to help you gather information.  It is CRUCIAL that you make note of what source you got information from on your notes page.

Knowing Poe
Bio (True Story) (This has a video component)
The Literature Network
Infidels, Freethinkers, Humanists and Unbelievers
The Poe Museum (This is an extremely cool website.  Play around here with all the links!)
Timeline of Poe's Life
MysteryNet
Edgar Allan Poe
The Defamation of Edgar Allan Poe

RUBRICS

Here are the rubrics for the project.  The first one is for groups of four people and the second one is for groups of three.  You must print off your group's rubric and write each group member's name (first and last) in where it goes.  If you have any questions about anything, please ask me.

RUBRICS

DAY ONE - RESEARCH

Your job today is to use the links in the post below to gather plenty of information about Edgar Allan Poe by using a multitude of websites dedicated to educating people on him, his life and his work.  In addition to learning about him, we will also be working on our note taking skills and keeping track of the sources that we're using for this information

Topics to Gain Insight On:

You are going to be working with your table groups to gain information on the topics listed below.  It is up to you guys how you choose to break up the topics.

Birth and Family

Childhood

Schooling

Love Life

Literary Work

Accomplishments and Legacies

Enemies

Death and Conspiracy Theories regarding his death

Groups of Three Potential Groupings:
Birth/Family
Childhood
Death/Conspiracy Theories

Schooling
Love life
Death/Conspiracy Theories

Literary Work
Accomplishments and Legacies
Enemies

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

1.)  You must take notes from the website onto your notes paper.  Please click here to print one out for yourself.  If you run out of room on this sheet, print another.

2.)  You must use multiple websites (at least four) to find information.  It is fabulous if you can find the same information on multiple cites.  That means that the information is credible.  It's okay to have the same fact written multiple times on your notes page.

3.)  You're only responsible for finding information for your part!  No hogs or logs, remember?  That being said, you're part of a group.  Don't leave them hanging or overwhelm them with information.  Find the happy medium, my friends.

4.)  Enjoy getting to know Poe!  He was a fascinating man and his work was deeply affected by his life and his experiences.

HOMEWORK:

If you don't finish going through the minimum requirement for websites to find information, you have to do that.

DAY TWO - REFLECTION & DECISIONS

WHAT MUST BE COMPLETED TODAY:

easybib.com tutorial and creation of works cited page

Group discussion and presentation of information

Read the Got Poe? project description and start brainstorming

HOMEWORK:

Your works cited page must be completed by tomorrow.  Whatever your group decides needs to be done for tomorrow's class should also be finished.

WORKING TIME - DAYS 3 & 4

These last two days are yours to work with your group on your project.  You have until the end of class on Day 4 to complete your assignment.  I can't wait to see what you've come up with!  Remember, let your creativity RUN!!!!!