 The Raven and the Peak of Tragedy (excerpt)
 Edgar Allan Poe – a biography (excerpt)
 The Raven
Gain deep understanding of the text
 Answering text-dependent questions
 Finding answers with evidence from the text
 Responding to the following question:
Using evidence from both nonfiction texts, explain
Poe’s philosophy regarding planning for writing The
Raven.
 Bold Words = Tier Two Vocabulary
 Mark the Text – Follow Along
 P4: stanza –division of a poem arranged
together
 P4: refrain – line or group of lines
repeated, generally at the end of a stanza
 P4: monotone –
having only one tone (or
sound)
 P5: clamor – lots of noise
 P5: ill-omen – sign of bad luck
 P6: bereaved – deprived of a relationship
 P6: conceivable – believable
 P7: rote - memorized
 Pallas – Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom
 analytical faculty – ability to be logical or
critical
 Follow along as I read the text.
 Discussion points are marked with
asterisks.
 Annotate your text for evidence
that will support your answer for
each question.
 Use the following numbers to mark
evidence:
 1: Question #1
 2: Question #2
 3: Question #3
 4: Question #4
 After marking your text for evidence,
craft complete, multi-sentence
answers.
 We’ll do the first one together.
Begin with: The author uses italics to…
 Why is this a “text-dependent” answer?
 Use complete sentences.
 Use evidence (use quotations from the
text).
 With your partner, dive into the text.
 Find the section of the text that best
answers the question. Mark it with the
“#2.”
 Together, create a draft of a possible
complete answer.
 Read question #3.
 Find evidence in the text.
 Mark the text.
 Write an answer with complete
sentences.
 Read question #4.
 Find evidence in the text.
 Mark the text.
 Write an answer with complete
sentences.
- Read
- Mark vocabulary
- Dig in with text-dependent questions
 P1: perversity – deliberate departure
from something reasonable
 P1: ungainly - clumsy
 P1: ludicrously - laughable
 P1: anguish - suffering
 P2: conceived - created
 P3: indispensible - necessary
 P5: aesthetic - appealing
 P1: lore - knowledge
 P1: bemusedly – lost in thought
 P1: injunction – order
 P4: denouement - outcome
 P4: wrought – elaborated
 P5 – circumscription - limitation
 1) http://www.poemuseum.org/audio/tour/Poe-
Audio-Tour-Chapter-01.mp3
 2) Listen to an introduction to Poe provided by the
Edgar Allan Poe museum.
 3) After listening to the audio, how would you
describe Poe’s troubled life?
 4) Write your answer to the following question:
How do the self-guided audio tour, nonfiction
texts, and reading of The Raven add to Poe’s
persona (identity; character; image)?
Explain using evidence from the texts.
 5) http://www.poemuseum.org/audio/tour/Poe-
Audio-Tour-Chapter-17.mp3
 6) Discuss, then write your answer to the
following question:
Today, Poe is celebrated as a writer; however, how
did the audio selection suggest Poe struggled in his
writing career?
 http://www.audiobooktreasury.com/free-
audiobooks/horror/edgar-allan-poe/ (free audio
downloads of Poe’s works)
 http://www.houseofusher.net/songs.html (detailed
list of music inspired by Poe) Be sure to preview the
music before playing for students.