LESSON PLAN
Date: 30 October 2015
Title/Subject of Lesson: The Cask of Amontillado
Learning Goal(s):
Students will be able to apply their understanding
of characterization in order to analyze the
characters in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
Students will be able to connect strategies of
characterization to possible themes in the text and
analyze the relationship between characterization
and theme.
Class and Grade Level: 9 ELA
Assessment(s):
Students will annotate the text, marking moments
of characterization and suggestions of possible
themes.
Students will write an informal paragraph
examining a theme from the story and how
characterization supports and provides evidence for
that theme.
State (or Common) Core Curriculum Standard(s):
RL.9.2. Determine the theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over
the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and redefined by specific details;
provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop
the theme.
Concept(s) to Be Taught:
Marginal Annotation
Character clues
Possible conflicting themes
Unreliable/antagonistic narrator
Rationale:
In the last unit students reviewed the main elements of narrative fiction as they learned the
generic attributes of myths and folktales. As they move beyond that unit into other forms of narrative
fiction, the skill instruction is moving from defining and identifying narrative fiction elements to
interpreting and writing about those elements in critical analysis. Informal writing assignments following
class discussion will allow students to explore their own thinking more extensively and practice analytic
techniques and evidence-gathering to support their conclusions. These skills feed into more formal
writing assignments and constructing effective exposition and argument.
Materials Needed:
Classroom set of “A Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
DVD of “A Cask of Amontillado” (17mins)
Class Notebooks
Strategies to Be Used:
Prop-predictions
Read aloud/read along
Annotations
Informal writing
Think-pair-share
Class discussion
PERFORMING
Announcements:
Continuation from Previous Lesson: Mrs. Jensen will begin the class with the starter and
journaling activity as well as any reminders of upcoming due dates or late work owed.
Lesson Presentation
A) Preparing for Learning:
1. Show the trowel. Class, if I tell you we’re going to read a story that features this trowel, what
would you guess the story is about? What if I told you this is a Halloween appropriate story,
would your guesses change at all? Why would it change? (leading to Halloween as having a
particular mood)
2. We are going to read such a story today, and we’re going to look at the mood of this narrative
in terms of characterization and theme. So, as you follow along in your text and we watch the
video, you need to make marks in the margins. With a pencil, please put an asterisk next to
anything in the text that tells you something about the narrator. Also, put an arrow in the margin
toward anything that gives you an idea of a possible theme in this story.
3. Take out your class notes on character and theme and let’s review what kinds of things you
may be looking for. What do you expect to learn about a character? What is a theme? How can
you look for clues about theme in a story?
B) Directing the Learning:
1. To review, we are making notes in the margins. What are the notes?
2. Watch the video, circulating the classroom to make sure students are making notes in their
texts. If attention or notes become an issue, pause the DVD to ask: based on what you know of
the narrator at this point, what predictions can you make about his intentions? What evidence
from the text suggests a certain character type?
3. After video: Let’s take just a few quick seconds to pause and think about the story, look back
through your text, make any final notes, and then we’ll talk about it.
4. Okay, let’s have some gut reactions. What did you think of this story? Of Fortunato? Of
Montressor? What about the text bothered you? Why did it evoke a particular mood?
5. Let’s talk about Montressor. What kind of a character is he? What does he tell us about
himself? Who do you think he’s talking to? How do you think he feels about what he’s done? Do
you think he has changed by the end of the story? **Ask frequently: where do you see that?
6. Looking at what we’ve learned about Montressor, why do you think Poe used his perspective
instead of Fortunato’s? What might this say about Poe’s position or opinion of the characters in
this story? Consulting your notes on theme, turn to your partner and share some of the things in
the story that you thought might indicate a theme and what you think a theme might be now,
after the discussion. There may be several themes you are considering, that’s okay.
7. What possible themes did you think of in your partnership? From what evidence did you
gather those conclusions? What do Montressor and Fortunato have to do with the theme?
C) Reinforcing the Learning:
Everyone please take a page out of their class notebooks. We are going to do some
writing to turn in. Put your name and class period at the top and respond to this prompt in
paragraph form: (put on projector) Please explain the theme you feel is most represented in “The
Cask of Amontillado.” Support your answer with evidence from the text, focusing on how the
characterization of Montressor or Fortunato supports your proposed theme.
ATAWT

Does this ending of this story bother anyone, or is it perfect for the story? Below your
paragraph on theme and characterization, please write a second paragraph explaining
your opinion of this story’s end. Is it anticlimactic? Does it make the story more or less
scary? If we have time, we’ll share responses at the end.