Investigating the Death of Edgar Allan Poe
Webquest developed
by Jennifer Myrick for
10th
grade Survey of American Literature Course
Contents 
Topic
Halloween
is approaching and so is the end of our unit on American writer Edgar Allan
Poe. We know that Poe invented the “detective
story” and now you will do some detective work of your own. You and your group members have been chosen
to write an article for The Edgar Allan Poe Society of
Type some text.
Task
1) Your goal for this activity is to use your investigative
skills to uncover the real cause of Edgar Allan Poe’s death. You will write a persuasive essay that
presents your research and
explains what you believe really killed the American writer. Your paper will be submitted to The Edgar
Allan Poe Society of
2) You will also present and defend your research in a
class debate.
Process
1)
You will be placed
in groups of 4 to work together to complete your research and assignments.
2)
Each group member
will be responsible for researching 2 of the 8 possible causes of Poe’s death.
a.
Person 1: will research “Poisoning” and “Gas Lighting”
b.
Person 2: will
research “Consumption” and “Heart of Poe”
c.
Person 3: will research
“Alcoholism” and “Crooked Elections”
d.
Person 4: will
research “In his Brain” and “New Theory-Cats”
***write
the names of the group members responsible for each part on your “Doing the
Research” handout
3)
You will research
your topics using the
4)
After you finish
your individual research, you will meet
in your groups to present your information and decide what you believe was the
true cause of Poe’s death.
a.
You will fill out
your handout “Cause of Death: Group Debate” to guide your group discussion and
organize the information presented.
b.
After each person
has presented their research and the group has debated the issues, you need to
reach a consensus on what your group believes was the cause of Edgar Allan
Poe’s death.
5)
Your group will
write a persuasive
essay that presents your
research to submit to The Edgar Allan Poe Society of
a.
Your thesis will be
based on what you believe was the true cause of death. You will work together in your groups to
construct a working thesis statement.
b.
Each group member
will be responsible for writing 2 paragraphs of the paper. One paragraph for each of the 2 topics they
researched. You will need to share the
information you learned in “Concession/Rebuttal” format because each paragraph
needs to support the thesis statement.
c.
Each group member
will also be responsible for providing a “Works Cited” page with their 2
paragraphs.
d.
In addition to these
two paragraphs, each group member will also be responsible for Additional Paper
Responsibilities:
i.
Person A: the group
member who researched the cause of death you decided really did Poe in will
need to write an additional paragraph detailing why you chose this as the
legitimate killer. Remember this is a
persuasive essay and you need to make the best argument you can for your
choice. Use as many details/support as
possible to convince your readers that this IS what killed Edgar A. Poe.
ii.
Person B: choose a person
to write the introductory paragraph.
Your thesis statement will be written together as a group, but this
person will write the entire intro. Be
sure to include an engaging lead, introduce your topic/research, use
transitions, and conclude with your thesis statement.
iii.
Person C: choose a person
to write the conclusion paragraph. This
paragraph should sum up what you have discussed and address how the information
you’ve shared can be applied to other situations (universal implications).
iv.
Person D: choose a person
to be the Editor. This person will
collect each of the other members’ floppy discs and put everything together for
the final paper. This person will revise
the final paper for corrections, transitions, and will also compose the final
“Works Cited” page using everyone’s resources.
e.
When the paper is
completed, your group will submit your paper to your teacher for review by the Edgar Allan Poe Society of
f.
The day you turn in
your papers, we will have a class debate. Be prepared to defend the 2 topics you individually researched
within your groups! To assure that
everyone does not choose the same cause of death (a very boring debate), you will need to defend one of the two causes of death you
researched independently. The room will
be divided among the 8 possible causes and each mini team will need to present
and defend their position. You will fill
out your “Cause of Death: Class Debate” handouts throughout the activity. At the end of the debate we will take a class
vote to see what our class really believes killed Edgar A. Poe.
Resources
You
will find all of the resources you need to complete this project by visiting
the
Evaluation
|
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
|
“Doing the Research” (handout) |
Shows minimal research. Only a few facts listed for each possible
cause of death. |
Several facts are listed for each cause of
death. Facts included are not limited
to direct clues given from interactive.
Some facts are from links provided by MPT site. |
Each possible cause of death is researched
thoroughly. MANY facts are provided
for each possible cause of death including numerous facts from additional
resources provided by MPT site.
Connections are made between facts/clues and Poe’s life. |
|
“Maintaining a Working Bilbiography”
(handout) |
Shows minimal effort and little/no knowledge
of MLA format. Documents only 1-2 sites. |
Attempts MLA format with few mistakes. Includes additional url’s and documentation for linking sites from MPT
site. |
Demonstrated knowledge of MLA
documentation. Documents
numerous/every source used in research including MPT site as well as linking
sites. |
|
“Cause of Death: Group Debate” (handout) |
Lists only 1-2 points for each possible cause
of death. Does not address every
possible cause of death. Individual
research contains few points for each cause.
|
Lists facts for and against each of the 8
possible causes, but includes only a few points for each. Individual research includes several
facts. |
Numerous facts are listed for and against each
of the 8 possible causes of death.
Individual research is well prepared with many facts to support. |
|
Persuasive Essay (paper to be submitted) |
2 paragraphs on individual research show
minimal evidence/support. Minimal/does
not demonstrate knowledge of persuasive strategies OR
concession/rebuttal. Additional paper
responsibility does not meet the requirements for that specific role. Multiple internal documentation, grammar,
or mechanical errors. |
2 paragraphs on individual research give
multiple pieces of evidence to support his/her claim. Attempts to use persuasive OR
concession/rebuttal skills, but there are some problems. Additional paper responsibility meets most
of the requirements and contributes somewhat to the overall paper. Some internal documentation, grammar, or
mechanical errors. |
2 paragraphs on individual research offer
numerous pieces of evidence to support his/her claim. Uses effective persuasive OR
concession/rebuttal skills with very few, if any, problems. Additional paper responsibility meets all
requirements and effectively contributes to the overall paper. Few, if any, internal documentation, grammar,
or mechanical errors. |
|
“Cause of Death: Class Debate” (handout) |
Lists only 1-2 points for each possible cause
of death. Does not address every
possible cause of death. Individual
research contains few points for each cause.
|
Lists facts for and against each of the 8
possible causes, but includes only a few points for each. Individual research includes several
facts. |
Numerous facts are listed for and against each
of the 8 possible causes of death.
Individual research is well prepared with many facts to support. |
Conclusion
You’ve questioned, researched, written, and
debated… Have you finally put this legendary mystery to rest? Certainly you have enhanced your both your
investigative and persuasive skills, but have you satisfied your own
curiosity? The real cause of Edgar Allan
Poe’s death may remain a unknown forever, but your acute detective skills have
brought us a wealth of information that better our understanding of this
mystery. You found countless clues and
details about Poe’s life and death in your investigation which allowed you to
make an informed decision on what you believed was the real cause of death. In applying your persuasive writing and
verbal skills, you defended your beliefs using support in the evidence you
gathered. What other “great” questions
or mysteries could you investigate using the internet and your new researching
techniques? How could use these skills
to support/defend your beliefs?
Last revised: 11/09/03