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Gary Kinswa

Dr Amy Montz

English 444

11 December 2014

Putting the Boo Back in Halloween

This lesson plan was devised for teaching a standard 12th grade English class. We are currently in the third week of the October and we are having a themed reading to go along with the Halloween season. This month we have read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the short story The Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft, and studied the importance of sensory details in stories. This lesson is designed to familiarize the students with the word and genre created by Lovecraft and to start them on their way towards their first major essay, a narrative essay that actually places them inside the story.

Lesson Layout

Time Readings Activities Discussion Assignments

5 min

The Call of the Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft (Read over the Weekend)

FEAR Bellringer 1: Describe to me in as

much detail what it is that scares you the most. What is it that scares you about this? What is the earliest memory you can think of for this fear? Where do you think this fear comes from?

In class video (setting the mood):Hey There Cthulhu

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxScTbIUvoA

5 min Group Discussion:What do I know about Mythology? Is The Call of the Cthulhu Mythology? Why or Why not?

In Class Discussion: Brave volunteer Why do we fear

things? Taught or born with

fear? What can we do to

“master” or control our fears?

Is there anything positive about fear?

5 min Small Group Discussion:What do I know about Mythology? Is The Call of the Cthulhu Mythology? Why or Why not?

15 min

In class video (setting the mood):The Kraken By Lord Alfred Tennysonhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_heM8YPhHkQ

In Class Discussion: Group feedback Define Mythology HP Lovecraft Brief

history Brief Story Summary

(ask for volunteer) Inspiration for story

from classical mythology

15 min Paragraph Story:The great American poet Walt Whitman once wrote, “the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse” (“Oh Me!

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Oh Life!”). This is exactly what we are going to be doing in the world of Lovecraft, we will all be contributing our own verse. I want you to put yourself into the story somewhere. You could be a police officer responding to the riots or to the cultist activities. You could be a mental patient or a scientist at the reveal of the bar

relief. The only limit is your imagination. We will be breaking up in groups of two or three and discussing our options. Then I want you to write a single paragraph from your character’s point of view. You are standing somewhere with your eyes closed…what do you hear, smell, feel? Open your eyes and tell me what you see. Be as descriptive as possible and put your reader next to you in the story – 5 points

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Welcome to English 12 with Mr Kinswa and Mr Wiethop

Tempting, isn't it?

A Note To Parents from Mr. Kinswa and Mr. Wiethop

Hello parents!  

We know that, like your child, you are probably a little apprehensive about the upcoming school year starting, and frankly, we would be lying if we said that we weren’t a little anxious as well. The beginning of the year is always a little scary, but Mr. Kinswa and I, Mr. Wiethop, would like to just inform you that we plan to work with you every step of the way and to keep you informed, throughout the semester, about our plans and your student’s progress. Our goal for this school year is to allow each student room to grow and succeed while, at the same time, making sure that we all have a little fun in the process.  

If you haven’t met us yet, Mr. Kinswa and I are the English 12 teachers. We co-teach the class, which means that we teach as a team. We believe in working hard to deliver your student a quality education that not only teaches them the foundation of the English language but also how to have a little fun and enjoy the material as well. We know that, if the student is not engaged in the learning experience, there can be no valuable learning, so we strive to keep the class fun,

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engaging, and enlightening.  

We look forward to having your child in our class, and if you ever have any questions feel free to contact us.  

Cheers! 

Mr. Gary Kinswa Mr. Nolan Wiethop

A Note To Students from Mr. Kinswa and Mr. Wiethop

Hello future student!  

We (Mr. Kinswa and Mr. Wiethop) would like to welcome you to English 12. We look forward to a year full of fun, exciting, and, last but not least, educational classroom experiences that we know you will enjoy. We have worked very hard to create a class that we know you will benefit from; it is full of interesting readings, writing workshops, and other tools that will help prepare you for either college or finding a career of your choice. We believe that a well-rounded classroom experience is exactly what seniors in high school need, and we look to provide you just that: an opportunity to write how you want to write, speak publicly without fear, and maybe even find a new book that you love.

It is going to be a fun year, and we cannot wait to get it started. See you in class! 

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Mr. Gary Kinswa Mr. Nolan Wiethop

Additional Reading List"The Cthulhu Mythos" by August Derleth

"The Shambler from the Stars" by Robert Bloch

"The Haunter of the Dark" by H. P. Lovecraft

"The Terror from the Depths" by Fritz Leiber

"Crouch End" by Stephen King

"The Black Tome of Alsophocus" by H. P. Lovecraft & Martin S. Warnes

"The Return of the Sorcerer" by Clark Ashton Smith

"Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman

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Useful LinksThe H.P. Lovecraft Archive – A website for all things Lovecraft, not only does this site give you access to E-Copies of many of his works as well as interesting information about the man and the legend that is Howard Phillip Lovecraft.

http://www.hplovecraft.com/

How the Necronomicon Works - A series of pages on HowStuffWorks.com about the mythical book, its fictional author, the various hoax editions, and its appearance in popular culture.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/necronomicon.htm

Was H.P. Lovecraft's "Necronomicon" for real? - This page provides some solid background on Lovecraft’s life and work before discussing his fictional book and some of its hoax editions.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1934/was-h-p-lovecrafts-necronomicon-for-real

Cthulhu Files – A detailed exploration of the entire Cthulhu mythos.

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http://www.cthulhufiles.com/

SCP Foundation – A link to read and even write your own fan fiction. A chance for you to join the Lovecraftian universe.

http://www.scp-wiki.net/

Discussion Questions to Consider While Reading

1. What does it take for a story to become a myth and, in your opinion, does The Call of Cthulhu qualify as a myth?

2. What character[s] do you most identify with and why?

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3. We are learning how much can be learned about a person from their writing, what do you feel that you have learned about Lovecraft from what you have read?

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Narrative EssayThe Call of Cthulhu12th Grade English

Assignment Overview

The great American poet Walt Whitman once wrote, “The powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse” (“Oh Me! Oh Life!”). This is exactly what we are going to be doing in the world of Lovecraft, we will all be contributing our own verse. This semester we have read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, read the short story The Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft, and studied the importance of sensory details in stories. Now we are going to actually put you in the shoes of one of Lovecraft’s characters as you become one with the story. You are now all characters in the world of Cthulhu.

Assignment Specifics

Your final essay should be 500 to 750 words (2 - 3 pages) long, 12 point, Times New Roman font, double spaced with 1” margins and should include a Works Cited page and in-text citations for any and all quotes from the actual book. Schedule

Monday – Paragraph story (in-class assignment) – We will be breaking up into groups of 2 or 3 and discussing descriptive details from the story (I want to know what your character can see, smell, taste, etc.). Make a list of the details that will help the reader to visualize themselves in the story. In the last 10 minutes I want you to write a single paragraph from your character’s point of view. You are standing somewhere with your eyes closed…what do you hear, smell, feel? Open your eyes and tell me what you see. Be as descriptive as possible and put your reader next to you in the story – 5 pointsWednesday – Character outline – 2 person groups - Who are you and where do you fit into the story? – 5 pointsFriday – Dialog exercise – 5 pointsMonday – Rough draft due for peer evaluation. Focus on engaging your reader through imagery and detail, introducing your narrator, and creating

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workable and believable dialog with the other characters. Show us how he/she fits in (or stands out) with the other characters in the story. Peer review should focus on imagery, pace (does the story drag or does it make you hold on for dear life?), dialog (does it work in the story), and point of view/tense (does the story shift narrative points of view or from past to present tense – 10 pointsFriday – Final draft due. Drafts are to be handed in with your paragraph story, peer reviewed rough draft, your character outline, and your dialog exercise. Final draft should focus mainly on descriptive detail, point of view/tense, effective use of dialog, and revision (did you take the extra effort to revise your paper between drafts and did you make an effort to expanding the detail?) – 30 points.

Grading RubricNarrative Essay

12th Grade English

Category 5 point - Excellent

3 point – Work in Progress

1 Point – Needs Improvement

Introduction/Conclusion

Has well defined opening that

introduces the narration

effectively, and a closing that

further develops into an adequate

conclusion

Has definite opening and closing but

narration is not completely sold

and no true conclusion

Attempts an opening and

closing

Imagery

Use precise words and

phrases, telling details, and

sensory language to paint a vivid

picture of the experiences of your character

Attempts to use some details and imagery to paint a vivid picture in the mind of the

reader

Uses some detail in narrative

Clarity/Flow Engage the reader

introducing a narrator and/or characters and

Attempts a logical

progression of ideas, some

transitions can

Attempts coherent

organization and transitions

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create a smooth progression of experiences or

events

be seen as choppy

DialogUsed dialog

effectively to further engage

the reader

Makes an attempt to use

dialog

Uses little dialog with the

character

MechanicsFew errors in

language, spelling, and

grammar

Some mechanical errors

Several mechanical

errors

Format

Follows “Assignment

Specifics” throughout

paper

Failed to keep one or more “Assignment Specificst” throughout

paper

Does not follow formatting

instructions.

Total __/30