A 7 lesson (147 slides) fully resourced KS3 mini scheme of work exploring Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Tell-Tale Heart. Students develop their understanding of psychological horror, unreliable narrators, madness and villainy, examining how Poe creates tension and presents a narrator whose behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing. Through a variety of activities students develop their confidence in interpreting fiction and analysing a writer’s methods.

Students Develop Their Ability To:
Understand the conventions and archetypes of Gothic fiction.
Explore the historical and literary context of Gothic literature.
Understand the life and writing of Edgar Allan Poe.
Explore the conventions of psychological horror.
Understand and interpret a short story.
Analyse how writers create characterisation, tension and atmosphere.
Explore the presentation of madness, villainy and psychological disturbance.
Understand unreliable narrators and their impact on the reader.
Analyse how writers use language and structure to shape meaning.
Select and analyse quotations to support interpretations.
Develop analytical paragraphs using textual evidence.
Apply their understanding of Gothic conventions to creative writing.

What’s Included?
Seven fully resourced lessons, with a range of activities, worksheets and supporting resources:

Gothic Fiction: Introduction and Context - Key contextual information, extracts from three Gothic novels, an annotated paragraph from The Fall of the House of Usher and a model paragraph.
Gothic Archetypes and Characters - Diamond 9 recap worksheet, Gothic archetypes worksheet, contextual information, character creation activities and a model example using Wednesday Addams.
Edgar Allan Poe: Contextual information on Poe, activities exploring psychological horror, an annotated paragraph from the beginning of The Tell-Tale Heart and a model paragraph.
The Tell-Tale Heart: Understanding the Story - Comprehension questions, two narrator worksheets (including an example completed version), activities exploring the text, a plot sorting activity, an examination of the title, an annotated version of the title and a creative writing task.
The Unreliable Narrator - Comprehension questions, activities exploring the narrator’s mental state, analytical questions and opportunities to consider how Poe presents the narrator’s reliability.
Madness and Villainy - A close examination of the narrator, annotated quotes, an analytical question on the narrator, a model paragraph and additional activities exploring Poe’s presentation of madness and villainy.
Structure Assessment Preparation and Assessment - Activities exploring the structure of the story, structural questions, two annotated key structural quotations, a pupil worksheet and an annotated model paragraph identifying its strengths and areas for improvement.

This is intended for KS3 English, providing a structured introduction to Gothic fiction and a detailed study of The Tell-Tale Heart.