RL 4 RL 6 What makes you c SUSPICIOUS?

Focus and Motivate

RL 4 Analyze the impact of word choices on meaning and tone. RL 6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create suspense. L 4c Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses) to determine [a word's] precise meaning.

summary

While insisting he is not mad, the narrator describes his obsession with the idea of killing an old man who lives in his house. When he actually commits the murder, he focuses on a sound that he takes to be the beating of the old man's heart. Then he hides his victim's dismembered body under the floor. When the police arrive to investigate, the narrator begins to hear a pounding sound that grows louder and louder. Convinced that the sound he hears is the old man's heart, the tormented narrator confesses his crime.

What makes you

SUSPICIOUS?

Discuss the question with students. Ask students how they would define suspicion. How do people behave when they feel suspicious? Then have small groups work on the DISCUSS activity.

Before Reading

Essential Course of Study

The Tell-Tale Heart

ecos Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe

VIDEO TRAILER

KEYWORD: HML8-80

Video link at

What makes you

SUSPICIOUS?

RL 4 Analyze the impact of word choices on meaning and tone. RL 6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create suspense.

Has something or someone ever seemed dangerous or untrustworthy to you? The feeling you had was suspicion. While suspicion might come from a misunderstanding, it can also be a warning that something is very wrong. In this story, you'll meet a man whose own suspicions are his downfall.

DISCUSS With a small group, discuss suspicious characters you've read about or seen on television shows. In what ways did these characters look or act differently from other characters? Continue your discussion by creating a list of warning signs that should make a person suspicious.

Suspicious Actions

1.

Avoiding contact

eye

2.

Selection Resources

80

See resources on the Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM and on .

RESOURCE MANAGER UNIT 1

Plan and Teach, pp. 75?81 Summary, pp. 83?84* Text Analysis and Reading

Skill, pp. 85?88* Vocabulary, pp. 89?91*

DIAGNOSTIC AND SELECTION

TESTS Selection Tests, pp. 35?38

BEST PRACTICES TOOLKIT Two-Column Chart, p. A25 INTERACTIVE READER ADAPTED INTERACTIVE READER ELL ADAPTED INTERACTIVE READER

TECHNOLOGY

Video link at

Teacher One Stop DVD-ROM Student One Stop DVD-ROM PowerNotes DVD-ROM Audio Anthology CD GrammarNotes DVD-ROM Audio Tutor CD ExamView Test Generator on the Teacher One Stop

* Resources for Differentiation

Also in Spanish

In Haitian Creole and Vietnamese

Video Trailer

Go to to preview the Video Trailer introducing this selection. Other features that support the selection include ? PowerNotes presentation ? ThinkAloud models to enhance

comprehension ? WordSharp vocabulary tutorials ? interactive writing and grammar

instruction

text analysis: suspense

Writers often "hook" readers by creating a sense of excitement, tension, dread, or fear about what will happen next. This feeling is called suspense. Edgar Allan Poe uses the following techniques to develop suspense:

? describing a character's anxiety or fear ? choosing vivid words to describe dramatic sights and sounds ? repeating words, phrases, or characters' actions

As you read "The Tell-Tale Heart," notice what causes you to feel suspense.

reading skill: evaluate narrator

Have you ever suspected someone was not telling you the truth? Just as you can't trust every person you meet, you can't believe all narrators, or characters who tell a story. To evaluate a narrator's reliability, or trustworthiness, pay attention to his or her actions, attitudes, and statements. Do any raise your suspicions? As you read "The Tell-Tale Heart," record clues that reveal whether the narrator is reliable or not.

Narrator's Reliability

Makes Me Suspicious: ? ?

Makes Me Trust Him: ? ?

vocabulary in context

Poe uses the following words to reveal how the main character is acting, feeling, and thinking. For each word, choose the numbered word or phrase closest in meaning.

word list

acute audacity conceive

crevice derision hypocritical

stealthily stifled

vehemently vex

1. annoy 2. cautiously 3. intense 4. crack 5. deceptive

6. smothered 7. ridicule 8. think of 9. strongly 10. shameless daring

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

Meet the Author Edgar Allan Poe

1809?1849 Orphan at Two Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston to parents who made their livings as traveling actors. When Poe was two, his father deserted the family. Less than a year later, his mother died. Edgar was raised in Virginia by family friends, the Allans. After being expelled from both the University of Virginia and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Poe began writing for a living. "Madness or Melancholy" Poe got a job as a journalist to support himself and his young wife while he worked on the stories and poems that would earn him the title "father of the modern mystery." A master of suspense, he wrote works that were often dark and full of horrifying images. Poems such as "The Raven" and short stories such as "The Pit and the Pendulum" brought him fame but no fortune. Poverty intensified his despair when his wife, Virginia, fell ill and died. Deeply depressed, Poe died two years later after being found on the streets of Baltimore. Poe's obituary stated he was a man of astonishing skill, a dreamer who walked "in madness or melancholy."

Authors Online

Go to . KEYWORD: HML8-81

81

Teach

TEXT ANALYSIS RL 4

Model the Skill: suspense

Read aloud this example: Thump! Thump! Thump! I woke with a start. Had I dreamed the sounds, or was someone in the house? Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Footsteps--coming up the stairs!

Explain what causes the reader to feel suspense while reading this passage. Say: The description of the narrator's fear and the repetition of the unexplained noise builds tension. GUIDED PRACTICE Ask students to describe suspenseful moments from films.

READING SKILL RL 6

Model the Skill: evaluate narrator

Use this example to model evaluating a narrator: Dogs are disgusting animals! They are loud, dirty, and always biting people. Explain that since the narrator obviously hates dogs, the narrator may be biased and therefore untrustworthy. GUIDED PRACTICE Ask students to evaluate the narrator of a selection they have recently read.

RESOURCE MANAGER--Copy Master Evaluate Narrator p. 87

VOCABULARY SKILL

vocabulary in context

DIAGNOSE WORD KNOWLEDGE Have all students complete Vocabulary in Context. Check students' answers. (1. vex; 2. stealthily; 3. acute; 4. crevice; 5. hypocritical; 6. stifled; 7. derision; 8. conceive; 9. vehemently; 10. audacity) Preview selection vocabulary definitions:

acute (E-kyLtP) adj. sharp; keen audacity (?-dBsPGtC) n. shameless daring or

boldness

conceive (kEn-sCv) v. to think of crevice (krDvPGs) n. crack derision (dG-rGzhPEn) n. ridicule hypocritical (hGpQE-krGtPG-kEl) adj. false or

deceptive stealthily (stDlPthE-lC) adv. cautiously; secretly stifled (stFPfEld) adj. smothered stifle v. vehemently (vCPE-mEnt-lC) adv. with intense

emotion

vex (vDks) v . to disturb; to annoy

L4

PRETEACH VOCABULARY Use the Vocabulary Study copy master to help students determine the meaning of each boldfaced word.

RESOURCE MANAGER--Copy Master Vocabulary Study p. 89

the tell?tale heart 81

Practice and Apply

read with a purpose

Help students set a purpose for reading. Tell them to read "The Tell-Tale Heart" to find out whether the narrator really is mad.

READING SKILL RL 6

a Model the Skill: evaluate narrator

To model evaluating the narrator, first reread lines 1?16 aloud, pointing out the narrator's self-description. Point out that the narrator assumes the reader thinks he is crazy, and that he plans to murder the old man even though he says he loves him. Say: The narrator is planning to murder an old man because he thinks the man has "the eye of a vulture" (line 11). This plan makes the narrator's opinion that he is not insane seem untrustworthy.

VOCABULARY L4

own the word

? acute: Point out that the root word for acute is acutus, the past principle of acuere, which is Latin for "to sharpen." Ask students: Why does the narrator think his hearing is more acute? Answer: He thinks he can hear things that he could not hear before.

? conceive: Ask students to complete the sentence: His boss conceived of a plan to. . . .

Edgar Allan Poe

T rue!--nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses--not

destroyed--not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard

What details in the

all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily--how calmly I can tell

picture help create suspense?

you the whole story.

acute (E-kyLtP) adj.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once

sharp; keen

conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given

conceive (kEn-sCv) v. to think of

10 me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He

had the eye of a vulture--a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell

upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees--very gradually--I made up 1 Targeted Passage

my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you

should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded--with what

caution--with what foresight--with what dissimulation1 I went to work! a

a EVALUATE

I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it--oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, 20 I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust

NARRATOR

Reread lines 1?16. On the basis of what he plans to do, decide whether the narrator's opinion of himself makes you trust

it in! I moved it slowly--very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old

him more or less.

1. dissimulation (dG-sGmQyE-lAPshEn): a hiding of one's true feelings.

82 unit 1: plot and conflict

Illustrations by Howard Simpson.

differentiated instruction

for struggling readers

In combination with the Audio Anthology CD, use one or more Targeted Passages (pp. 82, 85, 87) to ensure that students focus on key story events, concepts, and skills.

82 unit 1: plot and conflict

1 Targeted Passage [Lines 1?16]

This passage introduces the narrator and his strange motivation for committing murder.

? Who is the narrator of this story? (lines 1?6)

? What does the narrator decide to do? (lines 11?13)

? Why does the narrator want to kill the old man? What bothers him? (lines 10?13)

? What evidence does the narrator provide for his claim that he is not mad? (lines 14?16)

develop reading fluency

Have students practice capturing the grim, suspenseful mood by reading this page. First have students read the page independently, making notes to help themselves as necessary. Then model reading the passage aloud, capturing the mood with your voice. Have students work in pairs trading off reading paragraphs until they have achieved fluency.

RESOURCE MANAGER--Copy Master Reading Fluency p. 94

Reading Support

This selection on includes embedded ThinkAloud models?students "thinking aloud" about the story to model the kinds of questions a good reader would ask about a selection.

background

The Evil Eye The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" believes that the old man has an "Evil Eye" (line 30). Belief in the Evil Eye crosses many cultures and is rooted in folklore. A person possessed of an Evil Eye is believed to have the ability to harm other people simply by looking at them in a particular way. Belief in the Evil Eye can be found in the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. It spread throughout Europe and persists in some Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian traditions. Often a beautiful or wealthy person is the victim of a curse cast by someone with an Evil Eye who is jealous of his or her good fortune. The curse may be deliberate or unintentional. A variety of charms or talismans are worn by believers to ward off the Evil Eye.

Analyze Visuals

Possible answer: In the foreground, the man's anxiety and fear are conveyed by the expression on his face. Dramatic shadows around the room suggest a sense of dread. Jagged lines-- such as those in the folds of the man's clothing and the lines on the door--create tension.

About the Art American illustrator Howard Simpson has contributed to DC Comics' Green Lantern and The Outsiders and has illustrated Timon and Pumbaa stories for Disney Adventures.

for english language learners

Comprehension Support Point out to students that Poe intentionally uses unconventional sentence structure and punctuation, as well as sentence fragments, to emphasize the narrator's state of mind. Read the story to students and stop after each targeted passage to ask the suspense questions in the margins. Differentiate expected responses:

beginning

Answer questions using simple words or phrases.

intermediate

Answer questions using simple sentences.

advanced

Answer questions using sentences with some details from the text.

advanced high

Answer questions using sentences with significant details from the text.

for advanced learners/pre?ap

Challenge students to analyze how Poe deviates from traditional rules of grammar to emphasize the deterioration of the narrator's mind. Help them get started with examples on the first page of sentence fragments, odd placement for punctuation, and unconventional word order. Ask them to share their ideas with the class.

the tell?tale heart 83

TEXT ANALYSIS RL 4

b Model the Skill: suspense

To model analyzing suspense, point out Poe's technique in this passage. Say: For seven nights in a row, the narrator opens the old man's door at midnight and looks at his eye. Then, each morning, he goes in to ask the old man how he slept. The suspense builds because each time the narrator approaches the old man, he might murder him or be caught.

TEXT ANALYSIS RL 4

c suspense

Possible answer: The longer the characters sit in silence, the more suspenseful the situation becomes. The reader wonders which character will break the silence.

revisit the big question

What makes you

SUSPICIOUS?

Discuss In lines 45?54, how do the actions of the old man reveal his suspicion that something is wrong? Possible answer: His question, his groan, and the fact that he stays sitting up in bed, listening, suggest that he suspects he is in danger.

VOCABULARY L4

own the word

? vex: Ask students to name three things that vex them. Remind students that x is pronounced /ks/. Give students these other examples and have them practice pronouncing these words correctly: flex, Texas, Mexican.

? stifled: Ask students to tell in what situations they might have to stifle a laugh.

84 unit 1: plot and conflict

man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha!--would a madman have been so wise as this? And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously--oh, so cautiously--cautiously (for the hinges creaked)--I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights--every night just at midnight--but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man 30 who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept. b

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch's minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers--of my sagacity.2 I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I 40 fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back--but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers), and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in the bed, crying out--"Who's there?"

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting 50 up in the bed listening,--just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches3 in the wall. c

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or grief--oh, no!--it was the low, stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had 60 been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself--"It is nothing but the wind in the chimney--it is only a mouse crossing the floor," or "it is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp." Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death,

vex (vDks) v. to disturb; to annoy

b SUSPENSE

Note the actions the narrator repeats. Why does this repetition create a sense of dread?

c SUSPENSE

In what way does the characters' inaction create tension? stifled (stFPfEld) adj. smothered stifle v.

2. sagacity (sE-gBsPG-tC): sound judgment. 3. death watches: deathwatch beetles--insects that make a tapping sound with their heads.

84 unit 1: plot and conflict

differentiated instruction

for english language learners

Vocabulary: Multiple-Meaning Words Remind students to use context clues to figure out the meanings of words used in an unfamiliar way. Make sure they understand how these words are used in the story: ? mad (line 2): Though often used to mean

"angry," here it means "crazy" or "insane." ? pitch (line 42): Often a verb that means

"throw," here it is a noun that refers to a thick, dark tarry substance. Black as pitch means "completely dark."

for struggling readers

Reading Skill Follow-Up: Evaluate Narrator [paired option] Encourage students to update their charts from page 81 to help them evaluate the narrator. Have students reread lines 21?25. Do they agree with the narrator that his actions are wise? Allow time for students to share their charts with a partner.

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