Investigation #2
Photo taken by Kerry Bramlett
Investigation #2
Photo taken by Kerry Bramlett
Introduction
Edgar Allan Poe is famous for his scary tales of horror and suspense. "The Tell-Tale Heart" is one of his most famous stories. Poe himself lived a life of mystery and suspense. Join the quest for the mystery of Poe's life. Read all of the information on this WebQuest carefully; don't miss out on the mystery!
The Task
Your groups' task is to search the world wide web for answers to the following questions about Edgar Allan Poe's life. Before you begin, you need to choose roles that each of you will perform during this investigation.
Recorder: Everyone is responsible for writing his or her own answers.
Timekeeper: One person will be responsible for making sure you do not go over the time limit for each question.
Technician: One person will need to navigate through the WebQuest.
Taskmaster: One person will make sure the group is staying on task. If there are four people in your group, then two people need to take equal turns as taskmaster.
Choose your roles and write them on your “A Man of Mystery” answer sheet. Remember, you will be participating in seven investigations, so you will have the chance to be in a different role for one of the other investigations. You have one minute to choose your roles
You will need to answer 6 (six) questions about Edgar Allan Poe's life. Each answer must be a paragraph (3-5 sentences long). You need to use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage. The information that you will use to answer the questions is located in the links that are provided under each question. You and your group must complete all of the questions. You have 50 minutes to complete this investigation.
Click here to see how you will be graded on this investigation.
The Process
Answer each question on the "A Man of Mystery" sheet. Each answer must be a paragraph (3-5 sentences).
1. In your own
words, give a 3-5 sentence summarization of Edgar Allan
Poe's childhood. Click on the link below to learn about
his childhood. You
have five minutes to complete this
question. If the above link does not work, click
here. 2. Describe Poe's
relationship with John Allan, his guardian. Did they get
along? Why or why not? You
have five minutes to complete this question. Photo taken by Kerry Bramlett If the above link does not work, click
here. 3. Poe married
Virginia Clemm. Describe her, and explain what happened to
her. Click on her grave to learn about her.
You have five
minutes to complete this question. Photo taken by Kerry Bramlett If the above link does not work, click
here. 4. Go on the guided
tour of the Edgar Allan Poe museum. Pay close attention to
the displays. Pick one display to describe (you may have to
use the "back" button). Describe the display in 3-5
sentences. Click on the link below to visit the museum.
You have ten
minutes to complete this question. 5. Edgar Allan Poe
is indeed a "man of mystery." There is a mystery that
surrounds Poe's grave in Baltimore. What is this mystery?
Make some guesses as to who is the "Poe Toaster." Hint:
Scroll down the page to "The Poe Toaster" heading. Click on
Poe's grave to learn more about the mystery.
You have ten
minutes to complete this question. Photo taken by Kerry Bramlett If the above link does not work, go here.
Conclusion
6. Many people think that the narrators in Poe's stories reflect his personality. Think about what you have learned about the life of Edgar Allan Poe. Was Poe insane? Are authors like Stephen King or R.L. Stine insane? Support your theory with information that you learned during this WebQuest as well as personal experience. Warning: Beware of stereotyping! You have ten minutes to complete this question.