Happy 215th Birthday Edgar Allan Poe

Two hundred and fifteen years ago on January 19th, 1809, Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a talented young actress named Eliza Poe. He lived on Carver Street with his family until they hit the road with their traveling theater company and finally landed in Richmond, Virginia. Poe's father, a  not-so-talented actor with a drinking problem abandoned the family before Poe's second birthday. His mother, Eliza, died shorty before he turned three leaving him an orphan. His mother most likely had tuberculosis, but numerous deadly diseases were circulating at that time. Eliza's mother had died of Yellow Fever when Eliza was eleven.

Poe's life continued to be filled with death and tragedy. In spite of what he suffered, or maybe because of it, Poe became one of the most celebrated American writers of all time. He is credited with inventing the detective story and greatly influencing the genres of American gothic horror, science fiction, and the modern short story.

I am currently working on an amalgam of ten of his stories for my HOT ROD series (higher order thinking through the Reading of Decodables.) It is called The Raven Remix: A Mash-Up of Poe Titles. I created it to follow the rhyme and meter pattern of "The Raven." Incidentally, my middle name is Lenore. 

Yes, my mother named me after the dead girl in Poe's most famous poem. 

I've been intrigued by Poe ever since. Ravens and their mythology figure very prominently in my third young adult novel, Forget Me Not (Simon Pulse: A Division of Simon and Schuster). That novel is written in verse and contains another spoof of "The Raven." The version in Forget Me Not features Tupac song titles and reimagines the rapper as a substitute teacher. Notice how the artist who created the book cover makes the girl's hair look like raven feathers. Dante's Purgatorio and several nods to Shakespeare also figure strongly in this story about a girl trapped between life and death.

When I was in Boston for the 2023 ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) conference, I made a special trip to visit the statue created as a tribute to Poe. It's called "Poe Returning to Boston." It's just around the corner from Carver Street, the place the famous writer lived as an infant. The street is long gone, but the city has left up the sign to commemorate Poe's birthplace.

I'm planning for The Raven Remix to be out in late spring of 2024.  Follow this blog or sign up for my newsletter to keep up with background information about Poe. Throughout 2024, I will be sharing facts about his colorful life and theories about his untimely death - a mystery that has never been solved.

Sign up for my newsletter HERE and receive a free copy of my first decodable book, No Gift for Man. That way you won't miss any of the fun-filled activities I'm creating for A Year of AWE: Authentic Writing Experiences along with interesting facts celebrating A Year of Poe.

2024 - A Year of AWE - Authentic Writing Experiences

 

The 2024 theme for both my blog and newsletter is AWE - Authentic Writing Experiences. That is one of the reasons I ended 2023 with a writing contest based on "A Long Winter's Nap."  See the poem and details below, but first I'd like to talk about using Thank You Notes as an opportunity for an authentic Writing Experience.

First, brainstorm a list of words students could use to express gratitude - grateful, thanks, appreciate, acknowledge, indebted. Then discuss the different types of things we can be grateful for. At this time of year, it is easy to name tangible things like gifts and presents, but people also give us laughter, music, food, and company.  If we have been visiting relatives we could also thank them for their hospitality, generosity, and kindness. We might thank others for words of encouragement, favors, or support. 

After brainstorming a list of words, encourage students to follow the same format they would use to create a paragraph for a school writing project. I created a visual for my Hank the Tank Activity Book that I call High Five Writing which can be seen below.  It can be used for everything from writing paragraphs to constructing Thank You Notes. 

Step 1: Write a 1-2 sentence INTRODUCTION.

Step 2: Describe three or more supporting DETAILS in three or more separate sentences.

Step 3: Write a CONCLUSION.

When I started my private therapy practice, parents often asked me to help their kids write Thank You Notes. When students are left to their devices, they often have difficulty constructing written notes for the same reason they struggle with other types of writing. Their writing tends to be redundant and they repeat the same ideas using the same words. They benefit from having a structure, brainstorming word lists and ideas, and receiving help to differentiate a conclusion from the main idea and the details.

Following the general format above, I modified the High Five Writing strategy to expand the ideas as described below.

Step 1: Write a 1-2 sentence INTRODUCTION or SALUTATION

Express gratitude in a general way about a specific thing or event.

Examples: Dear Grandma: Hello! Thanks so much for inviting us to stay at your house during winter break... Dear Aunt Sally: I hope you had a happy New Year. I appreciate the thoughtful gift you sent me. The poodle sweater with the little dogs on front will be very useful for staying warm this winter.

Step 2: Describe three or more supporting DETAILS in three or more separate sentences.

Describe three different things or give three different details about one thing. Remind students that they don't have to like the gift to be able to express gratitude and find something good to say about it.

Example: It was fun playing Monopoly with the whole family. Decorating cookies is always exciting. I especially liked your new reindeer cookie cutters. My favorite part of our stay was sledding down the hill behind your house. 

Example: The little dog on the front of the sweater is so cute. The color will match my new blue jeans. Most importantly, it is thick enough to wear without a coat on days that aren't too cold.

Step 3: Write a CONCLUSION or COMPLEMENTARY CLOSE (Valediction)

End with a general statement that is different from the introduction.

Examples: I can't wait until we get to see you again... It's always fun to spend time together...You are always so thoughtful...

Thanks again, Name.

Additional Thoughts

Be sure to show students an example of a completed letter so they have a visual of the layout and spacing. For older students, you may want to use terms like Salutation and Valediction and explore the common roots behind these words found in terms like salute, salutatorian, valedictorian, diction, etc.

Now, about that winter poem and writing contest going on until January 31, visit my December 2 post to find out more - A Long Winter's Nap - Illustration and Caption Writing Contest.

Finally, sign up for my newsletter HERE and receive a free copy of my first decodable book, No Gift for Man. That way you won't miss any of the fun-filled activities I'm creating for A Year of AWE: Authentic Writing Experiences.