Creative Writing Unit Plan for Gothic Fiction, Dark Romanticism, and Horror

Save time without sacrificing rigor in the high school Creative Writing classroom with this Common Core-aligned unit plan and these comprehensive materials for engaging students fully in the narrative writing process. Included are the following:

♦ A detailed, standards-based unit plan articulating the unit’s transfer goal(s), essential question(s), enduring understanding(s), learning target(s), academic vocabulary, formative assessment(s), summative performance task(s), and learning plan(s).
♦ A PowerPoint presentation addressing the conventions of Gothic literature.
♦ A formative research activity designed to build student knowledge in regard to the historical context of Halloween
♦ Representative Gothic narratives by Edgar Allan Poe (“The Black Cat”), H.P. Lovecraft (“The Outsider”), and W. W. Jacobs (“The Monkey’s Paw”).
♦ Worksheets to facilitate analysis of representative literature.
♦ Detailed directions.
♦ A comprehensive outline for student planning.
♦ A document to facilitate the editing process.
♦ A comprehensive rubric for evaluating student writing.

With these materials, students will do the following:

♦ Develop greater understanding of the conventions of Gothic literature and the horror genre.
♦ Analyze how famous authors of Gothic literature used characterization, description, and various literary devices that are consistent with the horror genre. The featured texts are Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat,” H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Outsider,” and W. W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw.”
♦ Conduct brief research on aspects of Halloween’s history and synthesize knowledge gained to draft an original narrative consistent with the conventions of horror writing.
♦ Organize initial ideas in a coherent manner.
♦ Engage the reader with a compelling exposition that establishes an eerie setting.
♦ Use many appropriate narrative techniques (dialogue, dialect, description, pacing, etc.) to enhance plot.
♦ Draft a coherent, cohesive, and appropriate narrative that builds toward a particular tone and outcome (a sense of mystery, suspense, etc.)
♦ Use precise words and phrases, active verbs, and sensory language to convey a compelling story
♦ Draft an unrushed conclusion that resolves conflicts and implies a theme
♦ Show mastery of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.