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Gary Kinswa
Dr Amy Montz
English 444
11 December 2014
Putting the Boo Back in Halloween
This lesson plan was devised for teaching a standard 12th grade English class. We are
currently in the third week of the October and we are having a themed reading to go along with
the Halloween season. This month we have read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the
short story The Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft, and studied the importance of sensory details in
stories. This lesson is designed to familiarize the students with the word and genre created by
Lovecraft and to start them on their way towards their first major essay, a narrative essay that
actually places them inside the story.
Lesson Layout
Time

Readings

Activities

The Call of
the Cthulhu
by HP
Lovecraft
(Read over
the
Weekend)

5 min

FEAR Bellringer 1:
Describe to me in as
much detail what it is
that scares you the
most. What is it that
scares you about this?
What is the earliest
memory you can think
of for this fear? Where
do you think this fear
comes from?
In class video (setting the
mood):
Hey There Cthulhu
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=XxScTbIUvoA

Discussion

Assignments

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5 min

Group Discussion:
What do I know about
Mythology? Is The Call of the
Cthulhu Mythology? Why or
Why not?

5 min

Small Group Discussion:

What do I know about
Mythology? Is The Call of the
Cthulhu Mythology? Why or
Why not?

15 min

In Class Discussion:
Brave volunteer
Why do we fear
things?
Taught or born with
fear?
What can we do to
master or control
our fears?
Is there anything
positive about fear?

In Class Discussion:
Group feedback
Define Mythology
HP Lovecraft Brief
history
Brief Story Summary
(ask for volunteer)
Inspiration for story
from classical
mythology
In class video (setting the
mood):

The Kraken By Lord Alfred

Tennyson
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=_heM8YPhHkQ

15 min

Paragraph Story:

The great
American poet
Walt Whitman
once wrote, the
powerful play
goes on, and you
will contribute a
verse (Oh Me!
Oh Life!). This is

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exactly what we
are going to be
doing in the
world of
Lovecraft, we will
all be
contributing our
own verse. I want
you to put
yourself into the
story somewhere.
You could be a
police officer
responding to the
riots or to the
cultist activities.
You could be a
mental patient or
a scientist at the
reveal of the bar

relief. The only

limit is your
imagination. We
will be breaking
up in groups of
two or three and
discussing our
options. Then I
want you to write
a single
paragraph from
your characters
point of view. You
are standing
somewhere with
your eyes
closedwhat do
you hear, smell,
feel? Open your
eyes and tell me
what you see. Be
as descriptive as
possible and put
your reader next
to you in the
story 5 points

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Welcome to English 12 with Mr Kinswa and Mr Wiethop

Tempting, isn't it?

A Note To Parents from Mr. Kinswa and Mr. Wiethop

Hello parents!
We know that, like your child, you are probably a little apprehensive about the upcoming school
year starting, and frankly, we would be lying if we said that we werent a little anxious as well.
The beginning of the year is always a little scary, but Mr. Kinswa and I, Mr. Wiethop, would like
to just inform you that we plan to work with you every step of the way and to keep you informed,
throughout the semester, about our plans and your students progress. Our goal for this school
year is to allow each student room to grow and succeed while, at the same time, making sure
that we all have a little fun in the process.
If you havent met us yet, Mr. Kinswa and I are the English 12 teachers. We co-teach the class,
which means that we teach as a team. We believe in working hard to deliver your student a
quality education that not only teaches them the foundation of the English language but also
how to have a little fun and enjoy the material as well. We know that, if the student is not
engaged in the learning experience, there can be no valuable learning, so we strive to keep the
class fun, engaging, and enlightening.

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We look forward to having your child in our class, and if you ever have any questions feel free to
contact us.
Cheers!

Mr. Gary Kinswa

Mr. Nolan Wiethop

A Note To Students from Mr. Kinswa and Mr. Wiethop

Hello future student!
We (Mr. Kinswa and Mr. Wiethop) would like to welcome you to English 12. We look forward to
a year full of fun, exciting, and, last but not least, educational classroom experiences that we
know you will enjoy. We have worked very hard to create a class that we know you will benefit
from; it is full of interesting readings, writing workshops, and other tools that will help prepare
you for either college or finding a career of your choice. We believe that a well-rounded
classroom experience is exactly what seniors in high school need, and we look to provide you
just that: an opportunity to write how you want to write, speak publicly without fear, and maybe
even find a new book that you love.
It is going to be a fun year, and we cannot wait to get it started. See you in class!

Mr. Gary Kinswa

Mr. Nolan Wiethop

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Additional Reading List

"The Cthulhu Mythos" by August Derleth

"The Shambler from the Stars" by Robert Bloch
"The Haunter of the Dark" by H. P. Lovecraft
"The Terror from the Depths" by Fritz Leiber
"Crouch End" by Stephen King
"The Black Tome of Alsophocus" by H. P. Lovecraft & Martin S. Warnes
"The Return of the Sorcerer" by Clark Ashton Smith
"Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman

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Useful Links
The H.P. Lovecraft Archive A website for all things Lovecraft, not only does this site
give you access to E-Copies of many of his works as well as interesting information
about the man and the legend that is Howard Phillip Lovecraft.

http://www.hplovecraft.com/
How the Necronomicon Works - A series of pages on HowStuffWorks.com about the
mythical book, its fictional author, the various hoax editions, and its appearance in
popular culture.
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/necronomicon.htm
Was H.P. Lovecraft's "Necronomicon" for real? - This page provides some solid
background on Lovecrafts life and work before discussing his fictional book and some
of its hoax editions.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1934/was-h-p-lovecrafts-necronomicon-forreal
Cthulhu Files A detailed exploration of the entire Cthulhu mythos.
http://www.cthulhufiles.com/
SCP Foundation A link to read and even write your own fan fiction. A chance for you
to join the Lovecraftian universe.
http://www.scp-wiki.net/

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Discussion Questions to Consider While Reading

1.

What does it take for a story to become a myth and, in your opinion, does The Call
of Cthulhu qualify as a myth?

2. What character[s] do you most identify with and why?

3. We are learning how much can be learned about a person from their writing, what
do you feel that you have learned about Lovecraft from what you have read?

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Narrative Essay

The Call of Cthulhu

12th Grade English
Assignment Overview
The great American poet Walt Whitman once wrote, The powerful play goes on, and you will
contribute a verse (Oh Me! Oh Life!). This is exactly what we are going to be doing in the world
of Lovecraft, we will all be contributing our own verse. This semester we have read the novel
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, read the short story The Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft, and
studied the importance of sensory details in stories. Now we are going to actually put you in the
shoes of one of Lovecrafts characters as you become one with the story. You are now all
characters in the world of Cthulhu.
Assignment Specifics
Your final essay should be 500 to 750 words (2 - 3 pages) long, 12 point, Times New Roman font,
double spaced with 1 margins and should include a Works Cited page and in-text citations for any
and all quotes from the actual book.
Schedule
Monday Paragraph story (in-class assignment) We will be breaking up into groups of 2 or 3
and discussing descriptive details from the story (I want to know what your character can see,
smell, taste, etc.). Make a list of the details that will help the reader to visualize themselves in the
story. In the last 10 minutes I want you to write a single paragraph from your characters point of
view. You are standing somewhere with your eyes closedwhat do you hear, smell, feel? Open
your eyes and tell me what you see. Be as descriptive as possible and put your reader next to you
in the story 5 points
Wednesday Character outline 2 person groups - Who are you and where do you fit into the
story? 5 points
Friday Dialog exercise 5 points
Monday Rough draft due for peer evaluation. Focus on engaging your reader through imagery
and detail, introducing your narrator, and creating workable and believable dialog with the other
characters. Show us how he/she fits in (or stands out) with the other characters in the story. Peer
review should focus on imagery, pace (does the story drag or does it make you hold on for dear
life?), dialog (does it work in the story), and point of view/tense (does the story shift narrative
points of view or from past to present tense 10 points
Friday Final draft due. Drafts are to be handed in with your paragraph story, peer reviewed
rough draft, your character outline, and your dialog exercise. Final draft should focus mainly on
descriptive detail, point of view/tense, effective use of dialog, and revision (did you take the extra
effort to revise your paper between drafts and did you make an effort to expanding the detail?)
30 points.

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Grading Rubric
Narrative Essay
12th Grade English

Category

Introduction/Conclusion

Imagery

Clarity/Flow

Dialog
Mechanics

Format

5 point - Excellent
Has well defined
opening that introduces
the narration effectively,
and a closing that further
develops into an
adequate conclusion
Use precise words and
phrases, telling details,
and sensory language to
paint a vivid picture of
the experiences of your
character
Engage the reader
introducing a narrator
and/or characters and
create a smooth
progression of
experiences or events
Used dialog effectively to
further engage the
reader
Few errors in language,
spelling, and grammar
Follows Assignment
Specifics throughout
paper

3 point Work in
Progress

1 Point Needs
Improvement

Has definite opening

and closing but narration
is not completely sold
and no true conclusion

Attempts an opening
and closing

Attempts to use some

details and imagery to
paint a vivid picture in
the mind of the reader

Uses some detail in

narrative

Attempts a logical
progression of ideas,
some transitions can be
seen as choppy

Attempts coherent
organization and
transitions

Makes an attempt to use

dialog

Uses little dialog with the

character

Some mechanical errors

Several mechanical
errors

Failed to keep one or

more Assignment
Specificst throughout
paper

Does not follow

formatting instructions.

Total __/30