I had my senior writing students read "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe. I read this when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I didn't think twice about it, really, but the kids complained that it was hard to understand. These are all kids who are planning on going to college! I was shocked. Poe is not that difficult, and "Cask," though it does feature an unreliable narrator, is not hard to understand. I have no idea what they would do if I threw "The Yellow Wallpaper" at them, so now I am looking around for some simpler short stories.
Am I wrong though? I am questioning a few things.
First, is the writing of Poe that obtuse? Perhaps I need an objective viewpoint on this.
Secondly, shouldn't I be challenging these kids with more difficult readings, since they will soon be faced with far more trying assignments in college?
I would really love some feedback!
My student projects are completed and the kids did even better than I had hoped they would! Some of the pages (like the one above by Cam, Ayla and Alex) are extraordinary. Most kids enjoyed the project and said that it helped them better understand Scarlet Letter. Most also said that they enjoyed learning how to use a new program like ComicLife. However, because of delays in getting our laptops, this unit took longer than I thought it would. I hope to be able to catch up since we have a lot more curriculum to get through!
