Teaching sheet: The Fall of the House of Usher

Step 1

This activity allowseach student to:

• have a second look at the whole ebook with a more sensitive perspective
• check what they did or didn’t understand
• immerse themselves and let the story soak in

Step 2

What is the best part of the story?

• During this activity, to practice public speaking in front of a group, make sure that everybody pays attention to the student speaking and ensure that each student gets a chance to speak freely at least once.
• Encourage interaction by emphasizing “more” and “less” so that they understand the superlative on their own. (The best part of the story? The saddest? The scariest? The part you liked least, etc.).

Step 3

Draw your favourite part of the story.

This activity aims at getting students to express their feeling about the climax of the story. Without using the word “climax” you can talk of “key moments” and make them recall the feelings expressed during the previous activities.

Step 4

Set up an exhibition.

After they have displayed their drawings, allow time for the group to move from one drawing to another so that they can interact freely with each other. Step in only if they are too reserved to speak, using open-ended questions to provoke reactions and exchanges.

Step 5

Look at the drawings of the group. What do you feel?

This activity allows them to get a general idea of the emotions aroused by the drawings: whether it be unanimity or divergent reactions. Depending on their level you can present expressions such as “me too”, “you too”.

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