As more and more of my students fall in to the remedial category of the Connecticut Mastery Test for reading comprehension, I feel a need to align my teaching and particularly this unit with the test's goals and objectives. The reading comprehension component of the test seeks to measure how well students construct meaning with a variety of types of text; how students apply strategies in order to construct meaning; and students ability to analyze, elaborate, and respond critically to written works.4 Since this unit is based on mystery fiction, one of the goals is for students to be able to apply reading strategies in order to be better readers and in turn, meet the Connecticut Mastery Test standards.
Reading passages on the CMT are usually narrative and expository. Edgar Allan Poe's, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" will adapt well to this format. Poe's story is laid out in true mystery fashion. It gives great detail to characters and events in quite sequential order. The story ties the reader into solving the mystery.
This story, originally published in 1841 is a classic deductive mystery story with a famous genius as a detective. Dupin is similar to the ever famous Sherlock Holmes, as well as other series detectives. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" helps students to generate "good questions" that can help them solve the story. Many meaningful lessons and activities can be created from this particular reading, lessons on chronological order, context clues and characterization are just a few.
The lessons provided give students the opportunity to construct meaning after reading Poe's short story. Students need to identify or infer the central idea in the short story, as well as identify important characters, settings, events, relationships and details within the story. The students also use relevant information to summarize and draw conclusions about the author's purpose.
Students will apply reading strategies in order to make meaning of the text. Poe can be somewhat difficult for young readers, but I think they are at the stage where they can appreciate a classic piece of literature and understand its significance. Students will get experience using and creating graphic organizers to follow the story. Using context clues to determine meanings of unknown or multiple meaning words, or figurative language is also an intricate part of constructing meaning from what is read. Students will be given the opportunity to analyze, elaborate on and respond critically to Poe's short story. The questions used in the activities will set purposes so that students will reconsider or reread certain sections of the story. With each rereading, students develop a more in-depth understanding of the story. The lessons and activities in this unit are just a cross-section of what can be done with mystery fiction in the classroom, and is by no means complete. This genre of literature can lend itself so well to many higher order thinking skills.
Another short reading passage to be used in the unit is "The Invisible Man". Before television, families used to gather around the radio for nightly entertainment. Creepy shows like "Lights Out" kept thousands trembling on the edge of their chairs.5 In 1938, one story threw America into a panic. It was H.G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds." When Americans heard the radio broadcast of the story, many thought martians were really invading the Earth.
Today, Wells's stories still have the power to terrify us. "The Invisible Man" has been terrifying readers for years. I selected this story for my students because it is a classic. Wells also gives a timeless issue on which to ponder- What would you do with the ability to become invisible? This story also deals with the realization that great discoveries and inventions can be a two-edged sword. The character in the story uses nuclear energy to his own advantage. Before reading "The Invisible Man," I will have to ask students to think of significant discoveries and inventions. Then we can discuss their positive and negative implications, because Wells tells the story of a bitter man who uses his scientific discovery to terrorize others. Students will have to read carefully, and look at the causes of his behavior and the effects of his behavior to make meaning of this timeless classic.