Lesson Plan: Gothic Literature Language Arts Project

The following is a great project to end a Gothic literature unit. I did this in lieu of a short story unit and my students really loved it. We went over the elements of Gothic literature as well as elements of plot and literary terms. The students read a variety of stories and also listened to a Gothic radio show.

We discussed story elements and how the writers use plot, setting, and character to create the Gothic mood. As a culminating assignment, the students put it altogether in the form of a radio show. The students were required to write a Gothic tale and make use of plot and Gothic elements, in order to invoke the right feeling. They then performed it for the class. The students placed their scripts on music stands and had many different things to use as sound effects during their performance. The assignment is as follows:

The Gothic Spook Hour

We've seen the beginnings of the Gothic stories and looked at some of the ways it has evolved into the world of the spooky and spine tingling stories of today. Now it's your turn to demonstrate what you've learned about how to scare and spook an audience.

For this assignment, in groups of 4-5, you will be creating your own radio show. You will write a story and adapt it for radio, creating a script that you will turn in, along with your performance of your spooky tale. Make sure that you include all of the Gothic story elements that we've been discussing.

Your "radio show" production must be between 5-7 minutes long, no shorter or longer. Your show must include dialog and may include a narrator, if a narrator is needed to help the audience understand what's going on in your story. You may also want to include sound effects, music, etc. to set the tone. Keep this in mind as you choose a story. A really short story may be difficult to pull off. Everyone in your group must participate in the production, whether it is a speaking role or being in charge of the sound effects or music.

You must also turn in a copy of your script, along with a description of what roles each member of the group played in the creation of your production.

You will be graded on preparedness, group participation, creativity, and your ability to invoke the ideas of Gothic characteristics and imagery that we discussed in class. Along with the teacher evaluation, each group will evaluate their own project, as well as the participation of their own group members.

Your show will be due on _____________ or ______________, when you will perform your show for the class. No late assignments will be accepted.

The students really have a great time with Gothic literature and the radio show really allows them to play with the elements of a short story and of Gothic literature. They'll have fun being creative and you'll have fun grading.