Culminating Activities For Use With “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

Culminating projects are a good way to engage students in digging deeper into a text. “The Raven” is a good text for engaging reluctant readers, with the dark tone and descent into madness.

Here are some culminating projects for “The Raven:”

Make a gravestone for Lenore. Include an image or symbol on it, plus an epithet (short comment).  For further textual analysis, have students reflect on what they included, with textual support.

Write an obituary or eulogy for Lenore. This activity combines real-world writing with creative writing and textual evidence. Students might choose the narrator as the point of view for the obituary (written description of the deceased) or the eulogy (speech given at the funeral).

(Purchase the resource: The Raven Gravestone and Obituary Activities)

Write character analysis of how the narrator. Consider how the narrator interprets the responses of the Raven. Students can examine how he asks certain questions and how he views those answers.  Students might include how the “conversation” could have gone differently if the narrator asked different questions. What do these responses show the reader about the narrator?

(Purchase the resource: The Raven Character Analysis Project)

Research Poe’s life and relationships, then compare them with the poem for possible influence. A multimedia project is a nice way to present the research findings, as it can include images of Poe and his life that students find.

(Purchase the resource: Edgar Allan Poe Author Research Project)

Write a prequel to the poem about the relationship with Lenore.  Could be written as a narrative or as rhyming poem in the same format as the original.

(Purchase the resource: The Raven Prequel Writing Activity Poem and Narrative)

These are available as part of the Raven Culminating Projects Set and as stand-alone projects, plus more options!

Read more here about other ideas for teaching “The Raven.”

Check out other Culminating Projects to use with The Raven, or other poems.

Need help teaching poetry? Read about ideas to help teachers and students with poetry