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We’re All A Little Outcast-y Here: Poe x Wednesday x Stranger Things

🎙️ Episode 3 - We’re All A Little Outcast-y Here: Poe x Wednesday x Stranger Things

 

✨ What you’ll hear inside:

  • 60 sec recaps
  • Our fave Poe texts + how we brought them to life in our classrooms
  • Wednesday x Stranger Things as supplements to any spooky or outcast-themed unit
  • Extra engagement options for a little razzle dazzle
  • Tips for tackling heavy, dark topics
  • Rapid fire recs (also posted below!)


Essential / Discussion Questions Options:

  • How do gothic settings act as characters themselves, shaping the story and reflecting the decay or resilience of the people inside?
  • How do each of these characters balance wanting to belong with wanting to stay true to themselves?
  • Do these stories suggest that being an outcast is something chosen, forced, or a mix of both?
  • What mood do these stories create for the audience, and how does that mood help us empathize with the outsider perspective?
  • What do these texts teach us about how guilt distorts reality?

 

 

Rapid Fire Recs -

Poe Works:

  • “The Tell-Tale Heart” – A guilty narrator insists on their sanity after committing murder; classic unreliable narrator
  • “The Fall of the House of Usher” – A tale of decay, madness, and isolation in a crumbling mansion (also adapted to Netflix as a series of many of his stories, but not school-appropriate)
  • “The Black Cat” – Themes of guilt, violence, and psychological torment
  • “The Masque of the Red Death” – A wealthy prince and his guests try to hide from a deadly plague
  • “The Cask of Amontillado” – Revenge and betrayal in a dark underground crypt
  • “The Pit and the Pendulum” – A prisoner endures terrifying tortures during the Spanish Inquisition
  • “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” – Considered the first modern detective story
  • “The Gold-Bug” – A cryptography and treasure-hunt tale (episodes or clips from Netflix's Outer Banks would be a really cool, unexpected supplemental)
  • “The Oval Portrait” – A short, eerie piece about art, obsession, and life drained for beauty
  • “The Raven” - Poe's renowned classic poem of grief and madness
  • "Annabel Lee" - A mournful ballad of love defying death

 

Spooky/eerie/dark books, movies, shows:

Books:

  •  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (pen name of Daniel Handler)
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
  • Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
  • House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Movies:

  • Edward Scissorhands
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  • Coraline
  • Beetlejuice 1 + 2
  • Fear Street Movie Series (not fully school appropriate, but could use clips)

Shows:

  • School Spirits (10/10 recommend!)
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • Freaks and Geeks
  • Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events (perfect more light hearted spooks, especially for younger grades)
  • Euphoria (definitely not school-appropriate, but trust us, your kids have seen it)

 

 

🚨Bonus: ⁠Click here⁠ for a SPECIAL FREEBIE - Pin the Raven on the Poe - includes printable artwork, variations of the game for different grade levels, and optional ELA-integrated extensions 🤗

If you loved this episode and hanging out with us, make sure to subscribe, rate, and leave a review. This helps more teachers find us and join the conversation and the revolution.

 

👉 Stay connected with us:

  • Ana's socials: @simply.ana.p
  • Hannah's socials: @teachengagingela

 

You can also visit our websites for extra resources + PDs:

 

 

💌 Got an idea, question, or a text you want us to tackle? Slide into our DMs or send us a message because we might just feature it in an upcoming episode. Be sure to subscribe for show updates, share this with your teacher bestie, and leave us a review 🫶