This Lesson's Title:

Tillbury Town:
Why, Cory, Why?

creating a "Top Ten List" to explore Richard Cory's motives

This lesson was created by NNWP Teacher Consultant Corbett Harrison. You can access all of Corbett's on-line lessons by clicking here.

This on-line writing prompt is based on the poetry of E. A. Robinson. Before writing to this assignment, students should hear and discuss the poetry of this great poet.

Click here to learn more about this poet.

If you are a Washoe County teacher, click here to search for a collection of works by this poet that you can check out from the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

E. A. Robinson's sonnet about Richard Cory is a great poem to use when showing student writers that poetry can have multiple interpretations. For this writing activity, students assume the role of a television producer who has bought the rights to Richard Cory's life story for a made-for-tv movie. Writers, assuming this role and thinking about what makes realistic TV drama, then create a "Top Ten List" of reasons Richard Cory might have killed himself despire his apparent good fortune. Teachers: click here to read the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is idea development; writers are to brainstorm unique but realistic reasons for Richard Cory's final action.  The support trait in this assignment is word choice; each item on the top ten list needs to include a word or two that would definitely get a tv producer's attention.