“The Tell Tale Trial” at Humphreys Middle School
The jury is in!
Ms. Brittany Hyde’s 8th grade ELA class recently performed a mock trial that put the freedom of “Mr. Narrator” on the line. “Mr. Narrator” is the character from the Edgar Allen Poe short story, “A Tell Tale Heart.” In the classic story, a man kills his neighbor, an old man with a “pale blue eye,” and buries him under the floorboards. The literary work is included in the 8th grade Collections textbook.
Ms. Hyde asked her class the question, “Is ‘Mr. Narrator’ guilty or innocent of murder?”
Students roleplayed all positions in the Hon. Judge Hyde’s court including prosecuting and defense attorneys, bailiff, court illustrator, and witnesses. The jury was made up of members of the Camp Humphreys community including parents, teachers, and even HMS’s own Vice Principal Natalya Cho.
“It was so much fun to witness the students actively engaging with the material and approaching ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ from a fresh perspective,” Ms. Cho said. “It was wonderful to see the parents involved in the process as jurors.”
This mock trial provided the opportunity for students to read within the text to develop questions for the trial and to read beyond text by expanding the backstories of the witnesses called during the trial. Witnesses were called to testify about the behavior and mental state of ‘Mr. Narrator.’ After the prosecuting and defense attorneys presented closing arguments, the jury was dismissed to deliberate. The Humphreys community members deliberated the fate of ‘Mr. Narrator’ for five minutes before delivering their verdict of “not guilty due to the reason of insanity.” The Bailiff removed the defendants’ handcuffs, and ‘Mr. Narrator’ was free to go.
This real-world learning experience was commented on by some members of the Jury.
“I enjoyed how the students came dressed for the trial,” one juror said.
“Lead attorneys, both defense and prosecution, did an excellent job with presence and projection,” added another juror.
