The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“In Imitation Of”

In this activity, students will write an extended descriptive passage of a familiar location in imitation of style and tone of the opening pages of Irving’s story.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” begins with a quote from a poem that is written “in imitation of” another author. To carry on this tradition, choose a location that you find significant and write an imagery-filled description of that location “in imitation of” Irving’s style of writing.

Before you begin, reread the first few pages of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which contain an extended description of the region of Sleepy Hollow, Tarry Town, and its surroundings. Highlight the word choices, syntax, references to history, physical descriptions, mood, and tone that develop the setting.

Keep the following in mind before you begin writing:

• Choose a location that you know well. Your description need not be of a natural or pastoral setting; it only needs to imitate characteristics of Irving’s tone and style.
• Your writing might take the form of either prose or poetry.

Finally, present your description to the class. Discuss how your description is similar to or different from the tone and style of Irving’s story. Does your description convey elements of the Gothic genre?  

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners and students who benefit from writing support, it may be helpful to make a fill-in-the-blank sentence starter using the first paragraph of the story. Keep the general phrases, such as “In the bosom of,” “where lies a,” and “be that as it may,” and replace the phrases specific to Sleepy Hollow with blanks that contain prompts such as “explain the location of the area” or “use imagery to describe your favorite place in the area.” This allows students to examine the meaning of the general phrases and still practice writing about their chosen location in imitation of Irving’s style.

Differentiation Suggestion: Advanced writers may be encouraged to specifically incorporate elements of Gothic literature into their description. Advanced readers may also be encouraged to read “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe, and then to compare Poe’s style and tone in this story to that of Irving’s in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”