{"id":1226,"date":"2024-01-25T00:18:47","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T00:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seizethedayinela.com\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2024-04-30T20:32:20","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T20:32:20","slug":"the-best-way-to-teach-oedipus-rex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seizethedayinela.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/25\/the-best-way-to-teach-oedipus-rex\/","title":{"rendered":"The BEST Way to Teach Oedipus Rex"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I get it: teaching a Greek tragedy more than 2,000 years old can be a bore.\u00a0 But those days are long gone with this engaging, innovative approach to teaching <\/span>Oedipus Rex<\/span> with your students.<\/span><\/p>

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How do I do it?\u00a0 I bring Oedipus Rex into the present with a high-speed criminal investigation that\u2019s bound to pique your learners\u2019 interest.<\/span><\/p>

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Keep reading to learn about the best way to teach Sophocles\u2019 classic.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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An Overview of Oedipus Rex<\/i><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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If you weren\u2019t lucky enough to read <\/span>Oedipus Rex <\/span>in school, here\u2019s your crash course.\u00a0 A terrible plague controls the fictional city of Thebes.\u00a0 Desperate, the people turn to their well-intentioned but probably power-hungry king, Oedipus.<\/span><\/p>

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Through his investigative efforts, he uncovers the answer to their problems: rid the land of the \u201ccorruption.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, find the killer of Oedipus\u2019 predecessor, Laius.<\/span><\/p>

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Oedipus\u2019 obsession with knowing the truth sets into motion some truly harrowing and deeply disturbing details.\u00a0 (This is just one of the many reasons your students will love this play if you follow my approach!)<\/span><\/p>

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Along the way, accusations are made and long-standing friendships are severed.\u00a0 Oedipus accuses his brother-in-law Creon of a conspiratorial desire for the throne.\u00a0 Tiresias, the blind prophet, is suspicious as well for his withholding of knowledge and curious timing.\u00a0 And, of course, we cannot ignore Oedipus himself.<\/span><\/p>

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We find out about two eerily similar and equally-troubling prophecies that involve killing fathers and bedding mothers.\u00a0 (Yikes.)\u00a0 It becomes a twisted story of not only whodunnit but \u201cWho married his mom?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

In the end, the prophecy he tried to desperately avoid has come true.\u00a0 And we not only must reconcile the fact that our protagonist is a murderer, but that he is guilty of many more crimes as well.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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My Approach to Oedipus Rex<\/i><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Truly, it\u2019s incredible that Sophocles could imagine and succeed with such a salacious tale.\u00a0 Sadly, all the juicy details of <\/span>Oedipus Rex<\/span> tend to lose their \u201coomph\u201d when you throw in the fact that it\u2019s a play.\u00a0 And its style is very formal prose.\u00a0 Oh, and those confusing Greek names on top of it all.<\/span><\/p>

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I think the best way to capture your students\u2019 interest is to make it modern, real, and interesting.\u00a0 So I have my students role play.\u00a0 Specifically, they play the role first of detectives and then lawyers to understand the play.<\/span><\/p>

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I teach sophomores, both an Advanced and an Academic track.\u00a0 Though the scaffolding I provide in real-time differs (I\u2019m a little more forthcoming with crucial details in my lower classes), I find this approach to be the same.<\/span><\/p>

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We exist within a block schedule at my school, so I have (officially) 84 minutes.\u00a0 When all is said and done, I really have more like 75.<\/span><\/p>

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Each year, I set aside three class periods to cover the text.\u00a0 I break the play into three parts.<\/span><\/p>

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