Laura Agosto

Secondary English Methods

Meg Goldner Rabinowitz
11/10/15
Teaching Antigone: An Ancient Text with Modern Themes
In order to fully delve into Sophocles play Antigone with my 9th-11th grade class, I would
create a four day unit that engages students as readers, thinkers, and writers. Students would be
able to bring their own experiences and prior knowledge to the text, to develop reading
strategies, and to interact with the text as writers and communicators. Although Antigone is an
Ancient Greek play that appears too far removed from modern day to allow students to connect
with the text, its thematic elements continue to be salient and relatable.
Before students start to read the play, the class would focus on developing background
knowledge. Our first day would begin with an introduction to the text. It is important for students
to understand that Antigone is the last play in Sophocles Theban trilogy. Antigone takes place in
Thebes, after it has been ravaged by war. Oedipuss sons, Eteocles and Polynices have recently
fought over the throne. During their vying for power, Polynices besieged the city. Both brothers
died, leaving Creon (Oedipus brother in law) the throne. Creon decreed it lawful to bury
Eteocles with full funeral rights, but declared Polynices a traitor and forbade anyone from giving
him the proper burial. With this background information given, it would be essential to explain to
the class that according to the Greeks an unburied soul could not enter the afterlife. Following
this information, there would be a brief think-write-pair share answering the questions, What
about this story seems strange or different to you? What about this play aligns with anything you
know about the Ancient Greeks or ancient cultures in general? These questions allow students
to process their new knowledge and connect it with their reality and any other knowledge they
may have.
Having created a foundation of understanding together as a class, students would then
read aloud the first chunk of the text (Prologue through Scene I). Parts would be assigned, and a
chorus would be created. In doing so, students can experience the performance aspect of the text
on our very first day of interacting with it. As they read aloud, students will be annotating. This
allows them to develop reading strategies. Along the way I will model for students how to
annotate the text effectively. After the students have finished reading this first chunk, we will
dive into our first discussion surrounding recurring themes in the play. Students will be prompted
to begin thinking about the ideas of fate, the conflict between law and natural rights, and
personal values. Students will read and annotate Scene II through Ode III for homework, with
the requirement that they underline a word, a phrase, and a sentence that caught their attention.
Day two of Antigone would begin with a Do Now that encourages students to connect
their own lives to the text. Students will respond to the prompt: Should we rebel against laws that
go against our conscience or natural rights? Afterwards, I would open up class for a brief share
out and discussion so that students can share ideas and practice communicating effectively. I
would direct the students to think about the choice that Antigone made, and where in the text we
see the law come into conflict with natural or moral rights. Next, based off of the previous
nights homework the class would engage in text rendering. Hopefully, in doing so, the class will
be able to hear what ideas or themes are becoming obvious and powerful in the play. Together we
will make a list of the most often repeated words, and then in small groups students will dive
back into their reading from the night before and trace the significance of that word throughout
their reading thus far. Students will finish reading and annotating the play for homework.

Our third day of class would begin by responding to the Do Now question: How do our
values shape our interactions in life? After completing the Do Now, students will engage in
whole class discussion about the different values presented by the characters in the play. Each
character has their own values, which come into conflict with one another in Antigone.
Following the discussion students will participate in a graffiti text activity. There will be various
stations around the classroom. At each station there will be an excerpt from the text on chart
paper. As students go around the classroom, they will write down on the paper one way the
excerpt is still relatable today and one way the excerpt connects back to a larger theme of the
play. This activity will allow students to engage in textual analysis, build upon one anothers
ideas, and practice quick writing and thinking skills.
The final day of Antigone would be spent generating a creative project. Working in pairs
students will choose from a variety of project options such as: creating a modern script
adaptation of one scene that remains true to the conflict of the play, writing epitaphs for each
dead character that speaks to their individual values, and creating a story board that traces one
theme of the play. Through these creative projects students will be able to express their
knowledge and their creativity while making a product that engages their critical thinking,
writing, and reading skills.