Oedipus is my Hero

Is it seriously almost October!? I feel like September came and went in less than five minutes!  My Honors English II Classes have been working on one of my favorite pieces - "Oedipus The King" by Sophocles! There's nothing like a little incest, murder, and blindness (a triple threat!) to add zest to the classroom.  
While teaching the play, we discuss the history, time, and author.  This always brings up a discussion on timeless literature and themes - which leads right into one of my favorite things to talk about: ARCHETYPES!  It's always fun to see my students totally amazed by ancient story patterns and how almost everything we currently read/watch follows the same outline! We talk about the hero's journey and even play archetype Go Fish, but my FAVORITE activity is The Hero's Journey Map.  I play a GREAT TED Ed video to introduce the archetypal hero's journey - really breaks it down into "common" language and gives students a modern example to view.  You can check it out here: 

We fill in a blank pie chart with the steps of the journey and even use Disney's The Lion King as an example! I give them a chart of character archetypes and they work in groups to locate examples in literature and film.  Here's what their notebooks look like after our discussion:

Then, I give students a blank pie chart with 9 "slices".  They have to choose a book or a film that accurately depicts the Hero's Journey.  They fill in the pie chart with illustrations, quotes, and symbols that reflect the journey in that particular piece.  I also have them write a constructed response which forces them to examine HOW the steps fit (did they have to force the steps, or did they happen naturally) and how at least one character in the tale is an example of an archetype.  Here are some of their examples of The Hero's Journey:

This always leads into a discussion about how Oedipus follows the steps of the hero's journey - and also how he is an example of an important character archetype: the tragic hero!

We just ended the play and completed one of my favorite projects: Foil Character Fun! I'll post those treasures later in the week.  As always, it's been fun, Oedipus! :)

Back To School!

Everyone thinks that I'm crazy because I LIVE FOR BACK TO SCHOOL! I get so excited when I see the school supply set up come out at Office Max.  It's so bad that even my grandmother buys me Staples gift cards for holidays! I LOVE meeting all of my new students and jumping in to new curriculum.  The majority of my paycheck usually ends up at Barnes and Noble - there's nothing better than new books to start the school year out right. 

This "back to school" season has been even crazier than usual, but I've never been more excited to get things rolling.  I even have an ESL class of 35 freshmen sandwiched between two sections of Honors World Lit!  Their energy is contagious, and I've really enjoyed getting to know all of my new children.  Here's how I got my year started.


We had an "Open House" a few days before the first day of school.  I like for my students to know exactly what the course will be like, so I typed a cute listing of everything we'll read, when my tutoring hours are, and how their parents can contact me.  I also included a supply list. 

I'm a huge fan of treat bags - like, I'll look for a holiday or invent a new one just so I can make treat bags. BUT I was a little pressed for time this year.  I ended up attaching some cute tags to Blow Pops to hand out at Open House.  I was THRILLED that I had so many students come to meet me that I ran out of candy! 

After Open House, I jumped right into making things for the first day of school.  Being a perfectionist will probably kill me one day, but of course I had to make sure my syllabus stood out.  I used rainbow paper (Yay buy one, get one free at Staples!!) and made a template for a flip book syllabus.  Here's how it turned out: 

I like to give my students a survey on the first day of school.  I like knowing the basic things such as favorite movie and favorite candy, BUT it's also super important for me to get know their reading and writing preferences and habits.  I made a brochure-like survey on colored paper.  I learned SO MUCH about my students this way.  

As a first day activity, I had all of my classes fill out a "What You Should Already Know" packet.  It was a basic list of literary elements: pictures, examples, and definitions that they worked in groups to complete.  This was a way for me to jump into the curriculum from the first day AND assess what they already knew. 

Finally, I gave all of my children a treat bag complete with Smarties (because that's what they are ;) ) and pencils.  

I didn't leave out my teacher friends either...I bought packs of rainbow pencils + made a cute tag to attach. Super easy and a way for me to show them how much I appreciate all that they do.  I seriously have THE BEST group of teachers on my hall.  EVERYONE is always helpful, understanding, and FUN! 

How was everyone else's first week?  I'm ready to get the ball rolling and show my students how much fun reading can be.  We've started Oedipus Rex with my honors class and "The Cask of Amontillado" with my freshmen.  Sophocles and Poe - is there really any other way to start the school year!? ;) 

I've also included all of these items in a back to school pack in my TPT store!  Check it out here: Back To School Pack