Making Ancient Texts Exciting for Students
Teaching ancient texts like The Odyssey can be challenging. Many educators struggle to capture the attention of students. For Casey Crowhurst, a high school English teacher, this has been a notable difficulty for 16 years.
The Odyssey was always one we kind of struggled with,
Crowhurst confessed, reflecting on his experiences at Monticello High School in eastern Illinois. He found it tough to make students see the relevance of a text written over 2,000 years ago.
Leveraging Modern Media
To engage students, Crowhurst uses clips from various adaptations. Though these often entertain, students comment on the outdated special effects. Recently, he turned to Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation for help. This motivated him to share his appreciation on TikTok after watching the new movie.
I just saw The Odyssey and I want to say on behalf of all English teachers: Thank you, Christopher Nolan,
Crowhurst posted, thankful for Nolan’s contribution.
New Versions Invigorate Learning
Multiple adaptations exist, including The Simpsons and stage performances. Erin Hall, another English teacher in Charlottesville, Va., is thrilled to incorporate this latest version into her lessons. I love including any kind of outside media in my classroom. It gets kids excited to learn.
Assisting Language Learners
Visual adaptations also support language acquisition. Sarah Noll at South Lakes High School utilizes them to teach English to multilingual students. They create a kind of dictionary of the important vocabulary,
she explained, highlighting how terms like ship, sea, king, and suitor are easier to grasp through visual aids.
More insights from Crowhurst, Hall, Noll, and others can be heard through the included audio link.
Visual design and development contributions are credited to LA Johnson. Edited by Nirvi Shah.
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