Leading to Antigone
Updated: Jun 4, 2025
Antigone was a part of part of the IMYC Big Idea - Long Lasting Change Takes Place Slowly Over Time. This unit looked specifically how English literature developed though due to time constraints I have had to adapt the materials, focus on different skills and take a different approach.
You can watch a video over view of the whole project here, Below you can read more about how it connects to the key needs of the teenage brain and different types of learning - skills, knowledge, understanding.
Leading up to Antigone, we did a variety of activities that helped develop the understanding of how language evolves and changes whilst simultaneously and actively focusing on notetaking skills (in preparation for the larger notetaking project) and summary writing and journaling. Other areas that were focused on were plagiarism, bibliography writing, and study skills. This led to individual mini-research timeline projects in pairs on a topic of choice that demonstrated the big idea. Students were also taught mechanicals of chronological order essays and given examples to analyze as well as mini-group writing practices.
During this time, we also looked at literary devices and different texts.
In groups, they then moved on researching different aspects of a particular time in English literature, created a poster, and then presented it to the class, who then were expected to take notes on the presentations to be used in a chronological order essay. In writing the essay they were encouraged not to research again unless absolutely necessary but to approach the ' class experts" on that particular topic to refer to the posters and displays.
Antigone as a script was thread through in the class. A range of actives from reading races to practice different skills, to sharing and developing opinions on themes posted around the skill, to the basics of debates (scaffolded in terms of timing, the difficulty of debate topic) to eventually developing a full-scale debate on larger topics connected to the play. This was all to develop the students' understanding of the play and its themes so they were ready for the difficult task of editing Sophocles script to its essence and developing a concept for performance in 30 minutes. This is quite a challenging task for not only understanding and comprehension is important but tough decisions on what should be kept or changed needed to be made. The students were put into groups and given a specific scene of the script.
Once this aspect was done, they were given a choice whether to simply perform the scene they had edited or create a full-scale production. I explained the pros and the cons of both scenarios. Both classes chose to do a full-class production with different concepts. At this stage, students did need support in planning and time management. My personal background in director was able to provide the directors the support they need when they found themselves with actors who couldn't act or had shyness. (At one stage, I made a student-run up and down on the spot with me to help her bring out the emotion of the sentry and move beyond her shyness to show emotion).
The whole time I was switching between different working groups making sure they were staying on track looking for moments of weakness as the performance was going to the public with parents, teachers, and Year 7 and Year 8 in attendance. And post-performance there was an individual report evaluating their own process and learning.
What did the students get out of this? What did they learn?
Skills
Writing (report writing, summary writing, chronological essay writing, and stronger students chronological/opinion or chronological/ compare & contras), evaluating their work and that of others, researching, bibliography writing, negotiating (roles within a group), debating, performing, note-taking and listening skills, planning and developing work
Knowledge
of different time periods in history and English literature, Greek theater, techniques used in marketing campaigns
Understanding
of the importance of communication, understanding that all have a contribution that they can make, understanding how a single text is presented in such a way to help us draw a conclusion about the present, understanding of themselves and their own work process.
How does this project feed into the key needs of the teenage brain?
Interlinking learning: At all stages of the learning process, I made a connection to other subjects and the skills needed and where what they were learning would have relevance in their lives. (This was also posed as questions and students were often able to make those connections.) This was particularly highlighted through the debates. The connections to other subjects were the arts, maths (set design), history, and social studies.
Making Meaning: There were times planned for reflective journaling and discussions so that students could make meaning of what they are doing so that they could see connections to real life, everyday news, politics, and familial relationships.
Peers: There was a good balance of students working together but presenting and sharing their work to their peers and having their work questioned by their peers.
Risk: They were provided opportunities to take risks whether be writing the music for the show even if they had not written music, arguing a point that was sensitive, or simply the act of presenting the ply to a broader community there were elements of risk. with the individual writing processes, students were encouraged to take risks in terms of the ideas and conclusions they had come to.
Agency: The students were always able to make choices within supported frames at all steps of the process - from choosing jobs in the production of the playwriting music, acting. directing, costume design, to choose aspects for evaluation, to what topics they would like to nominate for debates.
Risk: Students had to take risks, making artistic choices, and working out what had to happen for them to work within a limited time frame. Also performing and sharing original ideas and interpretations was risky in front of other grades, their parents, and teachers.
Transition/Support: Students were supported not only by me, but I had also worked closely with their homeroom teachers, and I also provided support to students who were supporting and helping others (how to give support). Writing began as group writing and brainstorming, developing an understanding of the play. The debates and group writing would help students when they performed the play. Then they wrote in pairs though stronger students were welcome to write individually. This activity focused on structuring and building arguments that were later used in the debates Later after learning the report writing format wrote individual reports - with the option of focusing on different aspects of the production.
During this time, we would regularly hit a flow state and not want the class to end. Also, note that this activity was done at a time of the school year where students often don't do much as all learning activities were done for the year and exams already taken.
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