Was Oedipus' destiny determined by fate or by his actions? Using details from the text, ninth graders delve into a critical thinking exercise based on Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Now that Oedipus has learned his true identity, readers consider the connections to the prophecy Oedipus worked so hard to avoid.

Concepts

oedipus, sophocles, greek tragedies, greek dramas, central ideas, literary themes, literary analysis, textual evidence, paraphrasing

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the lesson in the context of a focus on the writing process
• Allow learners to turn in revised or expanded versions of their essays for an increased grade

Classroom Considerations

• The 16th lesson in a series of 20
• Uses the mid-unit assessment from previous lessons as a basis for the writing assignment

Pros

• Provides the graphic organizer for collecting evidence concerning the prophecy, complete with prompts and sections for making text-based claims
• Comes with scaffolded, thought-provoking discussion questions for the section of text

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.2 W.9-10.5 W.9-10.9.a