Chelsea Pierson
Professor McKenna
EDIS 5710
October 15, 2014
Quad Text Assignment
Your Name: Chelsea Pierson
Grade Level and Subject Area of the Class: 12th Grade Standard English
Theme or Topic of the Text Set: Character Blindness in Characters as Symbol
Standard of Learning:
VSOL 12.4 i) The student will read, comprehend, and analyze the development of British
literature and literature of other cultures:
Analyze how dramatic conventions including character, scene, dialogue, and staging
contribute to the theme and effect
Target Text
Source
Lexile
Grade Band
Oedipus The King by Sophocles
1070L
9-12
Visual Text/s
Source
Brief Description
“Fate, Family, and Oedipus Rex: Crash Course Literature” (13 In this video, John Green
minute clip)
provides a summary of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7R36s4dbM
Oedipus the King with humor
and relevance to today’s
students. He makes
references to pop culture, and
he gives a great amount of
context. Although he speaks
more rapidly than might be
completely ideal, he speaks in
a way that students would be
able to understand ease.
Furthermore, there are visual
representations of what Greek
plays would look like, what
Oedipus the King would look
like on stage, and other
cartoon-type images simply
meant to engage and maintain
students’ interests. The video
does not focus solely on the
eyes and symbolism in
Oedipus the King, but its
building of background
knowledge is crucial.
Pierson 2
Reason for Choice: John Green is an incredibly popular author in young adult literature right
now. His books are some of the most frequently checked out at libraries, and I have seen over
half of the students I observe with a John Green book in his or her hand at one point or
another. In this video, Green gives background knowledge in a way that is relevant to
students’ lives and in a language they can relate to. He weaves humor into the description of a
very dark drama, and he refers to the Greeks as a people the students probably aren’t overly
familiar with. It is as if he is speaking to kids who have never so much as heard of tragedy or
drama as a genre. I picked this video because of its great summary, the relevance of the
narrator, and the way in which it takes the story of Oedipus, breaks it down in a way kids can
understand, and makes it relatable to today’s adolescents (He mentions the Kardashians, for
example).
Information Text 1 (Below Grade Level)
Source
Brief Description
Lexile
Grade Band
Blindness in Oedipus Rex: “Seeing Vs.
This article is
870L
N/A
Understanding” by D-rock (1998); compiled centered on the
(Article
by Professor Eric Hibbison of J. Sargeant
themes of
written for
Reynolds Community College
understanding,
entry-level
http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/oedipusthewreck/ blindness, and
writing class
blindness.htm
vision in general in
in
Oedipus the King. It
community
speaks of the
college)
differences between
Nevertheless,
being physically
the
blind and
readability is
metaphorically
high.
blind, and it shows
how Sophocles was
trying to show
audiences the
difference between
the two concepts.
The article provides
a brief summary of
the play, and it also
provides readers
with context.
Reason for Choice: This article breaks down the symbolism of eyes in Oedipus Rex (and
Oedipus the King). It touches on the difference between seeing and understanding what is
being seen (interpreting). Although it was written for a higher grade level, it is written in clear,
concise language, and I would, of course, teach it with a high degree of scaffolding.
Furthermore, as a side note, I would only require my students read the specified section on this
website, as there are several other short essays compiled on the page. I may even print it out
with citations in order to decrease any possible distractions.
Information Text 2 (Near Grade Level)
Source
Brief Description
Lexile
Grade Band
Pierson 3
“Oedipus Rex”
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/
literature/oedipus.htm
This webpage
970L
provides a summary
of Oedipus Rex, as
well as photos of
Ancient Greece.
Reason for Choice: I chose this informational article because it provides a
summary of Oedipus’ life as well as some contextual information. It includes
visual aids such as in-line photographs, and is written in a language easy for
struggling students to read. What is particularly wonderful about this website
is its in-line pronunciations (“Laius – “LIE-us”) and its in-text quiz questions
to keep students engaged and help them monitor their understanding.
YA Selection
Source
Brief Description
Lexile
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Coraline Jones is a
740L
typical teenager
who has just moved
into a house in a
new state with her
parents. She meets a
few people, most of
whom are her
neighbors, but she
doesn’t really know
anyone and is
completely
disgruntled with her
parents’ decision to
uproot her life. One
day, she discovers a
portal in her house
that takes her to the
“other” world, a
world where
everyone has
buttons for eyes and
everything seems
too good to be true.
Before long,
Coraline realizes
she was blind to
what she had in the
real world and must
fight to save her
family, her friends,
and her eyesight.
9-12
Grade Band
6-8
Pierson 4
Reason for Choice: Coraline, a teenager who has just moved to a new state and is about to start
a new school in a town where she knows no one, fails to recognize what is directly in front of
her: a great life with people who love her. In a similar manner, Oedipus fails to recognize the
woman he has chosen to marry and reproduce with is his own mother. For Coraline, it isn’t
until she enters the “other word,” a world filled with button-eyed doppelgängers that she
realizes she has been blind in her own life. For Oedipus, of course, his realization comes when
it’s too late, and the consequences are much darker. Nevertheless, this young adult novel
touches on a similar theme to Oedipus the King, as it uses the eyes as a metaphor. Students
will be able to access the target text with greater ease after reading Coraline as it requires
readers to think critically about being aware of one’s surroundings and relationships with
others. Furthermore, the language of Coraline is more accessible and the time period is more
relevant as it is a contemporary young adult text. It will ignite a spark of interest in reluctant
readers, especially as the protagonist is more relatable due to her age and her friends are more
diverse in regards to race (and species) than Oedipus’ subjects and friends.