Engaging Students with Ancient Texts Through Modern Adaptations

Casey Crowhurst has taught high school English for the past 16 years. Teaching ancient texts like The Odyssey has always posed a challenge. Crowhurst notes that engaging students with a 2,000-year-old text is difficult. Many students question the relevance of such texts to their lives today.

To address this, Crowhurst and many other teachers incorporate clips from adaptations of The Odyssey. These include the 1997 Hallmark miniseries. While students often find the dated special effects amusing, such adaptations help in maintaining their interest.

Recently, a new cinematic adaptation of The Odyssey has emerged, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this film brings a fresh perspective to the ancient tale. Crowhurst expressed his appreciation for this new version on TikTok, thanking Nolan on behalf of all English teachers.

Erin Hall, an English teacher in Charlottesville, Va., is eager to include this movie in her teaching materials. She uses any external media to engage students and make learning enjoyable. Hall believes that modern adaptations can spark excitement and interest in ancient texts.

Sarah Noll, teaching at South Lakes High School, employs visual adaptations to aid her multilingual students in learning English. These students create dictionaries of vocabulary from the epic, including terms like ship, sea, king, and suitor. Visual aids assist in language acquisition and understanding of the text.

The use of modern media adaptations like this new film offers a way for educators to better engage students with ancient literature. Teachers such as Crowhurst, Hall, and Noll plan to utilize the movie to enhance learning experiences in their classrooms.