Wicked Smart
When seniors in English teacher Aner Gendellman's Literary Journeys class headed to the theater to see Wicked: Part Two, it was more than a field trip with friends. It was the next step in a larger summative project designed to challenge the simplest versions of hero and villain.
In class, students have been reading Beowulf alongside John Gardner’s Grendel, a retelling that shifts the story’s center of gravity by telling it through the “monster’s” eyes. From there, the unit moves into Wicked, another adaptation that asks a similar question: who gets labeled heroic, who gets labeled dangerous, and who gets to decide?
“A big goal of this unit is to complicate preexisting notions of heroes and villains,” Gendellman shared. “It’s not a binary. These roles are defined by time, by power, and by who is telling the story.”
That work culminates in a poster-and-presentation summative where students create a “Heroism to Villainy” continuum, placing Beowulf, Grendel, Elphaba, Glinda, and the Wizard along a spectrum that includes classic heroes, existential heroes, anti-heroes, and villains. Students support their choices with textual evidence and reflect on what society asks of its heroes today, and what it costs when someone is cast as a villain.
The unit also connects to the senior English Jewish author study, inviting students to consider how Jewish storytellers influence the narratives we retell. Through Wicked, they examined propaganda and historical parallels, focusing on how fear and power can shape public perception. As seniors prepare to leave Weber, the unit asks them to consider how identity, power, and perspective shape the world they’re about to enter.
The Weber School
The Weber School, a Jewish Community high school serving students from all Jewish backgrounds, prepares students for success in college and in life with comprehensive academic and co-curricular programs that inspire student exploration, leadership, and Jewish social consciousness. Many of our programs and academies are unique to Weber and can't be found at any other Atlanta-area high schools.
The Felicia Penzell Weber Jewish Community High School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
The Felicia Penzell Weber Jewish Community High School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.
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