Shields 8th ELA Week 9 Hey everyone!: This week we’re kicking off our humor unit by doing some activities and reading the story “The Clown” by Patrick McManus. A day by day breakdown of the week is posted here and all materials are posted on the Glover website and in Teams. Students should be working for approximately 20 per class per day. If you end up with some leftover time to fill, READ! Remember: This is English. I still expect you to answer questions completely by restating the question as part of your answer and providing evidence to back up your answers!
Week 9 Breakdown Complete the following activities: Monday Create some sort of visual to represent your sense of humor. I created an What’s funny to you? example you can see below. Yours can e hand drawn/written or created on a High and Low Comedy computer. If you want to see more examples, let me know! Read through, look at, and watch the examples of high and low comedy so that you have a good understanding of each. Think about which you prefer and find especially funny. Fill in the chart provided. Tuesday Familiarize yourself with terms for this unit by doing the Quizlet (link below). Quizlet and Pre- Also, complete the Before Reading response. reading Wednesday Read about the author and then read the story for this week about a class Read “The Clown” clown. Teams meeting today at 12:30! Thursday Be sure to answer all of the questions following the story and answer them Answer questions completely! Don’t forget text evidence! after reading Submit your work in Teams.
Friday No school today! But feel free to do some independent reading over your long weekend!
Here is a link to our Technology Tools page with lots of helpful directions and videos. If you have questions about nearly any educational technology you might need to use, this is the place for you! Check it out!
Week 9 Unit 4: Intro to Comedy 8th ELA
We only have 5 weeks left! We are going to end the year with our Introduction to Comedy unit. SpringBoard explains, “If laughter is truly the best medicine, then a study of challenges would not be complete without a close examination of the unique elements of comedy. Overcoming challenges is often easier when we are able to look at the humorous side of life. However, finding humor is not always easy; it can be a challenge in itself. In this unit, you will learn how authors create humor and how they use humor to reveal a universal truth (theme).” Currently, we are facing many challenges due to COVID-19 and the impact it is having on school, so let’s try to enjoy some comedy and find humor in our day to day lives. Over the next 5 weeks, we want to read, analyze and enjoy humorous texts and encourage you to write your own humorous text. As we work through the unit, think about the question: How do writers and speakers use humor to convey truth? This week we will begin by having you think about your own interpretations of what’s funny. Create a visual to show some things that you find funny. You can make a chart with words or pictures, a powerpoint or draw something by hand and upload a picture to share with your teacher/class. Here is an example from Mrs. Shields:
Once you’ve completed your funny things visual, you will need to learn some new vocabulary that is related to comedy, so you can identify the type of humor being used in the stories, poems or videos you watch. Please start by accessing the Comedy Quizlet and read through each of the words and definitions. You can play the games too, but remember you need to really get to know these words!
READ the Classifying Comedy excerpt: From SpringBoard Act 4.3 Pg. 268 Comedy occurs in different ways. However, it typically falls into one of two categories: High and Low comedy. As you read, think about your list of what’s funny. Are the things you find funny more high or low comedy? Or a mix of both? Low comedy refers to the type of humor that is focused primarily on the situation or series of events. It includes such things as physical mishaps, humor concerning the human body and its functions, coincidences, and humorous situations. With low comedy, the humor is straightforward and generally easy to follow and understand. Since the primary purpose of most low comedy is to entertain, the action is frequently seen as hilarious or hysterical and the effect is often side-splitting laughter and guffaws. Many times, the characters are exaggerated caricatures rather than fully developed characters. These caricatures are often caught in unlikely situations or they become victims of circumstances seemingly beyond their control. Thus, the plot takes priority over the characters. Examples of low comedy might include Madea’s Family Reunion, Meet the Parents, and America’s Funniest Home Videos. Shakespeare’s comedies, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night, are full of low comedy. Watch this example of Low Comedy from Dumb and Dumber! Other examples of Low Comedy:
High comedy refers to the type of humor that is focused primarily on characters, dialogue, or ideas. It includes such things as clever wordplay, wit, and pointed remarks regarding larger issues. Many times, high comedy takes an irreverent or unconventional look at serious issues. Sometimes the humor of high comedy is not immediately obvious; it can take a bit of reflection in order to realize the humorous intent. Frequently, the purpose of high comedy is to express an opinion, to persuade, or to promote deeper consideration of an idea. Often described as amusing, clever, or witty, high comedy typically results in chuckles, grins, and smiles rather than loud laughter. Clever use of language and interesting characters receive more attention than the circumstances that surround them. Examples of high comedy include Modern Family, The Middle, and, at times, The Simpsons. Shakespeare’s tragedies, such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, also include instances of high comedy.
Watch this example of High Comedy from Saturday Night Live: Plagiarism! Another example of High Comedy:
Comedy also looks different depending on your age and maturity: Audience Often Likes Classify it: High or Low Comedy? young children Slapstick or silly physical humor
elementary-school Puns, simple jokes that play off the sound children rather than the meaning of a word, such as “lettuce all go to the salad bar” teens Jokes about topics that authority figures would consider rebellious, a way to use humor to deal with nerve-racking subjects adults, particularly Satire, which makes fun of the weaknesses well-educated ones of people and society
Here’s a chart to help review the differences between high and low comedy: Low Comedy Purpose Common Subjects Emphasis on Descriptions Intended Responses To entertain Physical mishaps Situation or plot Humor is Guffaws (series of events) straightforward/eas To make the Bodily functions y to follow action is Outbursts audience laugh seen as hilarious or without having to Coincidences hysterical laughter: riotous, loud, side- think about the hysterical, ludicrous splitting laughter humor Humorous situations (unlikely events)
High Comedy Purpose Common Subjects Emphasis on Descriptions Intended Responses To express an Larger social issues Characters and Wordplay Chuckles opinion Dialogue Current events Witty/clever/amusin Grins To persuade Clever use of g language Smiles To promote a deeper Satire/irony consideration of an Characters take Smirks idea priority over plot Irreverent (not loud laughter) To entertain Social/political Not obvious: requires thinking ______"The Clown” by Patrick McManus
Before Reading: Respond to the following journal prompt by answering each of the corresponding questions. Think of someone who has been a “class clown” in one of your classes.
a) What assumptions do you think other students make about this kind of person? b) What assumptions do you think teachers make? c) Why do you think most “class clowns” act the way they do?
About the Author:
During Reading: Click the link>>>>>The Clown by Patrick McManus to read the story! If you’d rather follow along and listen to it, we have a special reader for you! Click the Audio of Mrs. Shields reading the story! (You will need to login to Office 365 to access this audio).
After Reading: Answer the questions by using the highlight function to highlight the best choice. 1. Who was the character that used bear grease on his hair? a. Patrick (narrator) b. Miss Bindle c. Slick d. Olga
2. What TWO literary devices does the author primarily use in The Clown? a. pun b. exaggeration c. sarcasm d. irony e. alliteration
3. When did Pat crack with laughter in class? a. When he watched Miss Bindle try and fail at snatching Slick’s greasy hair b. When Slick stuck two pencils up his nose and impersonated a walrus c. When Miss Bindle hit Mort with a slug of sarcasm for cheating on a test d. When Miss Bindle drug a student to the office by their hair
Restate and answer the following questions in complete sentences:
4. Did you find this story funny? Why or why not?
5. What's the narrator’s opinion of Miss Bindle? Consider her teaching methods, his own behavior, how his feelings about Miss Bindle may have changed by the end of the story.
6. Use details from the selection to evaluate Miss Bindle as a teacher. Is she a good teacher? Why or why not?
7. The narrator seems to believe that modern teaching methods are more enjoyable but result in inferior learning. Do you agree with him? Do you feel that harsher discipline would improve students’ performance? Explain your opinion.
8. Write About It Pick one of the following writing prompts to respond to:
a. Write a poem (5+ lines):
Pretend you are Miss Bindle and create an amusing rhyming poem about Clifford Slick.
b. Write a Narrative (2-3 paragraphs):
Imagine other antics that Clifford Slick might perform in class. Write a brief narrative of new trouble he gets into. You may wish to include dialogue and other characters, like Olga Bonemarrow or fictional students you create.
Optional Activity: -COVID Journal: Write a journal entry that answers the questions: Do you think humor is less important, equally important, or more important now, as it was before we all were required to stay at home? Why?