Mark Twain and American Humor [Lesson Plan]
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 442 129 CS 217 177 TITLE Mark Twain and American Humor [Lesson Plan]. SPONS AGENCY National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington, DC.; Council of the Great City Schools, Washington, DC.; MCI WorldCom, Arlington, VA. PUB DATE 2000-00-00 NOTE 8p.; Also sponsored by the National Trust for the Humanities. AVAILABLE FROM For full text: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lessonplans.html. PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Characterization; High Schools; *Humor; Language Arts; Language Usage; Lesson Plans; *Short Stories; Story Grammar; *United States Literature IDENTIFIERS Twain (Mark) ABSTRACT In this three-part lesson, students examine structure and characterization in the short story and consider the significance of humor through a study of Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." In Part I, through skits and storytelling, students first examine the structure of Twain's story and the role he creates for his tall-tale storyteller, Simon Wheeler. They then investigate Twain's use of dialect by continuing a story that Wheeler starts to tell, imitating his comic style. In Part II, students compare Twain's story with one of the Sut Lovingood stories by George Washington Harris, again examining the story's structure by performing it as a skit. After considering how this structure "frames" the trickster Sut Lovingood, as compared to the frame Twain creates for his trickster, Jim Smiley, students produce a character sketch of Harris' comic protagonist and a sample of his humorous dialect. Finally, in Part III, students read a humorous story by Nathaniel Hawthorne in order to gain perspective on Twain's brand of humor and its significance within the context of American literary tradition. After debating the merits of "moral" humor like Hawthorne's as compared with the "folk" humor of Harris and Twain, students test the possibilities of blending these traditions by recasting a paragraph of Hawthorne's story in dialect style. The lesson plan also contains the subject areas covered in the lesson, time required to complete the lesson, the skills used in the lesson, the grade level (9-12), and lists of the standards developed by professional or government associations that are related to the lesson, as well as activities to extend the lesson. (RS) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Mark Twain and American Humor [Lesson Plan] U.S. DEPARTMENT Office of Educational OF EDUCATION Research and EDUCATIONAL Improvement RESOURCES CENTER (ERIC)INFORMATION This documenthas beer received from the reproduced as originating it. person or organization Minor changes have been made improve reproduction to quality. Points of view document do notor opinions statedin this official OERI necessarily represent position or policy. 2 BEST COPY AVAILA: LE wysiwyg://383/http://edsitementneh.gov/lessonplans/marktwain.html 640 WORUICOM iffliiR BSI E'S A Introduction SLIDJEDT WIELIS t> Literature: American In this three-part lesson, students examine structure and Literature: Fiction characterization in the short story and consider the significance of humor through a study of Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Art; Folklore Frog of Calaveras County." In Part I, through skits and storytelling, History: U.S.: The West students first examine the structure of Twain's story and the role he creates for his tall-tale storyteller, Simon Wheeler. They then investigate Twain's use of dialect by continuing a story that GRUIE I.EUELS BACK TO Wheeler starts to tell, imitating his comic style. In Part II, students 9-12 Home compare Twain's story with one of the Sut Lovingood stories by Lesson Plans George Washington Harris, again examining the story's structure by performing it as a skit. After considering how this structure TI a REVRED "frames" the trickster Sut Lovingood, as compared to the frame The full lesson plan requires Twain creates for his trickster, Jim Smiley, students produce a three class periods, although SEARCH EDSITEMENT the individual parts of the character sketch of Harris' comic protagonist and a sample of his lesson can be presented as humorous dialect. Finally, in Part III, students read a humorous free-standing single class story by Nathaniel Hawthorne in order to gain perspective on period units. Twain's brand of humor and its significance within the context of American literary tradition. After debating the merits of "moral" SHILLS I> humor like Hawthorne's as compared with the "folk" humor of Harris and Twain, students test the possibilities of blending these reading literary texts traditions by recasting a paragraph of Hawthorne's story in dialect critical analysis style. literary interpretation historical interpretation drawing Inferences and Learning Objectives comparisons creative writing To analyze the use of literary conventions and devices to develop Internet skills character and point of view in the short story; to investigate the purposes and significance of literary humor; to examine Mark Twain's storytelling style in relation to that of other American mowsJILIGME01 humorists. NCTE /IRA List of Standards for the English Lanouaoe Arts Lesson Plan 1.Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of PART I: A New Kind of Humor the cultures of the United States and the world; (more) When Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of 2.Students read a wide range Calaveras County" first appeared in 1865, it was hailed by of literature from many periods In many genres to James Russell Lowell, the Boston-based leader of the literary build an understanding of the elite, as "the finest piece of humorous literature yet produced in many dimensions (e.g., STCOPYAVAILABLE 3 1 of 6 wysiwyg://383/http://edsitement. neh.govilessonplans/marktwain.html America." This was high praise for a tall-tale from a hitherto little philosophical, ethical, known San Francisco newspaper humorist, but Lowell aimed aesthetic) of human experience. (more) precisely at the most distinguishing feature of Twain's first 3.Students apply a wide range nationally acclaimed work of fiction, its transforming relationship to of strategies to comprehend, the long tradition of American humor. In this brief masterpiece Interpret, evaluate, and Twain combines the vibrant, loquacious storytelling tradition rooted appreciate texts. (more) 4.Students adjust their use of in folk tale, fable, and gossip with the more calculated literary spoken, written, and visual tradition of satire, irony, and wit. This lesson plan frames "The language (e.g., conventions, Jumping Frog" in this context, introducing students to both aspects style, vocabulary) to of American humor in order to deepen appreciation of Twain's communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for achievement. different purposes. (more) 5.Students employ a wide Fri Begin by introducing students to Mark Twain's formative years range of strategies as they write and use different as a Western journalist, a stage in his career that can come as writing process elements a surprise to those who "place" him as a Mississippi River appropriately to communicate writer. For background, visit the People in THE WEST section of the with different audiencees for New Perspectives on THE WEST website on EDSITEment; click a variety of purposes. (more) on Show Contents in the navigation bar at the foot of the page and 6.Students apply knowledge of select Clemens in the navigational sidebar for a short profile language structure, language highlighting Twain's (i.e., Samuel Clemens) experiences out West. conventions (e.g., spelling Also visit the Mark Twain in His Times website, which includes and punctuation), media techniques, figurative samples and reviews of his early days as a humorous lecturer in language, and genre to California. Select Mark Twain on Stage at the website's homepage, create, critique, and discuss then click on MT Live Lectures & Readings and select Our Fellow print and nonprint texts. Savages for the text of Twain's first lecture, an account of his visit (more) 7.Students conduct research on to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), which he first performed in Issues and interests by 1866. Or click Reviews and Recollections on the Mark Twain on generating ideas and Stage page for 19th-century comment on Twain's talents as what questions, and by posing we might call a stand-up comedian today. problems. (more) 8.Students use a variety of technological and information Have students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer Calaveras County." An electronic text of the story is available networks, video) to gather in the Huck Finn section of Mark Twain in His Times. (Click and synthesize Information Huck Finn on the website's homepage, then select Sources & and to create and Pre-Texts and click on the picture of the jumping frog to retrieve communicate knowledge. the text.) (more) 9.Students develop an understanding of and respect Focus initially on the story's structure by having a small for diversity in language use, group of students perform it as a skit. They will find that patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, Twain has devised a story-within-a-story framing structure geographic regions, and by making his narrator the reluctant audience for his social roles. (more) storyteller, Simon Wheeler, and by distinguishing his 11. Students participate as storyteller from his protagonist,