Page 86 - ELD_NT_MiddleSchool_Sampler

Unit 4
The Challenge of Comedy: Critiquing and Creating Comedy
Unit Overview
Visual Prompt: What makes people laugh? Unit Overview
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).
Introduce the Unit
Introduce the unit by reminding students that they will be learning about humorous essays. Explain that an essay is a short writing that describes and analyzes a key idea or event. Ask students if they think that essays are fiction or nonfiction. Have students Turn and Talk with a partner to form a response. Write the sentence frame: Essays are fiction/nonfiction on the board. Have students respond with their answer in a complete sentence using the frame. When all students have reported out, explain that essays are nonfiction. An essay can describe, explain, or argue – in other words, give the writer’s idea or opinion. Or an essay can analyze an event. Explain to students that throughout this unit, they will be writing their own essays step-by-step.
TeaCher TO TeaCher
Build or activate background knowledge in students about the topic
of humor by asking students to tell the class about a funny joke, TV program, or comedian. Ask them to explain what it is that makes it funny. Encourage other students who may be familiar with the joke, TV program, or comedian to add ideas. Model the activity first by briefly describing a TV program or comedian you are familiar with. Provide students with a few moments to brainstorm and then call on student volunteers to share their information and ideas. Provide specific feedback to each student volunteer after they share, such as: I like the explanation you gave about why the joke/TV program/comedian is funny. I think this TV program/comedian would make me laugh.
Language Development
To help reinforce the language students will be accessing throughout this lesson, enlist your students help to create a Word Wall. Find an open space on the wall and provide students with note cards and markers to write the words and definitions. Use tape to hang them on the wall. Add words as they are encountered and make the Word Wall part of your instruction.
Oral Fluency Strategies
Repetition of expression of ideas can help build fluency in students and can also provide opportunities for self-correction and for improving word choice or syntax. Try using repetition when students are describing humorous incidents by having them tell several different partners about them, or by having students repeat incidents discussed with partners
to the whole class. You may wish to guide students to repeat the telling of a humorous incident, incorporating target words or structures. For example, after students tell partners about a humorous incident, you may have them repeat the information to a new partner, using at least one compound sentence. If desired, give students time to plan or to write before repeating.
216 SpringBoard® English Language Development Grade 8
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.