Page 331 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade8_Flipbook

aCTIVITy 4.10
elements of Humor: Comic Wordplay
learNING sTraTeGIes:
Marking the Text, Discussion Groups, RAFT
About the Author
Jack Prelutsky (b. 1940) says that he has always enjoyed playing with language, although he did not always like poetry. He rediscovered poetry in his twenties, when he began writing humorous verse for children. Since then, he has written more than fifty poetry collections. His poems are sometimes silly, sometimes playful, sometimes frightening, but always entertaining.
In 2006, the Poetry Foundation named him the first-ever Children’s Poet Laureate. Prelutsky also studied music, and he has set several of his poems to music for the audio versions of his poetry anthologies.
poetry
my Notes
Learning Targets
• Interpret the use of wordplay in poetry and drama.
• Collaborate to explore wordplay in previously studied texts.
• Create a visual representation of a pun.
Preview
In this activity, you will read a poem and think about the author’s use of wordplay, specifically puns.
Setting a Purpose for Reading
• As you read the poem, underline words and phrases that demonstrate the author’s use of puns.
• Circle unknown words and phrases. Try to determine the meaning of the words by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary.
• Draw a question mark next to any puns that you do not understand.
Word CoNNeCTIoNs
Roots and Affixes
The word clamor comes from a Latin word meaning “to call out.” The root -clam-, also spelled -claim-, appears in exclaim and exclamation, proclaim and proclamation, and acclaim and acclamation.
Is Traffic Jam Delectable? by Jack Prelutsky
Is traffic jam delectable,
does jelly fish in lakes,
does tree bark make a racket, does the clamor rattle snakes?
Can salmon scale a mountain, does a belly laugh a lot,
do carpets nap in flower beds or on an apricot?
Around my handsome bottleneck,
304 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 8
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.