name of lesson: 3. round and round the humor...

CCSD Version Date: May 2011

Name of Lesson: 3. Round and round the humor goes….ROTFL

Topic: Humor

Gifted Standard and element(s):

G1-CRITICAL THINKING- Students will utilize higher order reasoning and reflect upon their

thinking.

G2-CONVERGENT THINKING-Students will reason logically using induction and deduction.

G4-DIVERGENT THINKING-Students will think creatively to generate innovative ideas, products,

or solutions to problems.

G5-EVALAUATIVE THINKING-Students will evaluate and solve a variety of authentic problems.

G6-RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS-Students will make relationships and connections

among various topics and disciplines.

Supporting Georgia Performance Standard(s) and element(s):

Essential Question(s): How are Critical Thinking, Convergent Thinking, Divergent

Thinking, Evaluative Thinking and Relationships and Connections used to help me

understand how humor is beneficial to a person’s mind and body (attitude and health)?

Lesson Questions: What are the many, varied, and unusual forms of humor? How

can humor help make connections between you and the world around you?

Lesson Summary: Students will explore Gifted Standards G1, G2, G4, G5, and G6 as they relate to

information on Humor. Students will complete work stations and assessments for each of the

standards.

Assessment Description/Performance Task:

Constructed response Informal assessment

Performance task Selected response

Brief Description of Assessment:

Instructional Methods:

Hook/Activator:

Mini-lesson: Teacher will help students discover the meaning of various types of humor. Create a

definition with an example or illustration for each of the following: fractured fairy tales; riddles:

homophone; idioms; proverbs. Add these to the Humor Anchor Chart.

OPENING:

Teaching Strategy:

Students will work in small groups to complete standards based projects. These will demonstrate

students understanding of each of the standards. Each “work station”will address one of the gifted

standards in relation to the Lesson Questions. One work station will be teacher led; students will

work independently at the remaining work stations.

1. Review each work station’s instructions with students, making sure to discuss

vocabulary/terminology of the various humorous activities. Divide class into small groups of

2 to 5 students depending on your class size. One group will work with you doing either a

mini- lesson or direct instruction. The other students will work independently at the other

work stations.


2. Each student should be given a file folder or 3-prong pocket folder to store all their materials.

These can be kept in a crate or container for easy access each week.

3. Students will receive a new copy of “Torrie the Tortoise” (from lesson 1) to keep track of

which work stations they have completed.

4. Each time they complete a center, they will color in the matching section of Torrie’s shell. It

may take several weeks for students to complete all the work stations and demonstrate their

understanding of each of the standards.

5. Each work station should contain a poster explaining which standard is being explored.

6. Each work station should contain instructions and materials to complete standards related project.

WORK STATIONS:

G1: - Critical Thinking – FRACTURED FAIRY TALES-This center will be teacher directed. An

introduction will begin by reading a Fairy Tale and its associated Fractured Fairy Tales (The

Really, Really, Really True Story of Cinderella; The Broccoli Man: The Gingerbread Man’s

Unbelievable Strange Cousin, etc.). There are many on-line sites that have fractured fairy

tales as well as many books. Students will compare and contrast the two types of stories and

record their data on a graphic organizer (Venn diagram, T chart, etc.). Students will then

select a fairy tale to write as a fractured tale. Students will use butcher paper divided into

topics of Setting/Characters/Traits/Plot/Humorous Element of story. Completing this will help

them when writing their own Fractured Fairy Tale. Students will then prepare to present the fractured fairy tale to the class.

G2: - Convergent Thinking – RIDDLES- What is a Riddle? A riddle is a word game in a form

of humor that provokes laughter. It can be a question with an answer that has a humorous

twist. Students will solve the riddle in this station by using logical thinking to complete the

acrostic. They will begin by trying to answer the clues and then placing the letters from the

answers into the designated boxes on the grid. Sometimes students will have to work

backwards, i.e. they can guess a word in the grid and place the letters on the corresponding

clue dashes. When complete, the grid will reveal the answer to the riddle. The evaluation will

be if student can complete the riddle correctly. Students can then create an acrostic of their own.

G4 – Divergent Thinking – HOMOPHONES- Students will look through books written by

Fred Gwynne – Chocolate Moose for Dinner, The King Who Rained, and Little Pigeon Toad.

Students will then brainstorm as many homophones as they can think of that demonstrate

connections/relationships with themselves. The student will list these on a piece of the paper.

They will then narrow their choices to one favorite and show this by circling it on the list. The

students will then illustrate their choice on a separate piece of paper to be included in a class

book on homophones. The finished product should showcase ideas that demonstrate the four

components of creativity: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Elaboration. Student and

Teacher will use the rubric to evaluate the final product.

G5 – Evaluative Thinking – TALL TALES-Students will read a variety of Tall Tales. You can

find a varied selection on-line or in your media center. Students will then brainstorm a list of

exaggerations that would make an enjoyable, humorous Tall Tale. Students will be asked to

evaluate their everyday lives and think about activities, hobbies or sports that they

participate in. Using an exaggeration from the list, or ones that go specifically with an event,

students will write a modern day tall tale. Students can choose from a variety of formats for

their tall tale such as using a cartooning format, writing a play, creating and performing a

rap/song, etc.

G6 – Relationships and Connections – WORD PLAY CENTER – This can be broken into

three areas. Or you can elect to have students select one of the three areas to complete and


use the other two as extra centers for early finishers.

A. IDIOMS-Students will define the term ‘idiom’ and complete the activity named Idiomatic

Acrobatics. They will then choose 3 of the idioms, give the connection they have with

these three and then give supporting information for their connections.

B. PROVERBS-students will review the definition. Students will choose at least 2 of the activities.

i. From a list of proverbs provided, choose one as a title for an original story to be

written by the student.

ii. Create a visual mural of various proverbs and their meanings.

iii. Rewrite 5 favorite proverbs by substituting words with lengthy and verbose words to

create effusive sayings (this can be done with a partner).The use of a thesaurus is

necessary.

iv. Choose at least 4 different proverbs (from the list or one that you are familiar with)

that describe /show your personality, habits, and/or values- defend how these

represent your personality.

C. THINK-A-LINKS- (synectic-force fits) students will connect items that seem to not be

Connectable. How many crazy connections can you put together? Students will then give support for their connections.

CLOSING: Teacher will bring students back together in whole group. Discussion will

involve opinions, questions, and information about the essential questions to

determine the depth of knowledge students have acquired through center work.

Students may share completed projects or give status report as to level of completion of remaining centers.

Teachers may also focus discussion and share projects from one standard to demonstrate emphasis of that standard.

Summary by the Learner: Students will gain an understanding and working knowledge of Gifted

Standards as applied to the topic of Humor. Students will answer the lesson questions in their

journals when all the work stations are complete. Students will record in their journals how each of

the standards was demonstrated at each of the work stations.

Differentiation:

More Capable: to meet the needs of more capable students or higher grade level students different

materials may be introduced to stretch student capabilities

Less Capable: appropriate leveled information will be provided /used to complete work station

activities

Materials for this Lesson:

Standards Poster

Fractured Fairy Tales and the original Fairy Tale

Work Station instructions

Butcher paper

Tall Tales, Tall Tale Books from Media Center/Steven Kellogg

Fred Gwynne Books – Chocolate Moose for Dinner/The King Who Rained/Little Pigeon Toad or

other books with homophones

Paper/markers/crayons/pencils/

Idiomatic Acrobats

List of Proverbs

Paper/markers/crayons


Thesaurus

Class set of:

Torrie the Tortoise (from lesson 1)

Acrostic #1

Idiomatic Acrobatics – pg. 4

Student/Teacher Homophone rubric

Vocabulary for this Lesson: Fractured Fairy Tale

Setting/Character/Traits/Plot/Humorous Element

Tall Tale

Exaggerations

Homophones

Idioms

Proverbs

Effusive

Verbose


Critical Thinking Work Station Instructions G1 – Students will utilize higher order reasoning and reflect upon their

thinking.

Fractured Fairy Tales

1. Be sure to put your name and date on all of your papers.

2. Teacher and students will read a familiar Fairy Tale. Then

read the “Fractured” version of the same Fairy Tale.

Discuss how a “Fractured” Fairy Tale is different than the original Fairy Tale.

3. Create a Venn diagram, T-chart or other graphic organizer to compare and contrast features of a “Fractured” Fairy Tale and the original Fairy Tale.

4. Determine different parts of a Fairy Tale.

5. Divide a piece of butcher paper into 5 sections: Setting, Characters, Traits, Plot and Humorous Element. Determine what you want to put in each section to create a “Fractured” version of your favorite Fairy Tale

6. Create a Fractured Fairy Tale with your group using the information from each section.

7. Practice your Fractured Fairy Tale to present to the class.

8. Place your completed work in your folder. Be sure to color in the “CRITICAL THINKING” section on Torrie the Tortoise’s shell.


Convergent Thinking Work Station Instructions G2 – Students will reason logically using induction and deduction.

a. Solve problems using logical reasoning

Riddles

1. Be sure to put your name and date on your papers.

2. Try to answer the clues. Put the answer on the dashed line

3. The numbers under each dash match a box on the grid. Put each letter in the matching box on the grid

4. Sometimes you can guess a word when some of the letters

have been discovered. You can work “backwards” and

put the guessed letters in the matching dashes of the

clues.

5. When you have completed the puzzle, you should be able to discover the answer to the riddle.

6. You can choose to create an acrostic of your own using your favorite riddle or joke.

7. Place your completed work in your folder. Remember to color in the “CONVERGENT THINKING” section on Torrie

the Tortoise’s shell.


Divergent Thinking Work Station Instructions G4- Students will think creativity to generate innovative ideas, products, or

solutions to problems. a. Assess ideas for the components of divergent thinking: fluency,

flexibility, originality, and elaboration b. Apply components of divergent thinking to ideas, products, and

problem solving situations. (for improvement)

Homophones

1. Be sure to put your name and date on all your papers.

2. Refer to the Humor Anchor Chart for the definition of

‘homophone’.

3. Read several of the books that contain homophones. Pick three homophones that connect to you. List them on a piece of paper.

4. Brainstorm as many homophones as you can. Record your ideas on a sheet of paper

5. Pick the one homophone that you can connect with. On a separate piece of paper, write and illustrate your selected homophone.

6. Be sure your illustration clearly demonstrates the four components of creativity: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Elaboration.

7. Use the rubric to assess your partner’s creation. Give the rubric and the finished piece to the teacher who will also assess the finished piece.

8. Place your completed work and rubrics in your folder. Be sure to color in the “DIVERGENT THINKING” section on Torrie the Tortoise’s shell.


Evaluative Thinking Work Station Instructions G5 – Students will evaluate and solve a variety of authentic problems

Tall Tales

1. Be sure to put your name and date on all your papers. 2. Read several Tall Tales. Think about what characteristics make Tall Tales different from other kinds of stories.

3. Think about the stories you read. What characteristic was exaggerated to make the story a Tall Tale and humorous? Write down the story title and the exaggerated feature on your chart. 4. Think about yourself and your life. What characteristic about yourself could you exaggerate? 5. Think about a specific activity that you like to do. How would your exaggerated characteristic change how you

completed the activity? 6.Write a Tall Tale about yourself using this exaggerated feature. 7.You may choose whatever format you would like to present your Tall Tale. For example: you may want to write the story using a comic book format or you may want to write it as a play, etc. 8.Place your completed work in your folder. Be sure to color in the “EVALUATIVE THINKING” section on Torrie the Tortoise’s shell.


Tall Tale Planner

Name________________________________________Date____________ Directions: Think about the Tall Tale story you read. Complete the planner below

for each story. Consider a characteristic that you have or an activity that you participate in and think about how it could be exaggerated. Record that information

in the last section. Then you will write a Tall Tale about yourself using this

exaggerated feature.

Title of Tall Tale Characteristic/Feature/Activity How is it Exaggerated? Example: Paul Bunyan Height and Strength/Lumberjack Extra Tall and Super

Strong/Unusually talented as a lumberjack

Your Name Characteristic/Feature/Activity How would the

exaggerated feature change you?

Use this information to create your own Tall Tale!


Relationships and Connections Work Station Instructions

G6-Students will identify relationships and make connections among various topics and disciplines.

WORD PLAY CENTER

1. Be sure and put your name and date on all your papers. A.IDIOMS-

Look up the terms “idiom” and “idiosyncrasies” in a

dictionary.

I. Review the list of idioms on the page Idiomatic

Acrobatics.

1. Choose three idioms from the list and illustrate

them.

2. Give your connection to the idiom and any

supporting information as to your choice of these

three.

II. Read the list of idioms and meanings on Idiomatic

Acrobatic Definitions page. Match each idiom to its

correct meaning.

III. Putting it in Reverse- write an idiom to go with the

illustration.

B.PROVERBS- Be sure and review the definition of the term “proverbs”. Choose at least two activities to complete.

I. From the list of proverbs, choose one as a title for an

original story that you will compose.

II. Choose at least 5 proverbs, determine their meanings

and illustrate them in a visual mural.

III. Effusive verbosity – you will need to choose 5 of your

favorite proverbs and rewrite them by substituting

words with lengthy and verbose terms. You and a

partner may work on this activity together. Use of a

dictionary and a thesaurus is required. Example: Look

before you leap – Surveillance should precede

saltation.


IV. Choose at least 4 different proverbs from the list that

describes/show your personality, habits or values.

Record your reasons why and how these represent

your personality.

C. CRAZY CONNECTIONS/THINK A LINKS

Read the information on connections/relationships and how this thing things be humorous.

I. Complete the activity by making as many

connections as possible with the terms listed and

then giving the reasons for those relationships.


Acrostic #1 Name______________________________________Date____________________

Directions: Answer each clue and write the word in the numbered spaces. Then put each letter into the grid in its proper place. When you are finished you will find

the answer to this riddle: WHAT DID ONE MARTIAN SAY TO THE OTHER MARTIAN AS THEY APPROACHED EARTH?

CLUES A. What cows produce ___ ___ ___ ___

26 19 4 8

B. Opposite of Push ___ ___ ___ ___

29 3 15 6

C. Smack ___ ___ ___

30 12 20

D. Store event featuring bargains ___ ___ ___ ___

28 16 5 31

E. Absence of war ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

14 9 22 17 33

F. Number of minutes in half hour ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

25 11 7 32 10 1

G. Body of water ___ ___ ___

23 18 24

H. Scram! ___ ___ ___ ___

13 21 2 27

1

2 3 , 4 5 6 7 8

9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17

18 19 20 21 22 23

24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33


CRAZY CONNECTIONS OR THINK A LINKS The punch lines of jokes and riddles are often totally unexpected. That’s one reason that we find things funny. They connect things that you never thought of as connectable. Joke 1 Little Sally always looked forward to her lunch, but today Sally’s mom was excited

about the new treat she had planned for Sally. Sally’s mom set down a carefully arranged plate on the table and then went to the kitchen to get some napkins. She

was completely confused when she came back to see Sally crying at the table. “What’s wrong Sally? Don’t you like the animal crackers I bought for you?” asked

her mom. Sally just cried even harder and wailed, “But Mommy, we are vegetarians!”

Joke 2

A teenager tells his father, “There’s trouble with the car. It has water in the

carburetor”

The father looks confused and says, “Water in the carburetor? That’s ridiculous.” But the son insists. “I tell you the car has water in the carburetor.”

His father is starting to get a little angry. “You don’t even know what a carburetor is,” he says. “I’ll check it out. Where is the car?”

The son answers, “In the pool.”

These are two examples of how something unexpected may make jokes humorous. You may have other favorite jokes that illustrate this as well. The next page has an activity called “Think A Link.” The words don’t seem to have much to do with each other, but with creative thinking you can make crazy connections or relationships – or Think A

Links! This kind of thinking can come in handy when you are faced with a problem. It may open doors to ideas you might otherwise never realize. Once in a while, you may discover a funny riddle from the bunch. Try these with a friend or family. Tell them that at school today we figured out how a flower and a telephone are alike. Can you come up with any ways? Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, if support can be given.


Crazy Connections- Think A Link The words below don’t seem to have a real connection. By using synectic (force fit) thinking, you may connect things that seem un-

relatable. You need to really think about the characteristics of each item to determine where the connections can be made. In Think A Link – you will create links between the terms in more than one way. pencil apple football flower lamp lemon basket stapler clay tree telephone clock

Try this approach if you have difficulty determining a relationship. A_______________ is like a __________________because they both _______________________________________________. On a separate page, use the terms listed above to create as many crazy connections as you can. You must have at least three connections. Be sure to record the reasons for the connections/relationships you have

made. You can create an illustration for the connections to help demonstrate the relationships.


IDIOMATIC ACROBATICS

Idioms are idiosyncrasies of our language that give our language a special character that is “spicy” and “earthy”. For example:

I am head over heels in love. OR She is flying by the seat of her pants.

OR Now it is time to start…Let’s get this show on the road and give it the old college try. You may use idioms only once in a blue moon, but you

will be flying high when you realize the fun you can have with words. So, the time is ripe. Let’s get down to brass tacks and…find the humor in IDIOMS!!!


IDIOMATIC ACROBATICS – pg. 2

Illustrating idioms:

Here is a list of idioms that are just ripe for the pickin’. Choose three (or more if time allows) idioms and illustrate them on a separate piece of paper. After you

have finished the illustrations, write what you think the idiom means in regular English.

In one ear and out the other Running behind Use your noodle/noggin See eye to eye

Take your time Butterflies in your stomach Last straw/ the straw that broke the camel’s back


Page 3 – Idioms continued

Shake a leg Money to burn/money burning a hole in your pocket Horsing around Up in the air

The pits Run it into the ground Clear as mud

Down the drain Right up your alley Zero in on it

Ran out of steam Two heads are better than one


IDIOMATIC ACROBATICS - pg 4

Determining the meaning of Idioms:

Before you run out of steam, try your hand at matching these idioms with their correct meaning.

___On pins and needles A. agree ___Don’t bug me B. nervous ___Don’t jump the gun C. Leave me alone.

___Rip-off D. not fail, crummy deal ___Hit the nail on the head E. very upset with self ___Cut the mustard F. solve the problem

___Tear my hair out G.do it right-or else ___Iron it out H. Don’t do something before you’re ready.


PROVERBS DEFINITION: Proverbs are short, abstract, wise sayings that state a truth about life. When they are taken literally, (meaning to comprehend exactly, precisely, actually, really what is written), they can be somewhat humorous. Picture these sayings as you read them – literally. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Too many cooks spoil the soup or broth. Necessity is the mother of invention. Look before you leap. A picture is worth a thousand words. The only way to have a friend is to be one. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. A rolling stone gathers no moss.

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. You can’t judge a book by its cover. A wise fish never swims upstream.


Student Rubric for Homophone and Illustration

Students Name__________________________Date___________

Directions: For each row, circle the description that best matches the level of the product

Comments: Write two positive, constructive comments…NOT “I like your homophone and

illustration”.

Teacher Rubric for Homophone and Illustration

Student Name__________________________Date___________

Directions: For each row, circle the description that best matches the level of the product

Comments: Write two positive, constructive comments…NOT “I like your homophone and

illustration”.

D

Does Not Meet

P

Progressing

S

Successful

Divergent Thinking

Applies no

components of

divergent thinking to

product

Applies some

components of


product

Applies all

components of

divergent thinking

(Originality, Fluency,

Flexibility,

Elaboration)to

products

Topic

Not focused on topic Mostly focused on

topic

Focused on topic

Illustration

Does not support

homophone

Somewhat supports

homophone. Uses

some components of

divergent thinking

and humor

Appropriately

supports homophone

Makes use of

divergent thinking

components and

humor

D

Does Not Meet

P

Progressing

S

Successful

Divergent Thinking

Applies no

components of


product

Applies some

components of


product

Applies all

components of

divergent thinking

(Originality, Fluency,

Flexibility,

Elaboration)to

products

Topic

Not focused on topic Mostly focused on

topic

Focused on topic

Illustration

Does not support

homophone

Somewhat supports

homophone. Uses

some components of

divergent thinking

and humor

Appropriately

supports homophone

Makes use of

divergent thinking

components and

humor

name of lesson: 3. round and round the humor...

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