Internet Phenomenon

Assignment Title: “Humor Me”

Annotation:  This will be a written assignment/ project for 11^th grade.  Students will watch the Evolution of Dance, and we will discuss the different aspects of the video that are entertaining and humorous.  After this, students will attempt to incorporate some of these humorous and entertaining ideas into a three-page paper.  Students will then work in groups and choose one paper to use for either: a dramatic reading, a performance, a video, or a powerpoint. 

 Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

Procedures:

1.      As an introduction, we will all watch the “Evolution of Dance”.

2.      After watching the video, we will discuss the students whether they thought it was funny or not, and whether they thought it was entertaining or not, and why.

3.      We will explore humor and humor writing more as a class and discuss different ideas that everyone thinks may be entertaining or humorous to others.

4.      For the first part of the assignment, the students will choose their own topic, get it approved by the teacher, and complete a three-page humorous paper.

5.      After the papers are graded and returned to the students, they will then get in groups of about three or four.  While in the groups, the students will receive random classmate’s papers, and the group will decide which paper is the most entertaining.  After choosing a paper, the group will choose a way to present the paper to the class.

6.      Students will have the option to either: perform a dramatic reading as a group, act out a play, make a video, make a powerpoint, or have their own original performance, if approved by the teacher.

7.      Students will be graded individually on their papers, and will then be graded as a whole group.  For the group project, they will be graded on how much work the group put into the assignment, and how well they worked together as a group during the performance (was the group well prepared or not).  The grade for the paper and the group performance will be averaged together for a final grade for the student.

Adapting the Assignment:

            -Extension: If some of the students are in need of more of a challenge, they will have the option to write a longer paper; however, if there are enough students that are ahead of the rest of the class, these students will be put in a group together after the written assignment.  After choosing a certain paper to perform, these students will be asked to act out their performance for the class as if they were telling the story from a different perspective.

            -Remediation: Students that need extra help will have the option to write about either “The Evolution of Dance”, or another funny movie, video, story, etc. that they have seen/read and why they thought it was funny or entertaining and why they thought it would be humorous to other people.  This will give the students a firm starting point, and it will make the paper a little easier to write, but the student will still be exploring the idea of humor.

Timeline: The students will get a week to write the paper, but will be given three weeks to work in groups for the performance.

Primary Learning Outcome: After completing this assignment, students will have an enhanced understanding of humor and humor writing.  They will also get more practice working in groups and being in front of the class.

Assessed GPSs:

o       ELA11W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure.

    a. Establishes a clear, distinctive, and coherent thesis or perspective and maintains a consistent tone and focus throughout.

    b. Selects a focus, structure, and point of view relevant to the purpose, genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirements.

    f. Uses traditional structures for conveying information (i.e., chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question).

o       ELA11C1 The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats.

               a. Demonstrates an understanding of proper English usage and control                        of grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, diction, and syntax.

               b. Correctly uses clauses (i.e., main and subordinate), phrases (i.e.,                             gerund, infinitive, and participial), and mechanics of punctuation (i.e.,                     end marks, commas, semicolons, quotations marks, colons, ellipses,                             hyphens).

               c. Demonstrates an understanding of sentence construction (i.e.,                                  subordination, proper placement of modifiers, parallel structure) and                     proper English usage (i.e., consistency of verb tenses, agreement).

o       ELA11LSV1 The student participates in student-to-teacher, student-to-student, and group verbal interactions.

a. Initiates new topics in addition to responding to adult-initiated topics.

b. Asks relevant questions.

c. Responds to questions with appropriate information.

d. Actively solicits another person’s comments or opinion.

e. Offers own opinion forcefully without domineering.

f. Volunteers contributions and responds when directly solicited by teacher or discussion leader.

g. Gives reasons in support of opinions expressed.

h. Clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a response when asked to do so; asks classmates for similar expansions.

i. Employ group decision-making techniques such as brainstorming or a problem-solving sequence (i.e., recognizes problem, defines problem, identifies possible solutions, selects optimal solution, implements solution, evaluates solution).

j. Divides labor so as to achieve the overall group goal efficiently.

I just thought this was worth sharing!

Some of the more interesting points that Postman shared were his thoughts on schools being houses of detention and not houses of attention if there is no narrative (7), and the idea that public schools do not serve the public, they create the public (18).

I am interested to learn about some of Postman’s other opinions on education in the reamaining chapters.

Some interesting English related sites I found are: Linguistics, Literature, and English Studies.  There are also many related links on these sites that provide more information.

hipteacher.typepad.com and msfrizzle.blogspot.com

The general public seems to believe that the use of computers is “dumbing down” English. I believe that making students post their own blogs, and then peer-edit and comment on friend’s blogs will improve their grammar skills, not just for writing papers, but also on the computer.

I believe that finding activities that are useful, but also enjoyable for the students (like blogging) is one of the main keys in being a successful teacher.