In this lesson, students analyze several humorous selections to determine the author's goal and the strategies used to achieve that goal. At the end of the lesson, students will: 
- Identify and analyze how humor is expressed in literature and how it may change over time. 
- Examine the author's motivation for using humor in specific literary selections. 
- Recognize literary devices such as figurative language, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, imagery, metaphor, and symbolism. 
- Examine the effects of literary devices in specific selections.

- How does text interaction elicit thought and response?

- Author’s Purpose: The author’s intent is either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince the audience to do or not do something. 
- Hyperbole: An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I was so embarrassed I could have died.). 
- Imagery: A word or group of words in a literary work that appeals to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell; figurative language. The use of images serves to intensify the impact of the work. 
- Literary Devices: Tools used by the author to enliven and provide a voice to the writing (e.g., dialogue, alliteration). 
- Metaphor: A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object. Metaphors suggest the essence of the first object by identifying it with certain qualities of the second object. - An example is “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Here, Juliet, the first object, is identified with the qualities of the second object, the sun. 
- Onomatopoeia: The use of words whose sounds express or suggest their meaning. In its simplest sense, onomatopoeia may be represented by words that mimic the sounds they denote such as “hiss” or “meow”. 
- Style: How an author writes; an author’s use of language; its effects and appropriateness to the author’s intent and theme.

- “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber. http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=100 
- “Charles” by Shirley Jackson. http://www.loa.org/images/pdf/Jackson_Charles.pdf 
- “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain. http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/projects/price/frog.htm 
- The above selections were chosen because they are well-known examples of humorous text. Alternative selections include the following: 
+ “The Story-Teller” by Saki. http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/392/ 
+ “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry. http://www.online-literature.com/donne/1041/ 
- graphic novels

- While students are working on their written responses for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," keep an eye out for those who may require additional assistance.
- Additionally, the group presentations will show whether or not the majority of students in the class comprehend the assignment's nature. If you notice a recurring issue, now is the time to clarify.
- Watch students as they work independently on "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" analysis, and assist those who require more assistance.
- Allow students to revise their analyses after reading and listening to others' observations. Provide feedback on each individual's responses to assist students in assessing their progress toward the lesson's goal.

Scaffolding, Active Participation, Modeling, and Explicit Instruction
W: Have students analyze how humor is used in literature and why the author chose to use it in certain selections. 
H: Engage students by identifying humor in literary selections, television shows, and movies that they are familiar with and enjoy. 
E: Have students work in groups to create a written response that supports the analysis, and then allow them to discuss their responses with their classmates. 
R: Give students opportunities to reflect, write, and reconsider the selected examples of humor.
E: Instruct students to assess and revise their responses.
T: Allow for differentiation through reading aloud, group work, class discussion, and individual performance.
O: Get the class started by having them evaluate well-known books and TV series. Then, as a class, analyze and discuss additional examples of humor before having students write their responses.

Key Questions: Why and how does humor appear in literature?

Students should first work in groups to identify comedic books, TV series, graphic novels, and films. After that, have the students determine how each manages to be funny, including through humorous situations, characters, word choice, and the use of surprise.

Ask students to share their thoughts on how the humor in their examples is created.

Ask students to list the potential purposes—such as amusement, argumentation, or critique—for each author's use of humor, and then have them present their findings.

Compile the findings of the students and display them on the interactive whiteboard or board.

Part 1

Read out loud James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Ascertain that students comprehend the story (especially the use of ellipsis points to indicate the beginning and end of daydreams). After that, assign groups of students to find instances of Thurber's use of humor. Ask students to respond to the following questions:

What makes the example funny?

In what ways does Thurber's humor work? (through language, events, characterization, etc.)

Does the humor work? Why or why not?

Watch the groups at work, offering assistance when needed and identifying which students are likely to require more support when working independently.

After that, ask each group to give one example and their analysis of it. Some examples that are suggested are as follows:

the striking differences between Mitty's personality in real life and his daydream persona; the connections between specific daydreams and his current situation; the explanations for why he must abandon his fantasies

Language: Mitty uses words like streptothricosis and coreopsis incorrectly because he has heard them and believes they can be used to describe grave medical conditions in his surgical daydream. He also uses onomatopoeia in his daydreams when he says "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa," which is a recurring phrase.

Figurative language and symbolism: instances of imagery and language that distinguish the Mitty of daydreams and the Mitty of reality; Walter Mitty has come to represent the unproductive daydreamer.

Read Shirley Jackson's "Charles" aloud. Ask students to find instances of humor and examine the humor's source, effectiveness, and reasons for being funny.

Ask students to contrast how "Charles" and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" use humor. To help direct the conversation, offer the following questions:

"Why did Thurber use humorous examples in his story?" Here are some suggested examples:

to amuse by contrasting Mitty's life as he imagines it with the life that others see.

to introduce the concept (or theme) that someone like Walter might be "inscrutable" because no one else is aware of his fantasy world.

to demonstrate the creative potential

to provide a charming and empathetic portrait of Mitty.

"How does Jackson's "Charles" humor compare to Thurber's story?" Here are some suggested examples:

To cover up his wrongdoings, Laurie creates a persona.

Laurie's actions at school and his parents' perception of their child at home are contrasted in the story to present two perspectives on the main character.

An entertaining drawing of a small child is produced by using imagination.

Part 2

Inform students that they will now be able to read and evaluate a story on their own. Gather the information from their analysis for the unit's performance assessment.

Give students a copy of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain to read aloud. After that, ask them to finish the following:

Give at least five humorous examples from the book.

Describe the author's use of language (style, figurative language, and imagery) with at least one example.

Write a final reflection on the author's motivation for including humor in the narrative.

Ask students to present their analyses in their groups when they get back. Permit each group to choose one humorous example to present to the class as a whole. Additionally, ask each group to offer one final thought regarding the author's motivation for utilizing humor. The following are some suggested uses:

to amuse via the portrayal of the tense, credulous Framton Nuttel and the amusing, sharp-witted Vera

to amuse with the final sentence's sardonic turn that causes the reader to rethink the remainder of the narrative.

to illustrate how deceptive first impressions can be.

Encourage students to revise their analyses if their perspectives have changed after hearing the other group and class discussions.

Gather the analysis of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" for the unit's performance assessment.

Extension:

Assign students who require extra learning opportunities to analyze comic strips from newspapers, television shows, or funny graphic novels to pinpoint the various ways in which humor is conveyed or to ascertain the author's intention behind using humor. Students should be assigned to groups and work under your supervision. Comment on the examples that the students have provided.

For those who are prepared to go beyond the basics, assign them to role-play a lighthearted drama or tale that uses some of the lessons' techniques.