Comedy Teacher Resources

This lesson will focus on the aspects of Shakespeare's comedy that become more evident in performance. By viewing clips of the same Shakespeare scene in different film versions, high schoolers have the opportunity to engage in a close...

Set your class racing to find copies of Aristophanes’s plays with an engaging introduction. A well-designed video helps college-level viewers who are gaining an understanding of ancient Greek history learn that the social commentary in...

The New York Times Learning Network provides the resources that permit pupils to examine and then write and perform a fake news broadcast in the vein of “The Daily Show” or “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update. The generated reports...

As a writer, Shakespeare took the genre of comedy to a new level. An informational video outlines the characteristics of Shakespeare's comedies and romances and explains how the plays differed from others during the period. Additionally,...

What better way to tell a story than with actors dressed like horses? Information about satyr plays and other aspects of Greek comedy makes up the fourth video in the Crash Course Theater series. The discussion includes references to...

The history of Greek drama is the focus of this multiple-choice quiz. Ten questions ask about historical figures and the roots of tragedy and comedy in Greek religious festivals. While studying Greek drama, use this quiz to test your...

Comedy eludes definition; however, there have been many attempts to assign a definition. The narrator explains concepts introduced by Henri Bergson and Aristotle as he approaches the topic. These ideas are animated with cartoons and are...

Aladdin, Disney's Broadway musical comedy, is a magic carpet ride. Prepare your class for a field trip to the show with a study guide that is a treasure trove of activities, cultural connections, and background information.

Journey along with the narrator of a short, animated video who explains the political connections to be found in Dante's The Divine Comedy.

To err is human ... and also leads to some hilarious situations. A script introduces readers to Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, a play full of slapstick humor and other funny elements. Although lacking in activities, the text works well...

From Canterbury Tales to The Odd Couple, this presentation details the different treatments of humor in different literary formats. Numerous authors and works of literature are represented here as examples of satire, irony, comedy, and...

In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions about Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Students investigate the world of Television by contrasting specific programs.  In this visual storytelling lesson, students compare and contrast the differences between comedy and drama by making a Venn Diagram.  Students...

Unless your class is afraid of clowns, this presentation is sure to interest them. It discusses the history behind clowns, the different types of clowns, and the ways that clowns contribute to the genre of comedy. Use this slide show in...

Comedy, tragedy, act, scene, prop. do you want to review important drama terms? Actors record the term next to its definition on a worksheet that could be used individually or as a group activity. A link to a corresponding PowerPoint...

Lighten the mood in your film class (or film as lit class) with this amusing presentation. From pictures of Sacha Baron Cohen as his infamous character Borat to a play-by-play of jokes and exaggerated plot lines in many popular movies,...

Whether you choose to include Twelfth Night in your course or whether Shakespeare's comedy has been thrust upon you, be not afraid to incorporate an interactive resource into your study of Shakespeare's tale of loss, love, and identity....

Students write about the relationship between comedy and personal pain in their journals. After reading an article, they examine the Humber College school of comedy. They brainstorm difficult events in their own lives and create...

Did you ever notice the art of comedy is indeed an art? Check out this video that contains quick and catchy tips and tricks for crafting comedy that will tickle your funny bone.

Few aspects of life make better fodder for a comedic play than politics. A study guide introduces George Bernard's Shaw comedy Arms and the Man. Along with summaries of each scene and brief biographies of the main characters, two lesson...

Sometimes life feels like a tragic comedy. A video about the play Waiting for Godot describes the play as a tragic comedy. Viewers see a summary of the famous drama and its history before answering multiple-choice and open-ended...