Read and analyze a variety of Shakespearean and contemporary puns using Visual Thesaurus computer software. Middle and high schoolers analyze a pun as a class; in small groups they analyze a Shakespearean pun using contextual clues and...

"O pun" the door on this activity. Have your pupils compare the puns and word play in scenes from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to those in Gary Blackwood’s The Shakespeare Stealer. Warm up and introductory activities, as well as...

Encourage more pun-derstanding of word play in your literary scholars as they explore Brian P. Cleary's book Rhyme and Punishment: Adventures in Wordplay. Although this isn't suggested, consider beginning this study by simply showing...

Students examine the wit of characters in two plays. In this drama lesson, students read The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary L. Blackwood and Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Students analyze the puns used in both plays and write essays that...

Students analyze and practice presenting vocabulary words in out of the ordinary ways with word play, frisky words and puns. They also identify the correct definition of each word and then use them in gimmicks to add flair and fun to the...

Students discover art that contains composite imagery and visual puns. They create their own picture of composite imagery and explain the visual pun. Students develop skills using the drawing media.

Middle schoolers increase their knowledge of homonyms and become familiar with puns.

Students examine what puns are and how they are useful in poetry. They examine how they are used in advertising slogans, Valentines, and everyday language. They create posters depicting their favorite pun.

Students create visual puns. They draw the name of bird from a basket and then create a visual pun illustration based on the bird's name. Students evaluate their drawing using a rubric and then present their work to the class.

Explore how language is used for comic effect. Middle schoolers determine which of the three formulas for jokes (double meanings, unexpected outcome, humorous mental image) make each of 18 classic, corny examples funny. They complete a...

Students read the book Goldilocks and the Three Hares and complete activities to go along with it. In this Goldilocks and the Three Hares lesson plan, students complete activities on puns, facts about weasels, rabbits and hares, and more.

One of my favorite things about this resource is that they use a standardized lexile to help you determine who should be reading what book. I also love this great teacher's guide for the book, The Class Election from the Black...

This physics pun really hertz, but this STEM lesson plan can help. The inquiry-based activity has young scientists create a testable question about electromagnetic strength; plan and implement their own experiments; and record and...

Horrible science puns only happen periodically, but the scientific method is forever. Young scientists observe two presentations on the scientific method, complete independent practice worksheets, and integrate their knowledge through a...

This lesson plan 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...

Students consider gay rights. In this editorial cartoon activity, students analyze an editorial cartoon by identifying the idioms and puns in the cartoon. Students create their own editorial cartoons.

Pupils practice the art of listening. In this listening skills lesson, students listen to an old-time radio show and identify hidden messages, innuendo, sarcasm, double entendres, puns, hyperbole, irony, colloquialisms, inflections,...

Students perform a close reading analysis of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Act 2, Scene 1.  Students examine the characters of Sebastian and Antonio and discuss themes, particularly those of the potential for tragedy within a comedy...

Jump back into expository writing and analysis at the start of a new school year! Start with a review of an authors' stylistic choices in diction, syntax, treatment of subject matter, and figurative language. Writers choose a text to...

Working with thermometers, sixth graders compare the value of positive and negative numbers. Plenty of teacher suggestions and independent practice ideas are presented. This website links to two more parts in this first of three integer...

Students explore decomposition and soil health by creating their own garden.  For this agriculture lesson, students build a "lasagna garden" with organic matter found in the area and plant perennials native to their region....

Enhance and extend instruction of "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin with one or all of these ideas. You might want to cover characterization and summary, or improve understanding of context clues and irony. You can cover any...

In a life or death situation, what resources would you choose to survive—and why? A zombie attack simulation teaches learners the concepts of scarcity and resources in regards to economics. The hands-on activity requires individuals to...

Ninth graders analyze a fantasy art map by Jeremy Anderson, paying careful attention to the way the topographic features of the land are represented. They create a similar map of Sacramento that includes topographical features as well as...