IRR

1
Teaching irony with
LAE 6861 Technology Media Literacy, English
Education, University of Florida For more
information visit the EE website.
2
RationaleTV and struggling readers

• For teaching and learning to occur at the
  secondary level
• Some students need repair work to break out of
  patterns of failure that have formed from years
  of little or no success.
• They need to be enticed to at least try one more
  time.
• They need to be convinced to do the hard work of
  figuring something out. That is the work has to
  be somewhat challenging. It cannot be worksheets
  that are filled with fragmented, disconnected
  answers.
• They need to have some success as a result of the
  hard work. The work has to be something that
  others who have not failed would also do it
  needs to disrupt, rather than continue, the cycle
  of being stigmatized in school.
• USING TELEVISION ALLOWS STUDENTS TO EXAMINE A
  FAMILIAR TEXT IN A NEW WAY. IT ALLOWS THEM TO
  BUILD ON THE MULTILITERACIES THAT THEY ALREADY
  USE EVERYDAY.

3
Purpose of this lesson

• The purposes of this lesson are
• To introduce a narrative pattern and
• To introduce a difficult literary termIRONY.

4
Sunshine State Standards

• (This lesson could support many SSS. For all of
  the SSS that can be met in media literacy, see
  class website.)
• For Middle School
• READING
• Standard 2 The student constructs meaning from a
  wide range of texts.
• LISTENING, VIEWING, AND SPEAKING
• Standard 1 The student uses effective listening
  strategies
• Standard 2 The student uses viewing strategies
  effectively.
• Standard 3 The student understands the power of
  language.
• LITERATURE
• Standard 1 The student understands the common
  features of a variety of literary forms.
• Standard 2 The student responds critically to
  fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

5
Sunshine State Standards

• (This lesson could support many SSS. For all of
  the SSS that can be met in media literacy, see
  class website.)
• For High School
• READING
• Standard 1 The student uses the reading process
  effectively.
• Standard 2 The student constructs meaning from a
  wide range of texts.
• LISTENING, VIEWING, AND SPEAKING
• Standard 1 The student uses effective listening
  strategies
• Standard 2 The student uses viewing strategies
  effectively.
• Standard 3 The student understands the power of
  language.
• LITERATURE
• Standard 1 The student understands the common
  features of a variety of literary forms.
• Standard 2 The student responds critically to
  fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

6
Lesson Agenda

• I would begin by explaining the narrative pattern
  of The Twilight Zone. (Remember, teaching
  students patterns makes reading any type of
  text easier!)
• Stop the video when Rod Serling enters. Ask
  students to explain the context and what trait
  the main character reveals in the opening scene.
  Ask for predictions.
• Show the rest of the video, stopping as needed to
  ask questions or to invite students to predict /
  share thoughts.

7
Narrative in The Twilight Zone
Todorovs equilibrium / disequilibrium /
equilibrium in TZ.
8
START
IRONY
Narrative Pattern in The Twilight Zone
9
IronyUse age-appropriate definitions based on
previous work with students.

• Verbal Irony
• A contrast between what is said and what is meant
  (sarcasm)
• Dramatic irony
• The contrast between what the character knows to
  be true and what the spectator knows to be true.
• Tragic irony
• The character makes statements or takes actions
  without knowing that he/she is a victim (Romeo
  Juliet)
• Situational irony
• The contrast between what we reasonably can
  expect to happen and what actually does happen.

10
Your TV Lesson

• For your lesson, continue by explaining what
  literary device you are teaching.
• Identify the scene(s) you are using.
• Describe what happens,
• how you will use the scene with students,
• and list DVD (or VHS) numbers for times to mark
  the spot.
• Include any handouts.