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English lesson plan · 12th grade (Year 13 in England) · 30 minutes

Satire, parody, caricature and deadpan

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RL.11-12.6CCSS RI.11-12.6England: A-level English LiteratureEngland: AP LanguageEngland: Media literacy

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Satire, parody, caricature and deadpan.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Words for tone and attitude: indignant, sardonic, conciliatory…; Euphemism, oxymoron, paradox and understatement; Literary analysis: theme, symbol, ambiguity

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Words for tone and attitude: indignant, sardonic, conciliatory…; Euphemism, oxymoron, paradox and understatement; Literary analysis: theme, symbol, ambiguity). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which tone word matches this description? showing that something is worthless or beneath consideration (contemptuous / conciliatory / indignant / nostalgic) → contemptuousPrompt: Think about whether the attitude is positive, negative or neutral, then how strong it is.
  2. Which figure of speech matches this description? A mild or indirect phrase used instead of a harsh or uncomfortable one. (understatement / oxymoron / euphemism / paradox) → euphemismPrompt: Ask: does it soften, combine opposites in two words, seem self-contradictory as a whole idea, or downplay?
  3. Which word best describes the speaker's tone? Tomorrow the results arrive, and I cannot shake the feeling that something has gone wrong. (incredulous / apprehensive / conciliatory / sardonic) → apprehensivePrompt: What feeling do the speaker's word choices and punctuation reveal?

Hook · 3 min

  • Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
  • Share the objective: Satire, parody, caricature and deadpan. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which comic or satirical technique matches this description? Imitating the style of a particular work or genre for comic effect.
  • Step 1: Satirists use imitation (parody), exaggeration (caricature, reductio ad absurdum) and tone (deadpan, irony) to criticise and amuse.
  • Step 2: parody: Imitating the style of a particular work or genre for comic effect.
  • Step 3: So the answer is: parody
  • Answer: parody
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which comic or satirical technique matches this description? Delivering something absurd or funny in a completely serious, expressionless way. (caricature / deadpan / parody / satire) → deadpanPrompt: Is the technique about criticising society, copying a style, exaggerating a person, a straight-faced delivery, or pushing an argument to absurdity?
  2. Which comic or satirical technique is used here? The cartoon shows the famously proud mayor with a head three times the size of his body, admiring himself in a mirror. (caricature / deadpan / parody / satire) → caricaturePrompt: What is being made fun of: a society or policy, a style or genre, a person's looks or traits, or an argument?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Type the comic or satirical technique (in English) that matches this description. Exaggerating a person's features or traits to make them look ridiculous. → caricaturePrompt: Is the technique about criticising society, copying a style, exaggerating a person, a straight-faced delivery, or pushing an argument to absurdity?
  2. Which comic or satirical technique matches this description? Imitating the style of a particular work or genre for comic effect. (parody / satire / caricature / deadpan) → parodyPrompt: Is the technique about criticising society, copying a style, exaggerating a person, a straight-faced delivery, or pushing an argument to absurdity?

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Words for tone and attitude: indignant, sardonic, conciliatory….
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-12.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

Satire, parody, caricature and deadpan

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which comic or satirical technique matches this description? Imitating the style of a particular work or genre for comic effect.

    • A. caricature
    • B. reductio ad absurdum
    • C. parody
    • D. deadpan

  2. Question 2

    Type the comic or satirical technique (in English) that matches this description. Taking an idea to its logical extreme to show that it is ridiculous.

    Answer

  3. Question 3

    Which comic or satirical technique is used here? If the school bans running because someone might trip, it should also ban walking, standing and, to be safe, breathing.

    • A. satire
    • B. reductio ad absurdum
    • C. parody
    • D. caricature

  4. Question 4

    Which comic or satirical technique matches this description? Using humour, irony or exaggeration to criticise people, institutions or society.

    • A. satire
    • B. reductio ad absurdum
    • C. caricature
    • D. parody

  5. Question 5

    Type the comic or satirical technique (in English) that matches this description. Exaggerating a person's features or traits to make them look ridiculous.

    Answer

  6. Question 6

    Which comic or satirical technique is used here? A short film copies every cliché of superhero trailers — slow-motion explosions, a deep-voiced narrator — but the 'hero' is a librarian returning overdue books.

    • A. deadpan
    • B. reductio ad absurdum
    • C. parody
    • D. caricature

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Answer key: Satire, parody, caricature and deadpan

  1. 1. C. parody

  2. 2. reductio ad absurdum

  3. 3. B. reductio ad absurdum

  4. 4. A. satire

  5. 5. caricature

  6. 6. C. parody