English lesson plan · 8th grade (Year 9 in England) · 30 minutes
Allusion, irony, oxymoron and pun
Vocabulary
CCSS L.8.5.ACCSS RL.8.4England: KS3 ReadingEngland: GCSE English Language (language analysis)
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Allusion, irony, oxymoron and pun.
- 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: Figurative language: personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia
Leads to: Verbal, situational and dramatic irony; Euphemism, oxymoron, paradox and understatement; Words from myth, literature and history (herculean, quixotic, boycott…)
Materials: Word cards, A thesaurus or dictionary, A short text with the target words, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Figurative language: personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which technique is used here? Crash! The plates hit the floor. (onomatopoeia / personification / alliteration / metaphor) → onomatopoeiaPrompt: Is it an exaggeration, repeated starting sounds, a sound word, or a thing acting like a person?
- Which technique is used here? The fire crackled and hissed. (personification / metaphor / simile / onomatopoeia) → onomatopoeiaPrompt: Is it an exaggeration, repeated starting sounds, a sound word, or a thing acting like a person?
- Which technique is used here? We waited for ages and ages — about a hundred years! (hyperbole / onomatopoeia / metaphor / personification) → hyperbolePrompt: Is it an exaggeration, repeated starting sounds, a sound word, or a thing acting like a person?
Hook · 3 min
- Show an interesting word in a sentence and ask what it might mean from the clues around it.
- Share the objective: Allusion, irony, oxymoron and pun. 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 device is used? The fire station burned down.
- Step 1: Allusion refers to a known story; an oxymoron puts opposites together; a pun plays on meanings; irony contrasts expectation and reality.
- Step 2: So the answer is: situational irony
- Answer: situational irony
- 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.
- Which device is used? Leaving the library for the last time was a bittersweet farewell. (oxymoron / pun / allusion / verbal irony) → oxymoronPrompt: Is it a reference to a famous story, contradictory words side by side, a play on words, or the opposite of what's expected?
- Which device is used? I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough. (allusion / oxymoron / situational irony / pun) → punPrompt: Is it a reference to a famous story, contradictory words side by side, a play on words, or the opposite of what's expected?
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.
- Which device is used? I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough. (oxymoron / allusion / pun / situational irony) → punPrompt: Is it a reference to a famous story, contradictory words side by side, a play on words, or the opposite of what's expected?
- Which device is used? The silence was deafening. (situational irony / allusion / verbal irony / oxymoron) → oxymoronPrompt: Is it a reference to a famous story, contradictory words side by side, a play on words, or the opposite of what's expected?
Watch out for
- Picking a "bigger" synonym that doesn't fit the meaning.
- Ignoring the clues in the rest of the sentence.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Figurative language: personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia.
- Use concrete materials: word cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Verbal, situational and dramatic irony; Euphemism, oxymoron, paradox and understatement; Words from myth, literature and history (herculean, quixotic, boycott…).
- 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-8.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder