Predictive lit warns about unintended consequences. In his short story, "Thousands of Years from Now" Hans Christian Anderson imagines how travelers thousands of years from now will explore the great monuments and cities of the world....

The 2008 Onion article reprinted in this resource is a perfect vehicle to launch a lively discussion of power and wealth. Included in the packet are a writing prompt and discussion questions.

What would the world look like if there were a way to stop the aging process? Take a look at Kurt Vonnegut's vision of this future in "The Big Trip Up Yonder." Class members read the short story and then respond to a series of text-based...

The full text of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is included in this resource that also includes questions for readers to discuss.

Expand your pupils' understanding of the short story genre with a study of John Updike and his story "A&P." This lesson, the fourth in a series of fourteen, invites learners to examine literary terms and read and discuss the story....

Who are "the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth”? Readers of Gulliver’s Travels will learn the answer, as the journey with Lemuel Gulliver to Lilliput,...

Readers of Voltaire’s satire create a word square for vocabulary drawn from Candide. The first box contains the word, the second a picture or illustration of the word. The definition is written in the third box, and learners write a...

Racist, independent, conflicted? Readers of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn brainstorm words that describe the traits of characters in Twain’s novel and then rate these qualities in several of their favorite characters. Individuals...

Do not despair! Everything you need – the poem, a topical image, and discussion questions—are included in a learning exercise devoted to Percy Bysshe Shelley’s sonnet. 

Foster critical thinking skills by using the DR-TA Strategy with Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” Class members read portions of the essay, stop and discuss what is happening, make predictions based on evidence from the text, and...

Prejudice? Religious intolerance? Political sedition? Class distinction? Plight of women? Voltaire satire, anyone? A literary newspaper offers an opportunity for readers of Candide to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections as...

Does Mark Twain’s satire become sarcasm and does he cross the line of propriety in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? As an introduction of satire, class members view an excerpt from The Daily Show and discuss Stewart's use of this...

After viewing a presentation about satire, and terms associated with this branch of literature, young satirists craft comic books on a topic of their choice. Beware the typos!

First banned in 1885 because it was seen as “immoral in its tone,” as “trash of the veriest sort,” the controversy over The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn continues today. While some consider Twain’s story “a masterpiece” others contend...

Satire, anyone? After a review of terms associated with satire, viewers are directed to craft a 500-600 word piece of satire about a familiar hypocrisy. 

The bite of comedy often rests on use of the literary devices detailed in this presentation. The definitions for terms like sarcasm, zeugma, and invective are followed by examples drawn from literature. Consider extending the lesson by...

How is satire used in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? High schoolers respond to nine short answer questions that require them to read passages from the novel and identify what the passages are satirizing. 

To smoke or not to smoke in public places? Swift's "A Modest Proposal" launches an exploration of how to formulate a stance, develop cogent rationale, and adopt an appropriate tone for a presentation on contemporary issues of social...

Scholars demonstrate the ability to evaluate authors' use of literary elements such as metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, and onomatopoeia. They are provided with a checklist and must shop for poems that contain the poetry terms...

Based around the documentary Battlestar Galactica: Propaganda and War, this plan asks learners to create a satirical piece. After a discussion about satire, the class views the documentary and then splits off into pairs to complete the...

Difficult redistricting concepts are covered in a context that will make it understandable to your government scholars. They begin with a KWL on the term redistricting and then watch a video to answer some questions. They analyze...

In Richard Rive's short story "No Room at Solitaire," based largely on the story of Jesus' birth, a poor Black couple seeks shelter at a white restaurant in apartheid-era South Africa and is turned away. Sets the stage for a fruitful...

High schoolers deconstruct advertising messages by analyzing parody ads and exploring the purpose of satire. Then they create their own parodies based on real ads discussed in class. A creative activity to extend any study of media,...

Satire and tone are difficult concepts for high schoolers to fully comprehend. Luckily, Mark Twain was an expert of satire, and learners still find his work interesting today. Use chapter 13 of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King...