Laugh and learn with satire and technology

This lesson for grade 12 will help students to distinguish between satire and parody. Students will analyze several examples of both satire and parody, and will work in groups to plan and create their own examples of satire. Teachers are encouraged to use blogging and VoiceThread technology to enhance student interaction.

A lesson plan for grade 12 English Language Arts and Information Skills

By Kerri Brown Parker and Allyson Young

Bringing satire up to date

Allyson Young, who teaches grade 12 English, was looking for a way to modernize her satire lesson. She worked with media specialist Kerri Brown Parker to create this lesson plan, which uses a blog and a VoiceThread to engage students with the subject and with each other.

Learn more

• Fair use Fair use is any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and "transformative" purpose such as commentary, criticism, or parody. "Fair" uses do not require permission from the copyright owner. This article explains fair use, particularly with respect to education.
• Fair Use Guidelines For Educational Multimedia Explanation of fair use from the University of Texas.
• Copyright for Students Fair use guidelines for students from NC WiseOwl.
• VoiceThread 4 Education wiki This wiki provides a space for educators to share examples of how they use Voicethread in their classrooms or for professional development.

Related pages

• Reading guides: Groups will develop a Reading Guide for each non-fiction resource book for units in science, social studies, and other curriculum areas. Students will identify useful features each book and where the important information will be found. Reviewing non-fiction features of print resources will familiarize the class with material on reserve for the unit. Overviewing and identifying text features will help students determine how to approach the various formats of text relevant to the topic.
• Story shackles: Linking students to written text: Chain your students to reading a given text critically! Story Shackles is an imaginative and stimulating way for students to acquire the ability to retell events of a story or text, sequence the action or happenings in a story, or to simply summarize the plot, main ideas with supporting details, or general information of a story or text.
• The wolf in children's books: Students will explore the ways wolves are represented in children's stories. They will decide if the wolf is a protagonist or an antagonist in the story. They will also attempt to determine if these representations are scientifically accurate. The first in a two-part lesson.

Related topics

• Learn more about VoiceThread, blogs, cooperative learning, information literacy, language arts, literary devices, parody, and satire.

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Legal

In this lesson, students will view and listen to online samples of satire, analyzing them for satirical qualities and defining how they differ from parody. Students will communicate their analysis by commenting on a blog and through VoiceThread. Students will then collaborate to create their own multimedia satire, following copyright and fair-use guidelines. This lesson is designed for grade 12, but would likely be appropriate for grades 10 and 11 as well.

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• research and analyze examples of satire.
• evaluate and share opinions on various aspects of satire and parody.
• use 21st century technologies.
• collaborate with other students.
• create a multimedia satire of a current issue.
• follow copyright law.

Teacher preparation

Time required for lesson

• Two consecutive days in the media center or computer lab to explore and introduce non-print/multimedia satire
• Time for students to complete project
• Presentation days

Materials needed

• Media center or computer lab access
• Computers with internet access (one for each student)
• Computer with speakers and LCD projector
• Optional: Headphones and microphones (one for each student). If headphones/microphones are unavailable, students can watch the videos as a class and respond to VoiceThread by typing rather than speaking.
• Optional: Blog set up in advance so students can respond to examples of satire. See the authors’ blog, BP Librarian, for an example. (Authors’ note: If you have not previously used a blog, easy options for beginners include Blogger, which is run by Google, and Class Blogmeister, which is geared towards teachers’ classroom use.)
• Access to online satirical videos. Authors’ note: We used videos of the Weird Al Yankovic songs “Don’t Download this Song” and “The eBay Song” from Google video. The videos are also available on the BP Librarian blog entry above.
• VoiceThread set up in advance so students can respond to examples of satire. VoiceThread is a free online resource that provides a way to have a “one-way” discussion responding to images, quotations, etc. See the authors’ VoiceThread example. The Reading Queens website provides directions for setting up a VoiceThread.
• Student handouts:
  • Satire evaluation worksheet — two copies for each student
  • Satire proposal worksheet
  • Grading checklists

Pre-activities

• Students should be familiar with parody. (One example of a parody you may choose to share is The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka.)
• Students should have a basic understanding of satire. The authors recommend using this lesson after the students have read Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.”
• Definitions of parody and satire can be found in John Lynch’s Glossary of Literary and Rhetorical Terms.
• If you’re using a blog for this lesson, you’ll need to set it up in advance by creating an account and posting examples of satire for students to access and respond to. See the authors’ blog as an example. Authors’ note: If you have not previously used a blog, easy options for beginners include Blogger, which is run by Google, and Class Blogmeister, which is geared towards teachers’ classroom use.
• Set up a VoiceThread with quotations and/or questions about satire for students to respond to. See the authors’ VoiceThread for an example. Directions for setting up a VoiceThread are available on the Reading Queens website.

Activities

Day one in media center

1. Ask students to verbally define satire based on previous class activities.
2. Hand out two copies of the satire evaluation worksheet to each student. Share one or two audio or video examples of satire and/or parody with the students. You may play examples to the whole class, or have students individually listen to examples on headphones. Two recommended examples are Weird Al Yankovic’s “Don’t Download this Song” and “The eBay Song.” These are available on the authors’ blog and on Google Video:
   • “Don’t Download this Song”
   • “The eBay Song”
3. Have the students discuss each example. Ask them which elements of the video are satirical, and whether they think the video is parody or satire. If you are using a blog, you may post the recordings and questions as a blog entry and have students respond by making comments on the blog. In order to maximize the benefits of using a blog, have the students respond to your questions and then respond to each other’s comments. Have students use one of the online satire evaluation worksheets to respond to the examples.
4. Have students choose two examples of online satire to analyze individually. Recommended examples can be found in the list of satire examples for individual analysis below. Online satire can be found in a variety of media formats (cartoons/visual images, music, transcripts, websites, articles/essays); be sure students choose examples from two different formats. Have students use the other satire evaluation worksheets to respond to the examples they choose. Note: Satire can be biting, and may be intended for mature audiences. The recommended examples have been approved by the authors, but teachers should be sure to review them before making them available to students, as websites may change. For text examples, you may choose to copy and paste the content into a Word document for students.
5. Homework: Have students find an additional example of online satire and be prepared to share it in class the next day. Depending on the time available, students may do this in the media center.

Day two in media center

1. Put students in small groups and have them share the satire examples they found for homework. Select a few students to show their examples with the class on an LCD projector. If you’re using a blog, encourage or require students to post their examples to the blog. Be sure to discuss what makes each example satirical and continually have students explain why something is satirical and not a simple parody. Full understanding of this concept will result in better final projects and is a major part of the literary goal of the project.
2. Wrap up the discussion by having students use the VoiceThread you’ve set up to respond to quotations and/or questions about satire. You may also have students use the VoiceThread to brainstorm ideas for their own multimedia satire. Student directions for using VoiceThread are below. Students will need headphones and microphones to listen to directions on the VoiceThread and respond orally. If microphones are unavailable, students may type responses into VoiceThread. (See the authors’ example.)
3. Hand out the satire proposal worksheet and have the students work in groups to create a proposal for a multimedia satire. Tell students they must follow fair use guidelines to ensure that their work doesn’t violate copyright law. Remind students that if they break copyright law they will be required to re-do the assignment.

Student projects

1. Give students class time to work on their projects. Hand out the grading checklist so students know what they will be graded on.
2. Have students present their finished projects to the class.

Assessment

• Assess blog responses and satire evaluation worksheets by checking for student understanding of parody and satire.
• Student satire proposals should be approved or declined in order to give students a mini-assessment/progress check before they begin work on their projects.
• Assess student projects by the requirements on the satire checklist. Students who violate copyright law should be expected to re-do the assignment and should not be given credit.

Modifications

Media center days can be reduced to one if the VoiceThread activity is completed as homework and the proposal is done in the classroom. However, your media specialist may have technical knowledge that may help students who are trying to decide which media format to use.

This lesson can also be shortened by eliminating the student satire project. Students can gain a significant understanding of the concept of satire by analyzing various examples, completing the VoiceThread exercise, and brainstorming ideas for their own (hypothetical) projects.

Websites

Authors’ examples

• Blog entry
• VoiceThread example

Blog hosting services

• Blogger
• Class Blogmeister

VoiceThread resources

• VoiceThread website
• Directions for setting up a VoiceThread, from the Reading Queens website

Reference

• Definitions of parody and satire can be found in John Lynch’s Glossary of Literary and Rhetorical Terms.

Satire examples for class analysis

• “Don’t Download this Song” by Weird Al Yankovic
• “The eBay Song” by Weird Al Yankovic

Satire examples for individual analysis

• Cartoons / visual images

  • Doonesbury
  • Today’s Best Cartoons — political cartoons compiled by Daryl Cagle and MSNBC

• Music

  • The Capitol Steps — satirical singing group based in Washington, D.C.
  • Official Weird Al Yankovic website
  • Weird Al Yankovic lyrics

• Videos

  • Saturday Night Live commercial parodies Note: You may choose to pre-screen and select some of these for student use.

• Websites

  • Life. The Anti-Prom. — anti-prom website that spoofs anti-drug ads

• Articles / essays / online magazines

  • Borowitz Report — satirical website of comedian Andy Borowitz, who won the National Press Club award for humor.
  • Articles / briefs from satirical newspaper The Onion. Note: These are the only pieces from The Onion that have been approved for this assignment. You may choose to copy some or all of these articles into Word documents for students:
    • “Military Recruiter Upset Area Man Hasn’t Called Him Back”
    • “Area Woman Emotionally Invested In Jennifer Aniston’s Well-Being”
    • “Christian Rock Band Cleans Up Hotel Room”
    • “Remaining MLB Playoff Teams Say Things More Relaxed Without Yankees Around”
    • “Massive Tag Body Spray Slick Spreading From Jersey Shore”
    • “Bin Laden’s Mother Worried Sick”
    • “Muslims To Boycott All Pope Merchandise”
    • “Britney Spears Loses Custody Of Child To In Touch Magazine”
    • “Native Bostonians Unable To Defend Land From Invading College Students”
    • “Green-Conscious GE Develops Hybrid Lightbulb”
    • “More Deadbeat Granddads Failing To Make Birthday Payments”
    • “Night On Town Fails To Rekindle Fading Business Relationship”
    • “Struggling Blockbuster Eliminates Rental Fees”
    • “Report: Majority Of Americans Unprepared For Apocalypse”
    • “Only Guy Who Puts Paper In Copier Considers Himself A Hero”

Student directions for using VoiceThread

Goal: Wrap up the discussion about satire by commenting on some quotations and by coming up with an idea for your own satire.

1. Plug headphones and microphone (if you’re using a microphone) into the appropriate jacks on the computer. Be sure the microphone plug goes into the microphone jack and the headphone plug goes into the headphone jack.
2. Access the VoiceThread with the URL from your teacher.
3. If another student is logged in, be sure to click on his or her picture (at the bottom near the telephone symbol) and select “sign out.”
4. You will read three quotations/questions about satire. Use the “record” or “type” button to respond to each one. Directions to create your responses follow:
   1. Click on the “record” or “type” button.
   2. Click on “register.”
   3. Enter your name. Note: For internet safety, use your first name and the first initial of your last name. Enter your email address and password.
   4. Click on “register” again.
   5. Add an image to identify yourself. The image should be school-appropriate and should somehow relate to you. If VoiceThread doesn’t prompt you to add a picture, click on your shadow image at the bottom, then click on “create another identity,” then select “edit” next to your original account. You will then be able to upload an image.
   6. To get started recording or typing, click on “record” or “type” again.
   7. If you are recording, click on “allow” and start talking. Click “stop” when you’re done.
   8. If you don’t want to record your voice, you can click on “type” and then type your response.
   9. Click “save” when you’re finished entering your response.
5. Be sure to sign out when you’re finished.

Critical vocabulary

Definitions can be found in John Lynch’s Glossary of Literary and Rhetorical Terms.

• satire
• parody