Knowledge and Skills Statement
Present students with a list of sayings including a few puns such as the best way to communicate with fish is to drop them a line. Task students with identifying the puns in the list. Then have students work in pairs to create a short story or skit using a few of the puns from the list to explain their meaning.
Note:
You may wish to encourage students to include other puns that they know.
Further Explanation
This assessment requires students be able to recognize puns, understand the humor and double meaning of puns, and use a pun in their writing. Closely monitor students as they work on this project as some reteaching may be required for students who are more literal thinkers.
Research
Palmer, B.C., Shackel, V.S., Miller, S.C., & Leclere, J.T. (2007), Bridging two worlds: Reading comprehension, figurative language instruction, and the English-language learner. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(4), 258–267. doi:10.1598/JAAL.50.4.2
Summary: English language learners (ELLs) may experience challenges while reading figurative language. The purpose of this article is to deconstruct how ELLs process figurative language and provide instructional strategies to support their learning.