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Bright Ideas Lesson PlansPun Intended: Exploring the Play in WordsNews-Journal headlines with plays on words are used for morning writing prompts in my 4th grade gifted class at Tomoka Elementary. This activity fits our curriculum by providing both expository and narrative writing practice, as well as an exploration of idiomatic language. I came up with this idea when trying to explain why it was good news that the Mars rover photographs were, as the headline stated, "Clear as Mud." In the morning, I write a "punny" headline on the chalkboard. If children understand the headline they can use it as a topic in an expository essay. If they don´t understand the pun, or just feel like being creative, they can write a narrative essay with an imaginative, weird or funny explanation of the headline. The students enjoy coming up with all sorts of ideas for their stories that explain the headlines. They can´t wait to write when they know their content can´t be wrong. This leads to writing success by generating enthusiasm, critical thinking, and it makes writing fun! The activity helps kids use creative effort in a non-threatening way and helps them get "unstuck" when writing in more formal settings. Since fourth grade students take the FCAT Writing assessment in February, these writing sessions are especially beneficial. One favorite part of this activity is hearing the different ideas the headlines generate. Each day, a few children read their intriguing "headline" stories aloud. The many versions of news are quite entertaining and lead to a lively discussion of the actual issues. When the writing and sharing session ends, we look at the headline in the paper and read and summarized the real news story. We discuss how the pun was intended. With this activity we learn about current events, our community, how to generate writing ideas, and how puns and word play add an entertaining, educational slice to life. We appreciate having the NIE grant that allows us to use newspapers at school and to learn through fun activities like Pun Intended! Bright Ideas Contest Winner - 2004 Monica Sherwin Home | Workshops | Projects | Publications | Lesson Plans | Links | Bright Ideas | |||||
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