Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Ohio Standards
Connection
Literary Text
Benchmark C
Recognize and analyze
characteristics of subgenres
and literary periods.
Indicators 6
Recognize and differentiate
characteristics of
subgenres, including satire,
parody and allegory, and
explain how choice of
genre affects the
expression of a theme or
topic.
Benchmark E
Critique an author’s style
Indicators 8
Evaluate ways authors
develop point of view and
style to achieve specific
rhetorical and aesthetic
purposes (e.g., through the
use of figurative language,
irony, tone, diction,
imagery, symbolism and
sounds of language), citing
specific examples from text
to support analysis.
Writing Process
Benchmark A
Formulate writing ideas,
and identify a topic
appropriate to the purpose
and audience.
Indicator 1
Generate writing ideas
through discussions with
others and from printed
material, and keep a list of
writing ideas.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson helps students define and explore satire in its various
historical forms—from The Canterbury Tales to present-day
television.
Estimated Duration: Six to seven hours
Commentary:
One enthusiastic field tester reported, “This lesson worked well
with my freshmen, too, because we’d just finished reading
‘Harrison Bergeron’ by Kurt Vonnegut and they struggled with
the satire concept. I used this lesson, somewhat altered, and they
grasped the concept.”
The connection to “The Simpsons” proved very powerful. “I had
already brainstormed a list of possible Simpson episodes with
[satiric] topics. Because we are only 40 miles away from a
nuclear power plant and Homer Simpson works [at one], I chose
nuclear power plants and found nine cartoons (and one editorial)
online.”
Pre-Assessment:
• Select a contemporary political cartoon from your local
newspaper. Distribute copies for students to review. Ask them
to write down what and how the cartoon criticizes. (See
Instructional Tip below for more information on this step.)
• Discuss the variety of student responses, noting especially
insightful observations.
• Explain that much of the cartoon’s impact comes from humor
or exaggeration. The cartoon likely depicts a serious issue or
situation, but doesn’t make its point in a serious way. Explain
that a political cartoon often uses satire to make its point.
• Using the same newspaper from which you selected the
cartoon, select an editorial or letter to the editor. Distribute
copies and ask the class to note differences in the tone and
focus of the piece.
Instructional Tip:
Try to find an editorial or letter to the editor with the same topic
as the cartoon to make comparisons easier and more direct. Often
these will appear in the same issue as the cartoon. (Note also that
some companies will provide a class set of newspapers.)
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Ohio Standards
Connection
Indicator 3
Establish and develop a
clear thesis statement for
informational writing or a
clear plan or outline for
narrative writing.
•
Discuss how both the cartoon and the written piece are not
content with the status quo and that both are attempting to
influence people’s opinions. Call attention to how the cartoon
mocks the situation or person while the letter or editorial deals
very logically with that same situation or person.
Scoring Guidelines:
Use the discussion to assess informally student understanding of
the difference between the types of criticism. To assess their work
more formally, collect student reviews of the cartoon and written
piece.
Post-Assessment:
• Explain that the next step of the activity is to create their own
satires using the elements of fiction. Students may use any
media they choose (movie, cartoon/comic, short story, skit,
etc.), but the final product must include the elements that the
class discussed as part of Attachment A, Elements of Satire.
• Distribute Attachment C, Rubric for Satires, and review the
content with the students. Allow the students time to complete
their work using the rubric as a guide.
• Students begin by choosing particular topics, characters and
satiric elements to use in their piece. Instruct them to outline
their ideas before they begin. Distribute copies of Attachment
B, Outlining your Satire, for students to use as they prepare
their projects.
• Give them time to complete this individually, then direct them
to pair up and explain their ideas to their partners. Encourage
each partner to give helpful, balanced (even written) feedback.
Instructional Tip:
The time for this activity varies significantly depending on the
projects the students choose.
• Have volunteers present their work.
• If time permits, instruct students to complete a written or
verbal evaluation of the satires.
Scoring Guidelines:
Use Attachment C, Rubric for Satires, to score the assignment.
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Instructional Procedures:
1. Begin the discussion of satire by talking about modern examples, such as “Saturday Night
Live,” “The Simpsons,” “The Daily Show,” political cartoons and many online “news” sites.
2. Select one familiar example and list out various topics targeted.
3. Discuss how the show, cartoon or site makes fun of the thing or person. For example, does it
tend to focus on the physical characteristics, friends, career or the intelligence of a particular
person?
Instructional Tip:
Have a few examples ready to show. For example, videotape a satiric television show or prepare
a few satiric online “news” stories from sites such as “The Onion” (theonion.com) or “The Ironic
Times” (www.theironictimes.com). Note: Some content on these sites may be of an adult nature.
4. Distribute Attachment A, Elements of Satire, and direct students to look at the some of the
elements of satire at the top of the page.
5. Explain that not all comedy is satire, and not all satire is necessarily comedy. Specifically,
point to the definition. Reinforce the idea that satire is a specific kind of writing that ridicules
a person or thing, usually with the intention of creating change.
6. Continue by pointing out that some satire is fiction—that is, it contains elements such as plot,
character and setting—while other satire is nonfiction, written using logic, argument and
facts. (For the purposes of this lesson, students focus on fictional satire. For satire in
nonfiction, review the lesson, Satire in Nonfiction.)
7. Use the information at the top of Attachment A to dissect the example the class chose. Does
this show, cartoon, news story or site use satire? Does it have plot, character and setting? If
the answers are yes, continue to discuss how it incorporates some of the elements mentioned
in Attachment A. If the class determines no satire is present (or that the piece is nonfiction),
decide on a more appropriate example. Repeat the analysis.
8. After discussing an example that the class selects, direct the students to find an example of
fictional satire. Before they begin, encourage the students to look beyond simple parody or
caricature.
Instructional Tip:
Students may select any school-appropriate media, but encourage a variety of examples. If
students have a difficult time coming up with ideas, recommend one of the following:
• “Family Guy”
• “Saturday Night Live”
• movies or writing of Mel Brooks
• plays of Aristophanes
• the work of Monty Python
• the fiction of Mark Twain
• National Lampoon
• select one of The Canterbury Tales
• “The Simpsons”
9. Using their chosen satire, allow time for the students to complete the bottom half of
Attachment A.
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
10. Discuss the results, and list several of the more popular items on the board.
11. Ask whether the students see any common elements or why the more popular choices
succeed.
12. Move to the Post-Assessment.
13. To close the activity, ask the students to provide written feedback to the following questions:
°
How did you feel about this activity?
°
What did you learn from this activity?
°
Do you have a better understanding of satire now that you have completed the lesson?
°
How has this activity changed your view of satire?
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the intent
of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the specified
indicator(s):
• Find many good discussions about satire online or at the library. Ask students who would
otherwise advance quickly through the project to research some of these discussions and
incorporate the ideas they gather into their own satires.
• Students may select examples that match their learning styles (for example, visual learners
would benefit from political cartoons.)
• For students who have a difficult time understanding the concept of satire, select short video
clips or stories to analyze as a small group while the rest of the class is developing their postassessment satires.
Extensions:
• If particularly popular or important local issue exists, encourage the class to work as a group
to develop a more involved satire around the subject.
• Have a session where the class reviews several different satires on the same topic or concept.
• Review satire from previous generations and compare it with the satire of today to see how
humor and popular tastes have changed.
Home Connections:
• Students should discuss possible issues with their parents or guardians.
• Encourage parents or guardians to preview their child’s satire for appropriateness and
completeness.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
History
Make connections to historical satire and political cartoons. This might even lend itself to a
multi-discipline lesson among art, history, psychology and English.
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of its
contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does not
endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main page,
therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information required
for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes over time,
therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related to a given
lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher:
For the student:
Copies of the political cartoons and editorials/letters, copies of the
handouts, modern satire to show the class
Copy of a contemporary satire
Vocabulary:
• caricature
• parody
• satire
Technology Connections:
• Allow students to use the Internet to research various satires.
• Take advantage of digital cameras and/or camcorders and movie editing software, where
appropriate.
Research Connections:
• Cawletti, Gordon. Handbook of Research on Improving Student Achievement. Arlington, VA:
Educational Research Service, 1999.
RESEARCH-BASED BEST PRACTICES
• Teach students multiple learning strategies that promote metacognition by providing
modeled, guided practice and application.
•
Incorporate cooperative learning.
LANGUAGE ARTS (Squire 1995)
• Utilizing meaning-making skills and strategies such as summarizing, questioning and
interpreting.
• Teach critical reading/writing skills.
• Emphasize discussion and analysis.
• Stress the composing process.
• Expose students to varied kinds of literature.
• Provide assessment that reflects the content and process of instruction.
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Marzano, Robert J., Jane E. Pollock and Debra Pickering. Classroom Instruction that Works:
Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001.
Identifying similarities and differences enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use
knowledge. This process includes comparing, classifying, creating metaphors and creating
analogies and may involve the following:
Presenting students with explicit guidance in identifying similarities and differences
Asking students to independently identify similarities and differences
Representing similarities and differences in graphic or symbolic form
Reinforcing effort and providing recognition addresses students’ attitudes and beliefs about
themselves as learners. These have positive effects on student learning.
Practice and homework provide students with opportunities to deepen their understanding
and skills related to content that has been presented to them.
Cooperative learning grouping has a powerful effect on student learning. This grouping
includes the following elements:
Positive interdependence
Face-to-face interaction
Individual and group accountability
Interpersonal and small group skills
Group processing
Setting objectives and providing feedback establishes a direction for learning and a way to
monitor progress. This provides focus on learning targets and specific information to allow
the student to make needed adjustments during the learning process, resulting in increased
student learning.
Generating and testing hypotheses engages students in one of the most powerful and analytic
of cognitive operations. It deepens students’ knowledge and understanding. Any of the
following structured tasks can guide students through this process:
Systems analysis
Problem solving
Historical investigation
Invention
Experimental inquiry
Decision-making
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Cues, questions and advanced organizers help students retrieve what they already know about a
topic. Activating prior knowledge is critical to learning new concepts.
General Tip:
Only a fine line separates cleverly satirizing something or someone and outright insult.
Encourage the students to be sensitive to the opinions of their classmates.
Attachments:
Attachment A, Elements of Satire
Attachment B, Organizing your Satire
Attachment C, Satire Rubric
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Elements of Satire
Attachment A
Name: _________________________________
Satire is a literary device that uses irony or wit usually in a humorous way, to comment on or
criticize a person, group or event. Usually the intention of satiric writing is to force a change in
behavior or to sway public opinion.
Satire includes these forms of humor:
Parody is the simple imitation of a style—for example, comedians who imitate politicians’
voices or gestures simply parody that person.
Caricature often exaggerates a person’s peculiar features or style. If a public figure has a lot of
hair, for example, a caricature of that person might show him with a huge lion’s mane on top of
his head in place of his hair.
Satire often involves elements of both parody and caricature, but it is usually more complex than
either of them. While satire intends to be humorous, its ultimate goal is usually a serious one.
Satire has been used to call attention to dangerous living conditions, hypocritical public figures
and business leaders’ illegal actions. A good satire makes its audience laugh and causes them to
reconsider an issue.
Analyzing Satire
1. Whom or what is the piece making fun of?
2. As the audience, are we being asked to reconsider the way we think about anything? If so,
what?
3. In what specific ways does it mock its subject?
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Organizing your Satire
Attachment B
Name: _________________________________
Person or Place
4. Who or what is the target of your satire?
5. What is it about your subject that you would like people to reconsider?
6. Who is your audience?
7. What type of satire would be most effective for your audience (a story, a poem, a comic, a
cartoon, a video, music)?
8. What kinds of things might you be able to parody or caricature to mock your subject?
9. How would these things look or sound in the medium you chose?
10. Use the back of this sheet to outline your satire. Be sure to include a synopsis of your plot.
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Satire in Fiction – Grade 12
Attachment C
Satire Rubric
CATEGORY
Content
4
3
2
1
Covers topic in-depth
with details and
examples. Excellent
subject knowledge. Satire
is well thought out and is
effective.
Includes essential
knowledge about the
topic. Subject knowledge
appears to be good.
Satire seems well thought
out, and it works fairly
well.
Includes essential
information about the
topic but there are factual
errors. Satire is planned
but awkward in places.
Content is minimal OR
there are several factual
errors. No attempt at
satire.
Mechanics and
writing style
(for written
project)
No misspellings or
grammatical errors.
Effective word choice
and clear writing.
Three or fewer
misspellings and/or
mechanical errors. Word
choice is good, and
writing is mostly clear.
Four misspellings and/or
grammatical errors.
Some good word choice,
but writing is mostly
bland.
More than 4 errors in
spelling or grammar.
Ineffective writing style
and poor word choice
throughout.
Presentation
(for multimedia
project)
Makes excellent use of
font, color, graphics,
layout, effects, etc. to
enhance the presentation.
Makes good use of font,
color, graphics, layout,
effects, etc. to enhance
the presentation.
Makes use of font, color,
graphics, layout, effects,
etc. but occasionally
these detract from the
presentation content.
Use of font, color,
graphics, layout, effects
etc. but these often
distract from the
presentation content.
Originality
Product shows a large
amount of original
thought. Ideas are
creative and inventive.
Product shows some
original thought. Work
shows new ideas and
insights.
Uses other people's ideas
(giving them credit), but
there is some evidence of
original thinking.
Shows little or no
evidence of original
thought or
documentation.
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