NCDPI -- AIG Instructional Resource: Background Information

Date Submitted: February 25, 2012
Resource Title: Puns are Fun in Kindergarten—Dav Pilkey and His Punny Books
Subject Area/Grade Level (s): K/1 / Time Frame—1 lesson
Independent work time
Common Core/Essential Standard Addressed:
L.K.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases based on kindergarten reading and content.
a.  Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them correctly.
Additional Standards Addressed:
(integration across topics, within or across disciplines)
Brief Description of Lesson/Task/Activity:
(include how this lesson/task/activity fits with a larger context)
Students will be introduced to the definition of a pun and then find puns in a Dav Pilkey book. Students will then create their own book of illustrated multiple meaning words or puns.
Type of Differentiation for AIGs (include all that apply)
X Enrichment Extension Acceleration
Adaptations for AIGs
X Content Process Product
Explanation of How Resource is Appropriate for AIGs
Puns are an advanced vocabulary concept and are an abstract concept because they require understanding multiple meanings and inferring the humor within the “joke.” The gifted student often understands humor above same age peers.
Needed Resources/Materials
One (or more) of these books:
Pilkey, Dav. Dog Breath! The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis. Scholastic Paperbacks, 2004.
Pilkey, Dav. DOGZILLA. San Diego, CA: Harcorp, Inc, 1993.
Pilkey, Dav. The Hallo-Wiener. New York: Blue Sky Press, 1995.
Sources (all sources must be cited)
The example puns are from Buzzle.com http://www.buzzle.com/articles/puns-for-kids.html
TEACHER NOTES
The concept of puns is also easily applied to Amelia Bedelia books.

NCDPI AIG Curriculum Resource Outline

Describe processes, steps, and materials needed at each stage of the lesson/activity.

STAGE ONE: Engage
  Hook
  Prior knowledge
Instructional input
  Modeling
Description:
Have the students brainstorm words that have more than one meaning. Examples can include spring, bat, roll, and light.
Explain to the students that often people use words with more than one meaning to make jokes or for the amusement of others. This is called a pun.
Pun (as defined by www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary): the usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound
Give the students examples of puns:
What do you call a sleeping bull? A bull-dozer.
Why are teddy bears never hungry? They are always stuffed.
Why are fish so smart? Because they live in schools.
Have students underline the multiple meaning words. Discuss what makes these statements funny. What two meanings does each pun have?
STAGE TWO: ELABORATE
Guided and independent practice
  Guiding question
Description:
Read aloud to students the Dav Pilkey book of your choice. As you read together in your group, mark the puns with sticky notes. When appropriate stop and discuss what makes the pun funny…what are the multiple meanings of the word? (Students will most likely want to read all of these books. They can read the others independently and mark the puns or you can do more as a book study group.)
Some of the puns may need to be explained to the students. For example in the book Dog Breath, they will probably not know that Hally Tosis is a pun of halitosis, another word for bad breath. In The Hallo-Weiner, students may not know that Oscar Meyer is a hot dog company.
Ask students, how do the illustrations also contribute to the humor in the book? Students should show examples in the text to support answers.
In Dog Breath and The Hallo-weiner, Pilkey uses great foreshadowing for the major events in the novel. Have students find these clues and show them to you after you have read the book once. Explain to students the tool of foreshadowing if they have not learned this before.
In the front of Dogzilla and Kat Kong, Dav Pilkey writes that this book may be too silly for grown ups. Ask students, why do you think he puts that warning there? What does that mean? Have them support their answers with examples from the text.
After students are comfortable with the idea of a pun (from teacher observation):
Students independently create and illustrate a small book of puns. Pick 4-6 multiple meaning words and create a joke using these puns. Illustrate the puns.
STAGE THREE: EVALUATE
  Assessment
Description:
Teacher observation of student understanding of puns
Rubric evaluation of pun booklets. Criteria should include: student showed understanding of multiple meanings of a word; student applied multiple meaning of a word to creation of a “sensible” pun; student illustrations were appropriate; conventions and handwriting are appropriate for Kindergarten student.
TEACHER NOTES:
Students will most likely want to read all of the suggested books if they are available. This would also be a great opportunity to do an author study of Dav Pilkey with this group. An author study is a terrific way to make a real-life connection.