Irony Notes
Irony Slides
Teaching Irony with The Cask of Amontillado
Overview
Use this resource to teach irony and then find examples of irony in Poe's, The Cask of Amontillado.
Individual, small group, and whole group activities.
Teaching Irony with The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
Objective: Students will be able to identify and explain, using text evidence, examples of irony from Edgar Allan Poe’s, The Cask of Amontillado. Specifically, students will be able to analyze and explain why certain text examples illustrate verbal, situational, or dramatic irony. Students will then collaborate to create an evidence/example chart.
Standard addressed: (South Carolina) RL.9.1 Analyze and interpret the author’s use of diction, conventions, figurative language, and/or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, and beautiful.
Procedures and Activities:
To hook students and spark interest in the short story, play the Four Corners game available here: Four Corners.
This game serves as an anticipation guide to make students consider their beliefs before reading the story. It was written by Natalie Krusemeier and is in the OER commons library.
Attribution:
Prior to this lesson, students will have read, The Cask of Amontillado. (RL.13.1)
This story is available for download here: The Cask of Amontillado. This is a free, downloadable, open book from Toronto Metropolitan University and is Public Domain. The story may also be read online at Project Gutenberg. Also in Public Domain.
Attribution:
Whole group: Students will take notes on types of irony from Smartboard.
Link to Google Slide Presentation: Notes These notes will serve as a resource for the next part of the lesson. Note Sheet
Slides and notetaking sheet are attached.
Independent: Each student will be assigned page numbers from The Cask of Amontillado and given the assignment to identify examples of irony found in those specific pages. With the think/pair/share method, first, students will each independently identify their answers. (RL.9.1)
Small group: Next, students will be paired with a partner(s) who were assigned the same pages. This is the “pair” part of the think/pair/share method. Together they collaboratively decide on their answers. They will discuss and analyze their findings together.
Whole Group: Finally, students will share their findings by typing them into a shared Google Form and these results will be presented by the group. (C.5.1)
Irony Analysis Chart (attached)
Assessments:
The completed Google Form will provide a formative assessment for all class members. This Google Doc will also serve as study material for a future summative assessment on The Cask of Amontillado. This form will be in Google Classroom and can be accessed by all students.