Assignments and Rationales - Fake / Real news

Assignment 1

*Prior to this assignment / reading of the play, students will have already read information (articles / essays) regarding mannerisms, courtship, and marriage during the era in which Wilde’s work was written (1895).

Materials:

• Markers
• Butcher paper
• The Importance of Being Earnest
• Resources (articles, websites, etc.) from previous exploration

Procedure:

1. Read Act 1 in Oscar Wilde’s, The importance of Being Earnest

2. How are marriage, courtship, and mannerisms viewed? What is Wilde saying about these topics? Is it negative? Funny? Disappointing? Who is the target audience?

3. Students will split up into groups of six. Each of them will be given a piece of butcher paper. Three of the groups will take information from the resources explored prior to the reading. One group will have marriage, the second will have mannerisms, and the third courtship. The other three will focus on the topics within the text (Each group only having ONE topic). They will address how are marriage, courtship, and mannerisms are viewed. They should ask themselves, what is each resource (including Wilde) saying about these topics? Is it negative? Funny? Disappointing?

4. Students present these posters to the class.

5. Discussion on which artifact best represents the topics discussed.

Rationale

Prior to looking at “fake” news and “real” news in our world today, I want students to examine the use of parody within the text. I am, after all, going to be teaching English to 9^th-12^th graders (I hope), and I think it is necessary that they find how texts can relate to our world today. One, students become familiar with the ideas of parody and satire. I know that my students struggled with these terms and their definitions (until I brought in some SNL skits). It is necessary for students to see that parodying is not something new. Commentary can be seen over time and it is important that students see WHY commentary (parody and satire) exist.

Assignment 2

*This assignment takes place after assignment 1 (in case that wasn’t obvious to some of you).

Materials:

• White board
• Marker
• Paper
• Writing Utensil

Procedure:

1. Show clip of Sarah Palin getting interviewed by Katie Couric. Have students take notes on it. Some things they could focus on include:

• Who is the target audience?

• The topics being discussed
• Palin’s response and whether or not it makes sense
• Palin’s body language
• Couric’s questions
• Couric’s response to Palin’s answers
• Their over all impression after watching the clip

2. Show clip from SNL where Tina Fey impersonate Sarah Palin getting interviewed by Katie Couric. Students should take notes on this as well.

3. Group discussion

• Who is the target audience?

• How do these two clips compare and contrast?
• What is the purpose of this clip?
• Which was more informative?
• Did you learn more from one or the other?
• Talk about where else parodies are seen?

4. Have students write a reflection addressing “fake” news and “real” news, and tie this back to Oscar Wilde’s work.

Rationale

This assignment puts parody into modern times; in other words, it serves as an access point for students. Sure, they can see that Wilde is making fun of the prim and proper; but why? What purpose does this serve? By relating this idea to a modern situation, students are better able to make sense of their world. It also has them analyze both forms. It asks them to think about what they learn from each and how this compares. Jon Daily argues that his commentaries on politics are “just a joke” (Kothe). Is that what Wilde meant when creating his text? Do these “fake” pieces build on to their current understandings about certain things? Does it change their understandings? These are all things they should be thinking about, and both of these assignments together will do just that.