Many people think puns and memes are low level writing used to get an easy laugh. Nothing is further from the truth. Crafting puns and memes requires a sophisticated awareness of words and images.
The easy laugh is just a bonus.
During our state testing week, I always bring in a unit on puns and memes for students. They are a natural extension of social media and the kids are thrilled to have fun and get grades for something they partake of daily. Don’t get me wrong, there is talk of the different type of puns: homophonic, homographic, close-sounding. We even discuss how a meme must have an image to be funny, but puns rely on word-play. But the magic is when students spend time creating personal and original puns and memes to share with the class.
To wrap up our unit, we all dress up as a pun or meme and spend the day puzzling other teachers and students with our wit and creativity. Our principal even got in on the dress-up fun and visited the classroom to share a giggle or two.
It is my favorite time of the year! Thoughts? What is your favorite unit to learn or teach?