06-Stand-Up Comedy
May 23
Today we revised our telephone stories from last time. If you were absent, choose at least one element to keep from each writer who worked on your telephone story. Then revise your story so it flows well and makes sense. You must use the first two sentences "When I woke up, I thought it was going to be a normal day. Boy, was I wrong."
May 21
Today we played a game of telephone where we wrote one part of a story and our neighbor continued the story. We will be using these stories next time, so if you were absent, talk to Mrs. White when you get back and she will roll the story dice to get you some random story elements.
May 17
Today we continued Comedy Night. If you were absent, you will perform on Tuesday.
May 15
Today was our first Comedy Night. We started performing our stand up sets. If you were absent, you will perform on Friday.
May 13
Today was Personal Project Monday. We studied opening lines. If you were absent, spend half an hour writing at home and keep practicing your stand up set.
May 9
Today we practiced our stand up sets in preparation for Comedy Night next Wednesday. If you were absent, print off and complete this practice paper. If you want to film your set instead of performing it live, you must send your clip to Mrs. White before you come to class Wednesday.
May 7
Today we studied onomatopoeia (sound effect words) and how to use them to create humor. Then we finished polishing our stand up sets. If you were absent, finish your stand-up set and print it out so you can use it to practice on Thursday. Then write the reflection paragraph at the bottom of the stand-up template. Then turn in your set through Google Classroom.
May 3
Today we looked at how comedians use beats, pauses, to create humor. If you were absent, listen to Brian Regan's "Stupid in School" and take notes on how Regan uses beats to make his jokes funnier. Then, choose one of your stand up bits to polish up into a set you can share with the class. Log into Google Classroom and start working on your set.
May 1
Today we examined how comedians can use repetition and variations on repetition to create humor. If you were absent, watch "James Veitch is a Terrible Roommate" and write a description of how he uses repetition and variations on repetition to create humor. Then write a short stand up bit using repetition.
Apr 29
Today was personal project Monday. We learned ways to generate ideas from Jennifer A. Nielsen. If you were absent, write for half an hour on your personal projects.
Apr 25
Today we practiced using sensory details to create humor and disgust. If you were absent, listen to "Saving Face" from 1:13 to 11:01 and make note of the details Jones uses to play on each of the five senses. Then write a short stand-up bit that uses sensory details.
Apr 23
Today we studied hyperbole, extreme exaggeration. If you were absent, read through "Breaking the Ice" by Dave Barry and underline all the examples of exaggeration. Then write a short stand-up bit that uses hyperbole.
Apr 19
Today we looked at a bunch of examples of stand-up comedy and analyzed what made them funny. If you were absent, print off a copy of this worksheet and use it to analyze a few stand-up routines.