Iñupiaq Values Curriculum-Humor

112 Pages·2009·5.65 MB·English

by  Chrisann Justice

Iñupiaq Values Curriculum
Humor-Quvianåuniq
North Slope Borough School District
Students will look at humor; it’s importance for well-being, place in Iñupiaq
culture and value for learning. Teachers and staff will add to their “toolbox”
by looking at new ways of using humor for learning and enjoyment.
This curriculum is being piloted for the 2006-07 school year. Please send any recommenda-
tions for changes or improvements to [email protected]
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Table of Contents
Grade Level: Topic! ! ! ! ! Page numbers
Introduction! 4
K3: Laughing is Fun! 5
K4: I can be Silly! 6
K: Animals being Funny! 7
First Grade: Being Kind and Funny (Not Kinda Funny)! 10
Second Grade: Funny Songs! 14
Third Grade: Funny Stories! 19
Fourth Grade: Funny Poems! 24
Fifth Grade: Telling Jokes! 28
Sixth Grade: Cartoons! 34
Seventh Grade: Games! 40
Eighth Grade: Movies! 48
Ninth Grade: Embarrassing Moments! 56
Tenth Grade: Traditional Games! 61
Eleventh Grade: Traditional Comedy! 66
Twelfth Grade: Quotes and Humor! 69
Appendix A: Traditional Iñupiaq Humor! 73
Appendix B: Games for a Break! 74
Appendix C: Games for Learning! 83
Appendix D: Fast & Fun! 87
Appendix E: Silly or Fun Songs! 89
Appendix F: All Recommended Reading! 92
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Appendix G: Quotes on Humor! 107
Bibliography! 110
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Introduction
While we can look at the value of humor and it’s place in our lives it is a
value that is best experienced rather than analyzed. Analyzing humor can
kill it.
“We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits
to the adequacy of verbal instruction.”
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
The most efficient way to teach students about humor is to use it in the
classroom. And so while each level has a topic within the broader topic of
humor it is more important to look at how humor has a place in the learning
in your classroom. At the end of the curriculum unit you will find a list of
games with instructions. Most of the games came from the book: The
Laughing Classroom by Diana Loomans and Karen Kolberg. It would be an
excellent resource to have on hand as it isn’t possible to include every game
from the book in this section of the curriculum.
Some of the games are to be incorporated into your subject matter. Maria
Montessori said, “True learning always takes place in a spirit of joy and
abandonment.” Research has shown that we learn more effectively when we
are relaxed and enjoying ourselves.
Other games are to be used for relationship building, stress release or skill
building.
“Brain research has shown that learning occurs with greater ease if it is seg-
mented into fifteen-minute to forty-five-minute units and followed by three-
to five-minute breaks.” The Laughing Classroom by Diana Loomans and
Karen Kolberg.
Challenge each other to use more humor and fun at school. It is a much
needed tonic that the Iñupiaq people were wise enough to make a point of
using during the dark and cold winter months. Follow their example and
brighten your winter with some humor.
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Humor
K3: Laughing is Fun
Students will see how much fun they can have laughing.
Activity #1
Make a laughing box (instructions in appendix B). First use it on the kids yourself. Then let
them have fun pretending they are laughing along with it and get to trick some “unsuspecting”
visitors. Invite staff members to pop into your room for something, and when they do, turn the
laughter on, and let the kids do their thing. This is a performance so you might want to practice
several times for them to feel comfortable with the routine. They will love the attention and reac-
tions.
Activity #2
Read stories that will make the children laugh. Appendix F: Recommended Reading has some
ideas for books.
Activity #3
Make time for being funny and laughing together. Things that three-year-olds typically find
funny are:
Adults acting silly
Talking in funny voices
Dancing
Doing things in an obviously “wrong” way like putting socks on your ears or trying put one of
their shoes on your big feet.
Photo Opportunity: Take pictures of you and the class doing silly things and making silly faces.
You could make a fun bulletin board of the pictures.
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Humor
K4: I can be Silly
Students will think of ways they enjoy being silly. They will have silly contests
and generally enjoy themselves.
Activity #1:
Create a box of props that the students can use to be silly with. Help them get into silly wear and
then take their picture and post it. As an early literacy activity label the pictures and the props.
Ideas are:
shoes and clothing
rudolf noses
costume jewelry
hats and headgear
Another fun activity with the props is to do a relay race where they have to put one thing on from
the box before they come back and tag the next person. Since it is a race it will add to the fun.
Since this age is just learning to dress themselves it is actually a fun way to practice a necessary
skill.
Photo Opportunity: Take pictures of you and the class wearing their silly things and doing the
relay race. You could make a fun bulletin board of the pictures.
Activity #2
Read stories that will make the children laugh. Appendix F: Recommended Reading has some
ideas for books.
Activity #3
Make time for being funny and laughing together.
Activity #4
Make Pig Faces. See the instructions for this activity in Appendix B: Games for a Break.
Photo Opportunity: Take pictures of you the pig faces for a fun bulletin board.
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Humor
K: Animals being Funny
Students will enjoy talking about and seeing animals doing funny things.
Activity #1
If you can get a video or DVD with animals doing funny things watch it with the children. Have a
good laugh. Talk about the animals and what they did. Which did they think was the funniest?
What color was that animal? Which animal do they wish they could have for their own pet? The
possibilities for great conversation are endless. Fun and rewarding for everyone but very useful
for our ELL students.
“Zoo Life with Jack Hanna: Cute and Cuddly” is a Time Life video that is informative and fun.
Activity #2
Spend some time reading stories that are funny or fun. Since your main theme is animals be sure
to look for some that have to do with animals. Appendix F: Recommended Reading has some
ideas for books. As you read have the students predict what is going to happen and discuss the
story.
Activity #3
Have the students tell about their pets or animals that they have had fun with.
Activity #4
Have the students draw a picture of an animal doing something funny. Have them dictate a sen-
tence describing the picture and write what they dictate on their picture.
Activity #5
Have the students write a funny story as a group. Go around in a circle allowing each child to add
a sentence to the story as you write it out. Have fun reading the result.
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Activity #6
Make an effort to lighten things in your room by doing some of the activities in Appendix D: Fast
and Fun. Taking the class pet home would be an excellent one.
State Grade Level Expectations Met through Activities:
Reading:
[K] 1.1.4 The student uses strategies to decode or comprehend meaning of
words in text by: Listening to and using new vocabulary in context
[K] 1.1.5 The student uses strategies to decode or comprehend meaning of
words in text by: Demonstrating understanding of concepts of print including
• holding book right side up;
• reading front to back, top to bottom of page, left to right of page, left
before right page; • one-to-one word correspondence;
• meaning of the concept of first/last
[K] 1.2.1 The student comprehends literal or inferred meaning from text by:
Answering who, where, and what questions after listening to a sentence, para-
graph, or story
[K] 1.2.2 The student comprehends literal or inferred meaning from text by:
Predicting and confirming outcomes when listening to a story
[K] 1.3.1 The student reads text aloud by: Participating in choral speaking and
reciting short poems, rhymes, songs, or stories with repeated patterns
[K] 1.4.2 The student restates/summarizes information by: Restating information
after listening to text
[K] 1.6.1 The student follows oral and written directions by: Following simple two-
step oral directions to complete a task
[K] 1.7.1 The student analyzes content and structure of genres by: Listening to
and discussing fiction, non-fiction, and poetry

[K] 1.7.2 The student analyzes content and structure of genres by: Identifying
use of rhyme in text
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[K] 1.8.1 The student analyzes literary elements and devices by: Identifying the
setting (where) and important characters of a story
[K] 1.10.1 The student connects themes by: Making relevant connections be-
tween text and personal experiences
Writing:
[K] 1.1.1 The student writes about a topic by: Writing to express personal ideas
using drawings, symbols, letters, or words
[K] 1.1.2 The student writes about a topic by: Dictating or writing words, phrases,
or sentences related to a single topic
[K] 1.2.1 The student writes for a variety of purposes and audiences by: Writing
to express ideas for self and others (e.g., using drawings, symbols, letters,
words, sentences)
[K] 1.3.1 The student writes and edits using conventions of Standard English by:
Writing first name with an initial capital and lowercase letters
[K] 1.3.3 The student writes and edits using conventions of Standard English by:
Demonstrating an understanding of the correspondence between writing and
spoken words (e.g., dictation, reading back written work, shared writing)
[K] 1.3.5 The student writes and edits using conventions of Standard English by:
Correcting mistakes in end punctuation and capitalization with support (e.g.,
shared and interactive writing)
[K] 1.4.2 The student revises writing by: Sharing own writing (e.g., stories, pic-
tures, ideas) and responding appropriately to feedback from others (e.g., “Thank
you,” “I like that part, too.”)
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Humor
First Grade: Being Kind and Funny (Not Kinda Funny)
Students will learn the things that are unkind to do when being funny. They
will practice having fun and being funny while following the rules.
Activity #1
Go over the rules for being kind and funny. You can find them ready to print and post at the back
of this packet.
1. It isn’t funny if it hurts someone.
2. It isn’t funny if it makes fun of or insults someone else (ridicule).
3. It isn’t funny if it is *inappropriate.
* Explain that some things might be funny with friends or family but not appropriate for profes-
sional settings. School and work are professional settings. You know your class better than any-
one else. You know what issues with inappropriate humor need to be addressed. The following
are subjects that your students may need to be told are inappropriate for professional settings:
private body parts
bodily functions (potty talk)
racial slurs or other forms of discrimination
As you go through each rule have the children try to think of a time when they felt bad because
someone broke a “funny rule.” If they can tell the story it is best. As students share times when
humor has hurt them the whole class can focus on having fun without hurting anyone.
If your class appears to have a lot of issues with using inappropriate humor you can do the follow-
ing activity:
Assign everyone a “funny buddy” and have them help each other keep the rules. Go over appro-
priate ways to correct each other. A non-threatening way to correct is to use secret signs like
pulling your ear or making eyeglasses out of your fingers and putting them on. The secret sign
will alert the buddy that they are breaking a rule without putting them on the defensive. Have
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