Students like to create, write, and share stories; however, they can be baffled and become resentful when told to write a short story without being shown how to write one. Not knowing where nor how to begin, much less how to develop and end, they often write one skimpy paragraph and call it a short story. Conversely, when they are led through the structure of a story step by step, they often surprise themselves with the results.

Wise teachers capitalize on popular culture in the classroom. They begin with what is already familiar and interesting to students and use that knowledge and interest as springboards to introduce new knowledge. Create-a-Comedy: Writing a Humorous Story builds on the existing sense of humor students already possess and their familiarity with situation comedies on television and other forms of humor. Some teachers are afraid to encourage laughter in the classroom because they fear it will “get out of hand”; however, laughter has too much positive power not to become a teaching tool.

Humor is an end in itself because it leads to joy, relaxation, and the temporary forgetting of life’s sorrows and aggravations; however, humor is also a valuable and versatile tool which teachers can and should use regularly in the classroom. Humor can be the spark that lights reluctant learners; it can expand imaginations; it can convey harsh realities in such ways as to help students deal with uncomfortable things about themselves and their families; it is an equalizer; and finally, it may work when everything else fails in overcoming sorrow and depression.

Children can write—some better than others, of course, but they all have the raw materials needed for creative writing floating around in their lives. Create-a-Comedy is designed to bring order to those raw materials, help students sort and arrange that which is already familiar, and use the results to create stories. In the process of creating their stories, students will examine, discuss, and learn many new concepts. The by-products can be as rewarding as the finished stories. Create-a-Comedy may be used as a creative writing unit, or it may be used in conjunction with a unit on humorous literature. With only a few modifications, it can be used with grades 4 through twelve.

Create-a-Comedy will help develop students’ abilities in observing, concluding, recalling, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, divergent thinking, and convergent thinking. At the same time it will contribute to the development of their oral, written, and imaginative skills, with the additional advantage of being fun. Finally, it can give students a final product of which they can be proud! The exercises in this book are designed to make students laugh, help them analyze why they laughed, and help them look at themselves and others with more insight, tolerance, and compassion.

Download the Table of Contents page here.

Grades 4–12.

The lessons and activities in this book align with the following Common Core State Standards*:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3, 5.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3, 6.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3, 7.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3 ,8.4

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.


*Authors: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers
Title: Common Core State Standards English Language Arts
Publisher: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, D.C.
Copyright Date: 2010