This collection uses primary sources to explore The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

In this lesson, students gain background information to help them understand the context of A Modest Proposal as they read it. Also provided are activities to further student understanding after reading.

The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

Students will consider the different ways that humor can be used by a writer to criticize people, practices, and institutions that he or she thinks are in need of serious reform. Students will read satirists ranging from classical Rome to modern day to examine how wit can be used to make important points about culture.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students research an aspect of modern life that they would like to lampoon.
Students read from satirists across history to absorb the style and forms of humor and institutions satirized.
Students write their own satire, drawing on techniques of famous satirists to criticize their targets.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

What is satire, and when is it too harsh?
How can humor and irony make you more persuasive?
What do you think is funny? How far would you go to satirize it?
Who gets more reaction—satirists or protestors?

In this lesson, students will look at a classic satire that makes fun of and critiques various aspects of politics and government. Students will think, Why would satire have been a particularly popular way to voice criticism, especially when rulers were kings or emperors?

In this lesson, students will continue to enjoy examining an age-old target of satire. Students also start to plan a class presentation.

In this lesson, students will give their presentation to the whole class. Students will also listen to one another’s presentations and take notes. Finally, students will draw some conclusions about all the presentations they heard.

In this lesson, students work in small groups to share their information about an aspect of Jonathan Swift’s political satire. Once students are an “expert” on their topic, they will meet with others who are experts on different aspects of the satire. Students will teach each other.

In this lesson, students will consider what makes the examples they and their classmates found satirical.

In this lesson, students continue to prepare their presentations for the next lesson. You can assign what’s left to do for homework.

In this lesson, students will begin to study Swift’s famous essay “A Modest Proposal,” and answer the question, what is Swift really arguing?

In this lesson, students will look at how a writer discusses poverty. Everyone knows poverty is devastating, but how can a writer most effectively create a response from his or her audience so people want to take action? And what kinds of evidence are most persuasive?

In this lesson, students will define satire and look at examples of it in modern media. What makes it satire? Did students know that it was criticizing society when they saw it? What makes people like satire so much?

In this lesson, students will examine stereotypical figures in three pieces of classic literature that often emerge in settings that serve as microcosms for the society at large. They will determine the intent of the satirical nature of each piece as well as the means of achieving it.

In this lesson, students will study some grammatical principles about how Swift crafted “A Modest Proposal.”

Students will identify entertaining or harsh examples Juvenal uses to criticize parenting skills. Then they will discuss strong concrete details found in Juvenal’s text.

Students write a description of a parenting problem Juvenal would be unhappy about today and come up with three concrete examples that illustrate the problem. Then the whole class shares and comments on the examples.

Students continue to look at “Once Upon a Time.” They’ll consider what makes the story so powerful and what makes it a Juvenalian satire.

In this lesson, students will finish and share their cartoon characters and spend some time analyzing each other’s creations. They’ll look specifically at whether their classmates took a more Juvenalian or Horatian approach.

In this lesson, students will continue to study Swift’s famous essay “A Modest Proposal.” Why did Swift write the essay as he did?